"Parents worry much too much about what their children are reading" - Judy Blume
Parents worry "much too much" about what their children are reading, said the author Judy Blume. She argued that they will simply "self-censor" by getting bored of anything they do not understand.
Blume, the bestselling author of Forever, Blubber and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, said people should not be unduly concerned about their children's reading material.
If the content was unsuitable, she argued, children would simply tire of it or let it wash over their heads without understanding.
Speaking at the Hay Festival, she said the experience of having her own books banned in the Eighties was "alarming", leaving her feeling "very alone".
Her novels, which confront issues of teenage sex, racism, divorce, bullying, puberty and masturbation, were considered shocking at the time, and are remembered by a generation of women for teaching them the facts of life.
Blume, now 76, has sold more than 80 million books worldwide and her work has been translated into 31 languages.
She told the audience that parents should be less concerned about the suitability of their children's reading material, concentrating more on simply getting them to love books.
"A lot of people worry much too much about what their children are reading," she said.
"A lot of people will want to control everything in their children's lives, or everything in other people's children's lives.
"If a child picks up a book and reads something she has a question about, if she can go to her parents, great.
"Or else they will read right over it. It won't mean a thing.
"They are very good, I think, at monitoring what makes them feel uncomfortable. If something makes them feel uncomfortable they will put it down."
Some of Blume's own books, written and published in the Seventies, were banned in the United States during the Eighties, with Deenie becoming her "most banned book" for references to the main character's "special place".
"Most of the time they hadn't even read the book," Blume said of the complainants. "Even if they had, they only read what I would call the 'good stuff'.
"It was definitely alarming. It was a very scary time and I felt very alone."
Speaking to her young fans in the audience, she added: "I say go and read. Read what you like to read."
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