y list of 101 in 1001. :) I'm going to be right up front with you -- I didn't really enjoy it. It wasn't bad, or anything; it was a good story, one most girls can relate to. But it was definitely written to be aimed to young teenagers (we're talking 15, 16, maybe 17), and definitely written with a low vocabulary so anyone can relate. Complaining aside though, I can tell why it was banned. Beyond the few drug references and the underage drinking (though, I don't know if 18 was already underage when the book was written back in the 70s), the book deals very bluntly and heavily with sex. The story is about a girl's first love -- they meet as seniors in high school, fall in love, and start talking about having sex. He already has, but she's still a virgin and wants to wait. Most of the rest of the book details their parents' interference, how their physical relationship develops and her thoughts on whether or not she wants to have sex. Of course, the fact that they're seniors in high school comes into play, and a big conflict (if you can call it that) is how they'll stay together after graduation.All in all, that book is very plain-jane in terms of the style of writing. Any senior in high school could have written it straight from her diary. I don't know if I'd recommend it, except to maybe a girl already on Katherine's train of thought who needs advice but won't listen to her parents or any other real person.
Have any of y'all read it?
I read that years ago when I was a teenager. I can see why they banned it on certain lists!! I think it's a pretty basic book, but I guess it gets it's point across!
ReplyDeleteI read this book when I was 14 (in the mid/late 80's - did I just say how old I was...almost) and to read it when you are that age is way different. I would probably think the same as you if I was reading it now. But then, it was racy and we were all trying to learn something. I don't remember any drug reference...I just remember that it was about sex.
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