When I review YA, in particular, I often will include a “Parent’s Note” if I found some of the content to be of a sensitive nature. This could be anything from sexual abuse to alcohol use or harsh language to sexual promiscuity. I don’t mean this note to be a tool for anyone to pull these books from the shelves, but since many of my readers are parents of teenagers, I always looked at it as a friendly heads-up. One of my friends, based on my Parents’ Note, decided to read this particular book WITH her daughter, so they could talk about some of the issues brought up in the novel. Another of my friends read the book before deciding if it was appropriate for her 14 year old daughter. These are examples of how I WANT the Parents’ Note to be used.

I am questioning this piece to my reviews now. You can be sure that in the future, the Parents’ Notes will be very carefull worded, in hopes that no one uses it against the book in any way.

I love SPEAK on so many levels, and one is the very practical “yes, this is rape”. Waiting to give it to someone until they are 17 (per Common Sense Media) would be too late for some girls. Or boys, for that matter.

Kelly, I don’t like to say Melinda was raped in my booktalks of Speak! I say “something happened” at a party. Some kids get it, others don’t, but those who don’t who go further with Melinda’s journey because of how she holds back what happened.

Sarah, I hope very much no one censors themselves or holds back. And thank you for not being quiet, for speaking up!

Michelle, going all practical on me! True, it would be impossible to know. Not all books are for all readers. Some adult horror is over the top too much for me (books or films like SAW and the like). Saying “it’s explicit torture” gives me the info to know “not for me.” That someone else takes that to say “not for anyone, ever” is beyond our control.

Sondy, FEED is such a terrific example of language! For YA & sex – none of them are as explicit as any of the adult romances I read as a teen.

I do put warnings on every book with a dead dog. But that’s because personally I want to know that before I read a book. (I was way more scarred by OLD YELLER than any book with sexual content.)

“With the importance of virginity to unicorn fighters, sex and whether or not to have it is definitely an issue in this book. I think it’s handled tastefully and realistically, but keep in mind that it deals with these issues head on, and so is not a book for very young unicorn lovers.”

Here’s how I did it years ago in a review of Feed:

“My readers will have noticed by now that I don’t usually like a lot of profanity in a book. In the case of What Should I Do With My Life? it detracted from the serious message of the book. In the case of Jester, it was overdone. Feed is full of profanity, but in this case the book wouldn’t be nearly as effective without it. The use of profanity underlines the poverty of language in this future society. M. T. Anderson perfectly captures the voice of a teen of the future who has a brain but doesn’t know how to use it.”

The YA novels I read now are far sexier than anything I read before I was married! (Hey, I was way sheltered.) So I’m pretty sensitive to what I wouldn’t have wanted to read when I was younger. But I try to tell the reader what’s there and let them decide — and indicate my strong support if I mention an “issue.”

Though it’s interesting — it’s been seven years since I wrote the review of Feed, and now I can’t remember any recent books where I mention profanity as a problem. Perhaps I’m becoming callous, just as I feared would happen to my kids…. (But my sons are definitely callous to profanity. They aren’t as sheltered as I was. But they don’t use it — at least not around me. Okay, I lied. My 22-year-old son uses mild profanity on Facebook. So my lax standards have resulted in my most conservative friends’ worst fears happening! But I’m proud of my boys and their outlook on life, so I’m not worried…)

A productive way to attempt to avoid this situation is to be sure that language used within the review itself reflects the reviewer’s encouragement for others to read it. With books that may have controversial subject matter I would fall just short of saying “this book should not be banned!” but if there is a way to get that point across more delicately take it.