Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Other subjects
Original poster

+++++ WARNING - ROALD DAHL, MY UNCLE OSWALD ++++++

161 replies

Somanybabyseagulls · 19/10/2006 09:53

11 year old dd came home from school yesterday with this book. She didn't read the back or flick through inside but hadn't seen this in our local library before.

This book was apparently his foray into adult writing. References to 'huge and long-lasting erections' are made in the first few pages, you can guess the rest. Anyway, I have obviously complained to the school and I am destroying the book. The school obviously apologied and like many of us assumed that any Roald Dahl book would be suitable for any school library.

Please be aware that this book was supplied by a reputable school book supplier (the school would not give me their name) so I urge you all to contact your school library to ensure no one elses child has access to this book.

OP posts:
winnie · 20/10/2006 14:26

Enid

DumbledoresGirl · 20/10/2006 15:01

Pink Tulips - it is more shocking really in the light of what happened, isn't it?

lorina · 20/10/2006 15:03

I think its fine for a secondary school to have this book in thier library.

My secondary school aged children would not be mortified to read about erections.

They would however be completely mortified if I made a big fuss to the school about it and then destroyed the book!

witchscatsmother · 20/10/2006 16:22

Bloody hell - how could anyone object to "The Grapes of Wrath". It's one of the most moving books I've ever read (made me cry) and conveys the sheer relentless desperation of the poor in parts of 1930s America. Does every book have to have a happy ending to be considered worthwhile ?

Iklboo · 20/10/2006 16:35

My parents have friends in Georgia (USA). They say that anything that shows that America isn't "group-hugs-great" the hard line right are trying to ban/curb it - even to the event of "spinning" history, restricting childrens' access to certain books etc

(sorry if that isn't accurate, but that's how THEY feel, IYSWIM)

FrannyandZooey · 20/10/2006 19:05

Enid, I don't have a problem with teenagers reading about erections (I mean, big fat deal) but My Uncle Oswald is pretty sordid, don't you think?

sorrell · 20/10/2006 19:07

See lots of people don't like Roald Dahl's children's books - not entirely sure why.

disemboweledbint · 20/10/2006 19:11

ditto whoever mentioned chaucer. i was mortified sitting listening to my a-level english teacher reading translated bits out of wife of bath to us. am sure he got off on it.

TwigTwoolett · 20/10/2006 19:12

you are 'destroying the book'

you are right to bring it up but 'destroying books' is abominable

noonar · 20/10/2006 19:20

we read lace, thornbirds and 'anonymous' soft porn fiction at school, at 12! we used to change the covers- my friend stuck a 'little women' cover over the top.

FillyjonkthePumpkinEater · 20/10/2006 19:36

I must say I found that flowers in the attic business deeply disturbing

we had all 1000 volumes of it in our school library and someone always chose to do a book review of it.

And someone else always did a Judy Blume and our right on librarian nodded and smiled and asked pertinent questions.

and there was me bigging up Phillipa Pearce and E Nesbit...

FillyjonkthePumpkinEater · 20/10/2006 19:39

oooh and I love it when people get whiff of book burning, its great.

The one thing you can be sure of about books is that there are usually quite a lot more, and they are usually very similar. so its not a huuuge loss really.

I have this constantly with dp. I read my books in odd places and so they get manky and sad, and it horrifies dp who thinks books are sacred. Uh, no, they're for reading

and agree that roald dahl is pretty vile in places.

FrannyandZooey · 20/10/2006 19:39
beegee · 20/10/2006 21:27

FWIW - never liked Roald Dahl - all his female characters are very unattractive human specimens - usually bossy 'know-it-alls' who Dahl will try and humilate as a 'lesson' during the story.

His popularity and misogynism make me cringe.

beegee · 20/10/2006 21:29

Just to controversially add - burn away!!

nannyme · 20/10/2006 21:31

Discovery an excellent educational opportunity, no?

AlfredAitchcock · 20/10/2006 21:43

i love reading roald dahl to my nieces, i reckon the language just skips along, iykwim?. as i recall there aren't many of his adults who bear much scrutiny, male or female.

2ManyPimms · 20/10/2006 22:19

Book burning? FFS! WTF is this - Nazi Germany or the Bible Belt?

sorrell · 20/10/2006 22:20

Beegee....Miss HOney? Matilda?

hunkermunker · 20/10/2006 22:22

Filly - Philippa Pearce - did she write Tom's Midnight Garden? I love that book.

sorrell · 20/10/2006 22:23

The grandmother in The Witches? Miss Spider? Sophie in the BFG?

Mirage · 20/10/2006 22:38

Forever & The Thornbirds had a huge waiting list at our school.I read I Claudius when I was still at Primary school & that had everything in it-incest,murder,banishments.It was my mum who let me read it,it was her book.I still have it.

sorrell · 20/10/2006 22:49

The Magic Finger also has a strong, sympathetic female protagonist.

annaspanner · 20/10/2006 23:56

I loved R.Dahl when I was younger and read all his stuff but was really disappointed when I read this in my teens. It isn't that good a book anyway. The style is childish and, as F&Z said, the content is smutty. You can't compare it with sthg like Lady Chatterly. I wouldn't destroy it but I would definitly not choose it for a school library. Especially as I remember it being quite misogynist too.
Of course, children will find and pass round books like Lace, like lots of us did, but a book like this shouldn't be offered in the school library-it would mean someone considers it to be a good example of literature for children.

Destroying it would just make more fuss and cause more interest in, basically, a rubbish book.

GraceUnderFire · 21/10/2006 00:28

She did, hunkermunker - excellent book.

I'm with 2manypimms on the book burning (even though I know OP is no longer going to do this).