To hate reading books about child abuse?

[DarlingDuck]

I mean the autobiographical books. I imagine it's a good form of therapy for the writer and could be helpful to others who read it and have been through similar situations but I find them gut wrenching and haunting and cannot imagine why someone would want to read a book detailing abuse, is this an unreasonable reaction?

But why do you read them then?

If people didn't read them the 'tragic life stories' shit would stop.

I have no desire to read other peoples experiences. I suspect there maybe a therapeutic prices involved in writing but I think that stops when you print the mawkish shit. The titles are bad enough

...don't read them then?

it's not obligatory!

I loathe miserylit!

YANBU. Titles like "Please, Daddy, No". I can't imagine anyone enjoying reading them. The therapy/catharsis explanation makes sense though.

I cant bear to read them, so i dont.

I don't read them, have read a couple in my early twenties but that's it. Just wondered if people thought it was unreasonable to find them so dark.

i read a child called it and it eas very disturbing but compelling too. There is a sequel which I am not going to read

So don't read them. I can't stand miserylit either. I know the author has made their own choice to document their experiences but it feels wrong to use it as entertainment.

It is the titles that are the worst thing about them.

I can't read them either, but I agree they are probably a good form of therapy for the authors.

Misery porn, it's called in the trade.

Really? You think you might be unreasonable in thinking that books about child abuse are not fun to read?

I haven't read any, and have no desire to. I'm happy to read about dark subject matter and difficult subjects to a point, but child abuse is beyond my limit.

YANBU. anyone I've known who's had shelves full of misery porn were emotional NIMBYs and had no tolerance for others in their local community, but thought that "enjoying" reading misery porn meant that they were really empathetic people.... whatever!

Sometimes plots have to explore those issues as part of a bigger plot/issue, I'm talking about the "please not again daddy" type titles!

but do understand why they are written.

MissPenteuth - there seem to be an awful lot of people who read them and presumabley enjoy reading them, some are bestsellers

I hate them too

I hate the way WHSmith has a whole bookshelf devoted to them

I find it hard enough to read about the children that are subjected to living in an abusive atmosphere on here

It's odd that they're so popular, who on earth reads them?

Maybe the same people who read The Da Vinci Code? [book snob emoticon]

They are a fucking disgrace. Not the authors (at least not all of them) - writing your life story can be very therapeutic though some of these authors have been found to be not just exaggerating but making pretty much the whole thing up. It's both the publishers and the buyers I despise. Because the sort of people who buy this shit are generally the same sort of whangers who are forever clamouring for censorship of sexually-explicit material and horror fiction - as Grumplestiltskin says, while considering themselves wonderful caring people for wallowing in miserylit.
Of course, another market for child-abuse memoirs is likely to be sadistic paedophiles who find them a wonderful source of easily-available and legal wank material.

Ha AF I remember being shocked that they had an entire section devoted to them. It was a tall unit, at least 5 or 6 shelves. Can't remember the title they gave them, it wasn't "misery lit" but not far off.

< runs screaming from thread >

I liked Andrea Ashworth's book, Once in a House on fire (I think). Mind you, it was very well written and rather discreet, with an emphasis on the writer's relationship with her mother, who was loving but weak IIRC. I find the covers and titles of the other ones distasteful so left well alone.

I have been trying to remember the section name too, MP

I personally do not normally read those sort of books but did read A CHILD CALLED IT. It is followed up of how the author came out of the abuse etc and made a life for himself. A very inspiring read

sgb I hadn't thought of that explanation. How depressing.

ah, remembered it

Tragic Lives

that child called it got a bit bandwaggony

first it was him and his sequels, then there was his brother, then the bus driver who took them to school, then the teachers cat

lol