i just don't like the Mormon angle (Stephenie Meyer is Mormon and she gave a lot of the profits to pro-Prop 8 organizations). i haven't read the books, but i plan to.
here's why some people read books they don't like/can't stand: they feel obligated to. i don't know what the other poster's rationale for reading all of them was, but mine is professional. i am going to be a librarian who works with teenagers. i need to stay current on what teens are reading, and i don't like recommending books (or warning against) books that i haven't personally read. even if i don't like the Twilight series, i will probably read the whole thing because i feel like i have to in order to do a good job.
and guys, i am one of the biggest proponents EVER of popular literature. if it gets teenagers reading, all the better. i just don't want to hand kids something that makes them feel bad about having sex (if they are having it), since it's a natural, normal thing to want to do when you are a teen.
abstinence is fine. abstinence-only sex ed is not. /soapbox.
"i just don't want to hand kids something that makes them feel bad about having sex (if they are having it), since it's a natural, normal thing to want to do when you are a teen."
YIKES! Maybe I'm the only old fuddyduddy on the Board ... I WOULD want the young teens in my family to feel bad about having sex at a young age. I know too many who's lives have been altered for the worst because nobody gave them the impression that sex in their teens was a BAD idea.
yeah, the author of Twilight is Mormon, so there's a lot of Christian overtones in those books. and it's why i won't buy them. she gave a ton of money to pro-Proposition 8 organizations with the profits!
What is wrong with giving profits to an organization that you support, people do it all the time. I wouldn't want someone to tell me who to give or not give. That would be a bit narrow minded don't you think?
You support your groups and Stephine should be able to support hers. you can disagree I can disagree, The OP had a question about the books not a political affiliation.
It's just a book, I read the first one when it first came out and thought it was OK...I read all of them when I first heard about the movie and still think they are OK, my best friend is OBSESSED with the characters, that get a little annoying because it's all she talks about; but it's her thing and I don't complain much. My issue with the whole thing is the movie...people are getting upset that the movie is nothing like the book and blah blah blah...plus all the gossip. But with movies, that's going to happen, look at Harry Potter or the Da Vinci Code, while they are mostly true to the story, things are missing. My personal opinion, get over it; it's an adaptation.
The book is focused for the teen perspective, if you read too much into it, your going to hate it. Like my opinion; Bella is way to whiny, but I enjoyed it for what it was. For the movie, I thought some of the acting was really bad, but I still enjoyed it for a movie, though most of the audience when I went ruined it a little because all the kids where talking throughout the movie.
As for the author's choice of religion and what she want's to support, who cares, it's not like she out there parading it in your face like some of the extremists. She doesn't parade her beliefs in the book either, and the whole wait to have sex...I think that is brilliant...with everything involved in the media and on TV its no wonder why kids are having sex younger and younger. Plus the whole peer pressure thing doesn't help either. People really shouldn't judge books by their covers. I had a friend who refused to watch Ginger Snaps because a couple of lesbian friends where big fans of it, she wouldn't watch it because of their sexual preference and it was something they liked, she would be completely nice to them and then bad mouth them; just because they where lesbians. She came over while it was on TV and she ended up watching it and liking it and while it changed her opinion completely about the movie, she still continued to complain about it when ever my friends where around. Hence why I ended the friendship...I couldn't stand how she would parade about the "evils" of being homosexual (I even told her to refrain from making comments and such in my presences because, I didn't approve, they where my friends), making inappropriate comments then act like she has no issue with homosexuality when she would be around my friends.
if teenagers are given the tools and resources to have safe sex, then they reduce their chances of "altering" their lives. condoms, frank conversations, and comprehensive sex education that doesn't induce guilt in teenagers can do this. of course sex has risks, but if teenagers accept those risks and know they have to deal with the consequences, i don't see any problem in them having it.
yes, Stephenie Meyer can give money to whatever political organization she wants. i never said she couldn't. however, i was an adamant opposer to Prop 8 because i am a supporter of gay rights. i will read Twilight, i just won't buy the books.
i think knowing an author's political or religious tendencies can help someone read a book more thoroughly. knowing that Stephenie Meyer is Mormon, or that Gene Yang (who wrote American Born Chinese) is Catholic, or that Stephen King believes in God but not religion, can make those reading experiences more worthwhile.
the OP also mentioned the appropriateness of Twilight for a twelve-year-old, and someone else said that it had themes of abstinence... so i think bringing the author's personal convictions into it is totally acceptable.
if i wrote a book and someone didn't want to buy it because i give money to the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, i would understand. i would disagree, but i would understand.
I ABSOLUTELY won't go to movies that have specific actors in them because I think these actors are nutbars and believe and financially support issues that I disagree with. I refuse to give my hard-earned cash over to someone who will in turn use it for projects/institutitions/philosophies that I disagree with. I won't support the middleman, who is the actor, in this case.
I have the right to do so, because HECK it IS my money!
As for teens/sex, well I think we all need to get realistic here. Society has changed radically and to "just say no" is a great philosophy but CLEARLY isn't followed by the majority of teens. You can preach, but they will do what they want to do even if you teach them to do other things. So the key is to make sure that IF they are going to do something that you disagree with, at LEAST it can be done without being "reckless"...if a teen goes to a party and drinks and knows you don't want them to and it is against the law and blah blah blah, do you want them to conceal this and to try to drive themselves home while impaired? Or do you want them to have an available alternative that keeps them and the rest of us safe? Because at that point, the horse is out of the barn and preaching "just say no" is really of no help in keeping them safe...
I read the series because everyone is talking about it and I wanted to know why. I'm no lit snob, I've read and enjoyed my share of fluff, but these books are poorly written and the Edward/Bella relationship is awful.
I DO NOT like anything that feeds teenaged girls more bad info about relationships. It's not "reading into" anything - that's what the whole series is ABOUT. He knows what's best for her, he stalks her, he constantly tells her what to do and how to be because she's just a silly, emotional girl. EVERYTHING about her is wrong to him - even what/how she drives. She would do anything for him, give up her family, give up her education, give up her LIFE. And they're kids! If your friend or daughter was in a relationship with a guy like this, you'd call it abuse...but it's all ok because he doesn't want to have sex with her (he even gets to call the shots on that).
I wouldn't NOT let my daughter read it when she's old enough but we would have to talk about it a LOT. Young girls already have enough stupid ideas about boys and relationships, I don't think we need to feed that.
Just remembered - red her new book that's not part of the Twilight series (Host? I think) on the rec of a friend and I really enjoyed it. It sort of makes me think that Stephanie Meyer is a kind of marketing genius. As an adult, I think boys who want to tell you what to do and watch you sleep are creepy and weird, as a teenage girl, the idea of a protector and provider would have really appealed. What teenage girl doesn't hope the goodlooking moody boy (who also happens to be brilliant, wealthy, and more experienced) will really get how special you are.
I have read all of the books, along with my sister, mom and step-dad. Yes, my step dad read them all! Come on, it is fiction, a story and the author did a great job of drawing you in and keeping you hooked with all 4 of the books. The whole Bella/Edward thing works. She is a young, naive teen. He is a 100 year old vampire who is well aware of all of the dangers in the world, even the dangers her best friend Jacob presents. Edward is so drawn to Bella and loves her that he would do anything to protect her from the world. He would rather not turn her into a vampire. I don't see what is wrong with finding a guy that wants to not have sex with you because it is dangerous, protect you from harm, and give you anything in life you want. Heck of a lot better than the horny teenage boys roaming the high school halls.
Your post kinda cracks me up, no offense but why would you read past the first book much less the whole series..much less TWICE if its such crap. Now I'll admit its not the best writing, to me the biggest problem was editing, but the stories are amazing. What Stephanie needs is a new editor! That so called "crap" has sold millions and millions and millions of copies to both teens and adults, been on the best sellers list for how long? And is good enough to have people clamoring over themselves to make the books into movies.
Now I respect that you dont like it but c'mon....if it truly were "crap" it wouldnt be the sensation it is. The books were written for teens and for entertainment, its hard to put an adult perspective on a teenage world. This is romance genre, its not really supposed to be about learning a lesson and being true to life, thats why its fiction.
I hated vampires till I read the Twilight series. That darn Stephanie Meyers got me addicted!
It's like crack, that's why.
And it's only sold millions of books because most pre-teen and teenage girls don't know what good writing is, and because Edward is sooooo dreamy. It's a fantasy that teenage girls want. I read them twice because I wanted to know why I liked them the first time around and was pretty disgusted with myself after finishing the last one.
yes, she did need a better editor, but a good editor can't make you a good writer (I'm an editor). She's a poor writer and shouldn't have gotten published in the first place or they should have sent her back and had her fix her manuscript.
Last edited by sunflowergirl68; 07-13-2009 at 01:11 AM.
I don't understand why its horrible to encourage abstinence? I realize in this day in age its unrealistic, but I don't see any harm in encouraging it.
As for the series of books, please don't make us all feel like we are uncultured boobs because we liked it. Sure, we don't have a doctorate in literature and obviously have an uneducated opinion on writing, but this series got millions of girls reading that would have maybe been watching tv or texting otherwise. Whether it is perfect literature is irrelevant, people were reading and being entertained and that is all that matters.
Just because you didn't like it doesn't make it crap. Its just not your taste or style of reading.
It's not crap because I didn't like it, Meyer is a poor writer who relies heavily on adjectives and uses them over and over.
And I don't think that her version of abstinence is a good message to send across. Bella wants to have sex but Edward won't, and only will after they get married. He bribes her into marrying him.
Read the article I linked to from B itch magazine. It's from a feminist perspective. And i don't think that books like Twilight are good for teenage girls to read because the relationships portrayed are so distorted and it gives a bad idea of what a relationship is actually like. And let's face it, pre-teen and teenage girls aren't the most sensible people, I would know, I was one.
Yes, I am a book snob but only because I respect them. I don't think that people who like Twilight are idiots or anything like that.... only that they deserve to read better. Books with actual substance.
Last edited by sunflowergirl68; 07-13-2009 at 01:22 AM.
i just don't like the Mormon angle (Stephenie Meyer is Mormon and she gave a lot of the profits to pro-Prop 8 organizations). i haven't read the books, but i plan to.
here's why some people read books they don't like/can't stand: they feel obligated to. i don't know what the other poster's rationale for reading all of them was, but mine is professional. i am going to be a librarian who works with teenagers. i need to stay current on what teens are reading, and i don't like recommending books (or warning against) books that i haven't personally read. even if i don't like the Twilight series, i will probably read the whole thing because i feel like i have to in order to do a good job.
and guys, i am one of the biggest proponents EVER of popular literature. if it gets teenagers reading, all the better. i just don't want to hand kids something that makes them feel bad about having sex (if they are having it), since it's a natural, normal thing to want to do when you are a teen.
abstinence is fine. abstinence-only sex ed is not. /soapbox.
I read them partly because I plan on going into publishing, because my friend recommended them, and because I worked at a book store and every other teen girl who came in bought them. I was curious.
And it's only sold millions of books because most pre-teen and teenage girls don't know what good writing is, and because Edward is sooooo dreamy.
I respectfully disagree, it sold millions of copies because its a fantastic story. I loved it, my mother loved it, my stepmother loved it, all my coworkers and friends have loved it. No preteens/teenagers there. In fact I had to literally beg my teen to read it! Once she did she liked them, but didnt get past Eclipse, she got bored. So I suppose its all a matter of opinion but IMO Stephanie Meyer did a wonderful job with her story. She never claimed to be a literary genius she was just someone with a story in her head, I can admire that. That might also be another of its draws, its simple. I for one am thrilled that it got published and I got the opportunity to read it. There has been some amazing fanfic that has come from it as well. Perhaps the real issue is trying to make a literary masterpiece out of an entertaining story.
It's not that great of a story. It's totally generic and the same formula of any romance novel. Girl meets boy, love is forbidden, boy leaves girl. And then a love triangle ensues, boys fight over said girl. Girl chooses. And everyone is happy at the end! And don't forget the vampires who *sparkle.* Probably one of the dumbest things I've ever read in a book.
It's mindless entertainment that's poorly written and also gives an unrealistic and dangerous portrayal of a relationship. Just because so many people liked it doesn't mean it's a good series. Harry Potter is a excellent series. Twilight is mediocre at best.
Last edited by sunflowergirl68; 07-15-2009 at 02:56 AM.
For a short while there, I thought we were losing La Rose, and about had a hissy fit!!!
I know too many who's lives have been altered for the worst because nobody gave them the impression that sex in their teens was a BAD idea.
