John Doe Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Honestly, Game of Thrones will be there when you are ready for it. Horror is a better genre for youngsters to get into, because it's not supposed to make any sense. This drama is a mature subject matter, and better suited to people in their late 20's, early 30's. It's up to you, but being someone with a degree in drama, I can seriously say that there's little to nothing to be gained by someone reading ASOIAF before age 25. Instead, read other stuff... and build a base to work off of. Then dive into this monster when you have a clear understanding of the field of literature. I listened to the Cure obsessively when I was young and it meant next to nothing to me until I was about 33... reason being, I didn't have enough life experience to grasp the significance of the lyrics. It was just something that sounded cool. Luckily for me, when the time came, the Cure was still there and now I understand the lyrics and it's my favorite band. Don't make the mistake of thinking "earlier is better" for everything. ASOIAF isn't even finished yet, why on earth would you rush anyone into reading it? If you have to even ask the question, "should this person read this" then just stop. I think you need to be 40 until you can enjoy the books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damp Hair - The Prophet Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 As a highschool English teacher, some of you are in a fantasy land regarding where kids are at. An intelligent teen who likes to read can get this book from a library. There's no age limit to literature, unlike R rated (17+) HBO shows. I occasionally see some students with the book and they are aware of the show, but it's not nearly as popular with them as trite stuff like PrettyLittleLiars etc.I've used a sample chapter (Arya/Syrio training) in an advanced comp class, but those are 17-18 year olds who enjoy reading and are pretty mature & sophisticated in their thinking. 13 is ok for the right kid. If they want to read it they're going to. But honestly it's wasted on the average teenager, which is a shame really b/c it has some great teen/tween characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Game Of Thrones Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I think you need to be 40 until you can enjoy the books Sarcasm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Doe Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faydra Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 At that age people have the tendency to look up to certain characters, even try to follow their example. If she has the knack of seeing the good side, then let her read. There are good things to be learned from asoiaf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howland Reeds Weed Swamp Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I started reading GoT when I was 13, but didn't get to some of the more disturbing stuff (e.g. Harrenhall) until I was about 15. In retrospect, I think that was too young. Some of the events are really disturbing and I think you risk giving a 13 year old nightmares. Nightmares? Are you kidding me? I recently turned 14 and I never got any nightmares from ASoIaF. I'm on AFFC right now and I recently read what happened to Pia,it's violent and it's tragic but I did go to bed with nightmares? Absolutely not. If ASoIaF gives you nightmares then I don't think your mental health is great. Id say 13 is the perfect age since it's better then going out drinking on Friday nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Game Of Thrones Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Nightmares? Are you kidding me? I recently turned 14 and I never got any nightmares from ASoIaF. I'm on AFFC right now and I recently read what happened to Pia,it's violent and it's tragic but I did go to bed with nightmares? Absolutely not. If ASoIaF gives you nightmares then I don't think your mental health is great. Id say 13 is the perfect age since it's better then going out drinking on Friday nights. Exactly. I never got nightmares reading any book since I was 5, to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Doe Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 There are kids who watch horror movies at this age without having a crippled mental health afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Game Of Thrones Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 There are kids who watch horror movies at this age without having a crippled mental health afterwards. For 13 year olds horror movies are a joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Doe Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horizon Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 There are kids who watch horror movies at this age without having a crippled mental health afterwards. You have horror movies and horror movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodor the Articulate Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I think you need to be 40 until you can enjoy the books Ridiculous. You cannot fully understand characters like Walder Frey and Maester Aemon until you're at least 90. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetsunray Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 What is unique about this series is not the horrific things that happen, nor the sex (including rape). What is rather unique is that several of the POV protagonists end up dead. Naturally, an adult reads and notices different things in the books, that may go over the head of a teen. But that doesn't mean you must Disneyfy youth. Heck I was always an avid fan of fairytales, but my favourite one was "Little mermaid" (the actual Anderson version), exactly because of its unhappy ending. And though as an elementary child I might not have cognitively put into words what the message was from that story, I was able to much later (don't change who you are in the hope to win someone's love). That is why I hate the Disney version so much: the happy ending gives the exact opposite message to girls. I started on Dune when I was what? 14? Sure, the political stuff was a bit over my head. And with every reread at an older age I get something more out of it. It didn't keep me from enjoying Dune at 14. But starting that early enriched the experience for me. When a book series has stuff in it that even makes a 40 year old avid reader think "hmmm, I notice stuff in here that I wouldn't have when I was younger (heck not even at 30)" then it doesn't mean it doesn't contain insights and content for a 30 year old, a 20 year old or a 13 year old. It means it ALSO has content for a 40 year old, (ETA) and 90 year olds. As for rape. It is not an inappropriate subject for a 13 year old girl. Women are confronted with some type of boys and men who feel entitled to them pretty much most of their sexually mature lives. When it's present to portray the horror and abuse of it, without being gratuit (like "The Last House on the Left"), then it will have meaning for a girl, and actually might be of help. The Sansa storyline is very age-appropriate: the romantic dreams versus reality. Not, that a 13-year old girl must be hardened (life will take care of that all by itself), but neither should you shelter them and encourage romantic dreams that minimally set you up for heartache (per the Disney little mermaid version) and at its worst get charmed by someone cruel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Melnibonean Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 If you wait til your kids are 15 to introduce them to "adult" themes, you won't be the one introducing them. I'll put a double super-duper guarantee on that one. 15 is laughably old to be learning about even kinky stuff, much less straight sex. Your kids know, trust me. Some of the violence may be a little over the top for kids, but hell, you see that on network TV, so there's not much point in trying to limit them. That'll just make it seem more and more fascinating. Don't fool yourselves.I agree somewhat. I knew what was going on by the age of nine, and my oldest has reached that age now. Over the next six years I'd like to introduce these themes to him as slowly as possible. The problem is so many parents don't give a shit. Perhaps that's a contributing factor to the epidemic of assults against women on college campuses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChillyPolly Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 In 14. I'm both mature and immature but I aren't exactly an idiot. These books make you more knowledgable then you would be if you never read them,even better,in a rich universe where ASoIaF takes place in the books give so much detail about it and it's gives you insight on betrayals,lies and death at its worst. How, exactly, do these books make you more knowledgeable? By teaching you that 90% of men are rapists and 90% of women are whores? I think you've just demonstrated why impressionable young people should NOT read these books. The poor things actually believe they are receiving an education. This is ultra-lurid, ultra-cynical, over-the-top entertainment, whose redeeming qualities are hard to judge since the tale remains unfinished. But it does not make you more knowledgeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Game Of Thrones Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 How, exactly, do these books make you more knowledgeable? By teaching you that 90% of men are rapists and 90% of women are whores? I think you've just demonstrated why impressionable young people should NOT read these books. The poor things actually believe they are receiving an education. This is ultra-lurid, ultra-cynical, over-the-top entertainment, whose redeeming qualities are hard to judge since the tale remains unfinished. But it does not make you more knowledgeable.It introduced me to Medieval warfare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Doe Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I would not refer to 13 year olds as "poor things". Either you know more dumb kids then I do or you don't give them enough credt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Game Of Thrones Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 How, exactly, do these books make you more knowledgeable? By teaching you that 90% of men are rapists and 90% of women are whores? I think you've just demonstrated why impressionable young people should NOT read these books. The poor things actually believe they are receiving an education. This is ultra-lurid, ultra-cynical, over-the-top entertainment, whose redeeming qualities are hard to judge since the tale remains unfinished. But it does not make you more knowledgeable.Should you really be calling another user a "poor thing"? Really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Melnibonean Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Today I read a newspaper, and one of the headlines was about someone choking an eighty-year-old woman to death and having sex with the corpse.If a 13-year-old can read the newspaper they can read ASoIaF.That's a problem. That kind of stuff used to be censored or at least kept on page 4n not the front page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Doe Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 13 year olds are easily old enough to read such things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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