Everyone Is Entitled to Their Own Wrong Opinion

I just read a review of Ransom My Heart, an adult romance historical fiction by Meg Cabot. A person saying that it was too explicit to be so well publicized in her last Princess Diaries book. You know, which are for younger audiences. And then there's Ransom My Heart, for mature adult audiences. It's explicit, I know, and I agree with the author/blogger/reviewer who said that "Mia" should not have "written" this book (see, Meg Cabot pretended that the main character of PD wrote her own novel and published it). 12 year old kids shouldn't be reading that stuff, and I agree. No matter what I did when I was twelve. When was that, last year? No, I wouldn't've wanted to. I do not approve of book banning whatsoever but I know that theres a limit to what's appropriate, and authors need to understand who their audiences are and not treat them in an inappropriate way. If you know they're 12, don't try and make them read an adult romance novel. Authors need limits. And while Ransom My Heart would be a fine adult book, it should not have been "written" and advertised for by a much loved real life small country princess.

But what actually made me kinda mad about this thing was the comments people had left on this person's argument. People said that she was being an idiot for assuming that people who read the princess diaries were 12. Their point was that no one younger than 11 read the PD and no one at the age of 11 read about, I don't know how many are in the series, 13? books that have no educational value in a year. Um. Wrong. So very wrong. When I was 11 and 12 I read like a hundred books a year, and I don't even think I'm exaggerating by that much. Well maybe. But my point is, I could and DID read most of PD in 5th and 6th grade, and then I freaking OUTGREW it. I haven't read like the last 4. In addition to that, I finished Harry Potter, and again, and I probably read Artemis Fowl that year too, wow look at that, and reread both, at least twice. And, oh my god, I remember the plot to all of them! 11 year olds are not immature... They read for fun, yes, not just educational value, but I'm also pretty sure that was also the year I read any holocaust story I could get my hands on. Hitler's biography even, just to see how much of a story was true. and I (gasp) LEARNED. People shouldn't assume that children only read Anne of Green Gables and nothing else in 6th grade. I've never even read that, by the way. But I am the Messenger, anyone? Uh huh. HHGTTG? Yeah. Don't be stupid. 

I'm not generalizing every 11 year old to share my, I admit, crazy, book repertoire, but I am NOT the only one out there who read and finished about 20 series that year and is a better person for it. 

Stupid adults not remembering that we learned how to read long enough ago to be good and fast at it. 
Stupid adults doubting our mind capacity. God I've read 1984! I've read Fahrenheit 451! I've read about four and a half Shakespeare plays, and have yet to get around to but I will read Pride and Prejudice! 

And I still agree with the author, because I have not gone into the adult realistic fiction section THAT OFTEN and I know it's not necessary or even what an kid WANTS to read about. I remember the days when a HUG in a book was romantic. When Ginny blushing at Harry in book two was the cutest thing ever. That was more like tens, never mind. When a perfect kiss on the last page of the book meant a happy ending forever, and it was fantastic. The feeling was fantastic. And an 11 year old doesn't need anything more. They don't need Mia Thermopolis telling them to read explicit and poorly written romance novels. But they have the ability to. And you shouldn't doubt it.




[pssst. YES. Finally a decent blog post about something I actually care about. Sorry for not writing for so long. Really writing, I mean. Sorry it's so late right now, but this needed to come out. So yeah. I'm very happy I actually wrote something. My blog has been quite pathetic recently. Sorry about that.]