of book suggestions & content

With the release of film version of The Hunger Games next month I've been rather excited anytime I see a mention of it anywhere. (For instance, I would have shared a picture on Twitter today of two adverts for it that I saw at 51st while riding the 6. If my car stops in the right place tomorrow I definitely will!) The content of these books are important to me and it's also difficult not to feel something for the characters and their circumstance.

My parents recently took a trip somewhere and I thought it would be the perfect time to offer up my copy of THG for her to read on the plane. A few days later I get a call saying that she's already finished it and is miffed she didn't take my suggestion to bring Catching Fire along as well. (Though she did say she was looking forward to reading it, and the wait just meant she could enjoy them longer. I was so proud.) Since she's gotten back she's finished the entire trilogy and has been discussing Finn and Peeta and Seneca Crane - among others - as if this is a mere re-read. My mom usually doesn't have a lot of time to read, so the fact that she's not only taken the time to read them but that she has read them all is somewhat of a testament to the fact that there is something between the pages of a book for everyone.

We all take something out of it whether it's fascination, seeing something of ourselves, to revulsion or confusion. Even dislike of a book means there's something in it that a person is reacting to. I decided to take advantage of her reading wave and gave to her Neal Shusterman's Unwind to have a go at. If you've been a reader here then you might know that I love this book, though it's a book that's difficult to love. Unwind is not an easy book, but, I think, it's a necessary one. The caveat I gave her before reading it was the same way I think everyone should: do not read the synopsis first; just dive right into it.

She figured it out for herself (though she hasn't read that part yet) and told me that she was absolutely shocked that the book is classified as YA. I disagreed and still do. Unfortunately, I don't see the things described in Unwind as being beyond the capacity of people nor beyond legislation were it scientifically possible. Perhaps I should disclose that I study human rights and sometimes feel like the majority of history that I read with regard to people is horrific enough to be beyond people's imaginations. But it isn't - it's happened. So, though perhaps the scientific ideas in the story are not 100% relatable in the present, is the idea behind it really so futuristic?

Have there been books you've suggested to people that they've either taken to unexpectedly or that they were entirely shocked by and not a fan of? Are there YA books that you love yet still wouldn't give a teenage audience to read? I don't support banning books, but perhaps there's a line here that you would draw that I might not, and so I'm curious.