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Original poster

What books were you not allowed to read as a child (for their content or other reasons?)

35 replies

SurfScoter · 04/02/2019 18:31

When I was 8, I was very much into Judy Blume's kids' series about Peter, Fudge and Sheila... all fine. One of my teachers, upon finding out I liked Judy Blume, allowed me to get some books from her collection, so then I got her book Then Again Maybe I Won't. I think I was about halfway through it when my Dad looked up the description online and told me I had to stop reading it because I was too young for it. In hindsight I think he was right TBH, I read it as a teen and most definitely realise now that 8 is too young for this one. Anyone else?

OP posts:
CMOTDibbler · 04/02/2019 18:34

My mum allowed me to read anything I wanted - I remember as a teen her describing the Well of Loneliness as 'rather boring with some mildly interesting bits' when I had it out of the library.
My TV watching OTOH was very heavily policed, with a general ban on ITV!

BartonHollow · 04/02/2019 18:35

My Mum was very very permissive but drew the line at Orange Is Not The Only Fruit when I was about 12 I only read it about 5 years ago and was disappointed to see that there was very little about it that's explicit Grin

I'd read much worse

Duvetdweller · 04/02/2019 18:35

Flowers in the attic - but I still read it and devoured them all 😂

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Children's books
Silversky70 · 04/02/2019 18:37

I was allowed to read anything. Some parents complained about Judy Blume's Forever. It's ridiculous in my opinion.

fukkigucci · 04/02/2019 18:38

Sweet Valley High. Too ‘rude’
I read them at friends houses

babysharkah · 04/02/2019 18:39

Judy Blume!

Original poster
SurfScoter · 04/02/2019 18:45

This is really interesting. My parents relaxed more about it when I was in my mid-teens (although none of us have the same reading style).

OP posts:
vampirethriller · 04/02/2019 20:23

I was allowed to read anything, my parents had house full of books and none were out of bounds.

MyDcAreMarvel · 04/02/2019 20:26

My parents let me read anything but school banned flowers in the attic. I wasn’t allowed to watch oranges are not the only fruit on tv. I was ready Jackie Collins age 11/12, the librarian asked me if my mum was ok with me reading them I just said yes.

BestIsWest · 04/02/2019 20:30

None. Also came from a house full of books of all kinds.

Ridingthegravytrain · 04/02/2019 20:43

Wifey by Judy bloom. My mum banned it and hid it in her wardrobe. Where i found and finished it Grin

ginyogarepeat · 04/02/2019 20:54

Not a book, but I always read Smash Hits from around 9/10 maybe. One week I was sick and my dad bought it for me, happened to look inside and saw an article on Madonna's 'Sex' book with accompanying images, and hit the roof. No more Smash Hits for me for a while (until my mum took pity and helped me keep it secret).

halfwitpicker · 04/02/2019 20:56

Another one reading all sorts.

Jan Cremer, anyone?

MrsPear · 04/02/2019 21:01

I remember that there was a adaptation of a certain DH Lawerence book on the tv that I wasn’t allowed to watch but I was allowed to get the book out of the library - the librarian rang home to check!

junebirthdaygirl · 04/02/2019 21:07

When l was about 11 my friends dm realised l read a lot( complete bookworm) and let me take a box of books she was throwing out. My dm thought they were childrens books so paid no attention. They were VERY unsuitable. I showed my sister a particularly racy bit . Later we had a fight and she told on me about the books. I had to throw them all away. I was disappointed as l just needed more books. In 1960s it wasn't easy to get a good supply. I would have read anything.

bumpertobumper · 04/02/2019 21:22

Enid Blyton - my mum wouldn't let us read any of her books.
I have now read a few to my kids, I think she was against the snobbishness racism and sexism. Must ask her...

bumpertobumper · 04/02/2019 21:23

Read all sort of other stuff, no other censorship, read loads of grown up books at a fairly young age!!

Ribbonsonabox · 04/02/2019 21:24

Non weirdly... because my parents were very uptight about music and would confiscate CDs (Metallica, Marilyn Manson, Eminem)
But it didnt seem to occur to them to vet books at all!

cherrypiesally · 04/02/2019 21:26

Forever by Judy Blume; banned by a few parents - once we got hold of a copy it soon went around the group- it seems so tame now.

ImportantWater · 04/02/2019 21:29

I was allowed to read anything. The only things my mum had anything to say about were James Bond books, which she solemnly told me when I was about 12 did not give a good view of sexual relationships (she didn’t say “sexual relationships” and I had never read one or had any intention of doing so), and also when aged about 9 I told her I enjoyed reading her Family Circles, especially the problem page, she suggested she thought that might be a bit old for me - but she didn’t tell me to stop. I got most of my sex ed from the problem pages of 1980s Family Circle.

W0rriedMum · 04/02/2019 21:31

The school librarian banned me from taking Forever by Judy Blume aged 13. My parents didn't care at all!

whatsnewchoochoo · 04/02/2019 21:37

Nothing. I was always in the library reading biographies from 20's film stars

Your OP did make me laugh though, the small things that show our age. When I was reading Judy Blume 'online' didn't exist Grin

Prokupatuscrakedatus · 04/02/2019 21:40

I was allowed to read everything that was on our shelves. The idea was that things would either go over my head or I would get bored if a book was not for me.
On the other hand - TV was heavily restricted (all 2,5 programmes we had).

zebakrheum · 04/02/2019 21:44

We had a full set of Childrens Encyclopedia Britannica - the whole lot was in the bookcase and I wasn't allowed anywhere near them, unless I was directly supervised. Not until I was about 12 was I allowed to look at them myself, and by then everything in them was either obsolete or too simplistic.

My parents paid a small fortune for them, and they completely wasted their money. And I'm an only child, so it wasn't as if they had bought them for anybody else to read!

bluddleuddleumdum · 04/02/2019 21:45

The Highwayman although it was in the children's section!