Is it only me who feels distaste at the current crop of abusive childhood-lit?

[WideWebWitch]

With titles like "mummy don't" etc
I find it all very distasteful

god I hate them

have never read one and never would

do you have the Everythign is Shit books

they are very funny about them

There was a good article about this this week - will see if I can link. fwiw, I agree with you.

you're not alone. there was a thread about this last month. they are horrible - wouldn't want to read them.

I was only saying this to DH yesterday.
The book shop was crammed with them.
It's like Dave Pelzer, or whatever he's called, has stirred the literary (term used very loosely) urge in anyone who has ever had a problem.

Oh there was one from some posh vicar in the Mail or Express or something last week (it was picked by a relation of mine on a sunlounger or something, honest) and it was horrible - and included total recall of a 5-year-old 50 years later apparently.

Tosh.

here

Really do like them. Feel sorry for the writers, glad they can get things out of their system, never, ever, ever want to read them.

I did read Angela's Ashes, and that was enough for me.

"...vicarious self pity." that about sums it up .

Not read any of them, don't know why anyone would want to read them.
Writers are jumping on the bandwagon.

Sorry, my post should have read really don't like them

me too tescos is the worst

Mis-lit, can't imagine anything less entertaining.

Did you read moondogs opinions on dave peltzer, made me rofl.

I read the Dave ones about 10 years ago. Who would have thought it would have spawned an industry.

I've never read any of them and I have nno desire to do so. My mother reads them and can't understand why I don't.

I think people read it to feel better about themsleves ie If they read it and sympathise with the author it reinforces their own feelings of being a 'good' person because they feel sad for the person.
Like when Diana died - I feel sad therefore i must be really sensitive and good.
Liek the ' vicarious guilt' analogy.

I can't even look at them on the bookshelves in Borders and I wouldn't dream of reading one, I am a soppy sap though, I can't read stuff like this at all. Who are these people buying them?

I think they're awful. It smacks of self-indulgence and I find attention-grabbing titles such as 'Please Daddy Don't' or whatever really sickening.

I am fortunate to have not had a terrible childhood, so one could argue that there's no way I can imagine what it must have been like for these people, but I think if I had been the subject of a terrible childhood experience I would maintain my dignity by not cashing in on my past.

Agree about Tescos, there's a section dedicated to them in my local.

great article, thanks for link

Absolutely agree. Find the whole phenomenon puzzling and repulsive tbh.
Will look at Zog's article later

I've read one volume (or 2?) of Janet Frame's autobiography but that was some time ago now.

It seems like over load now. I'm sure these types of books will have lost the impact that was intended. I'm not keen on the sound of books like 'Toxic parents' either.

What did Moondog say then? I'd love to hear it!

I had the misfortune to skim over one of these books the other day on my lunchbreak. The descriptions of abuse on this little girl (now a woman looking back) were so graphic, written in really descriptive, bite size paragraphs. I actually felt concerned it could get into the wrong hands.

eeeeeuuuggggghhhhh completeley agree in my local woolworths it is jampacked with chart (so obviously it sells) books all about

incest
neglect
abuse
traumatic childhood

don't understand this mawkish phenomena

It is pure voyeurism and in teh worst taste.

Mercy, but I'd personally categorise Janet Frame and Frank McCourt as literate writers and therefore worth reading whatever their subject.
I thought the quote from the literary agent in Zog's link was telling: "a certain amount of prurience is involved" - which is catered for and encouraged by people like him, who ought to know better .
I agree that much of this sort of writing is probably cathartic for the authors but how the publishers can feel comfortable about this genre is beyond me.

There has been a thread, or maybe two, in the Books section about this subject. WHS now have a Misery section for them.