Is "Executive Orders" (Tom Clancy) appropriate read for a 13 yr old ?

[vulcanman]

My 13yr old son is an avid reader (I used to be at his age, not any more). I am searching for some new material for him (enough of the sci-fi / harry potter kind stuff).

I was wondering ... do Tom Clancy books have sexual material ... or graphic violence in them ?

Is Executive Order (I just randomly search Amazon and it came up in the search) a good (clean) book ?

Like I said ... I wish I had time to relax with a book ... most of the time I am scouring WSJ / NY Times / Technical Magazines etc. to stay afloat.

 

[surfsatwerk]

For the love of Pete. It hard enough to get a child to read, don't shit on his enthusiasm by censoring what he reads.

 

[Queasy]

Been a while since I read the book but I don't recall any sex in Executive Orders. Violence isn't particularly graphic but there's giant massacre at the capital.

You may want to start with an earlier book in the Jack Ryan series though. Executive Orders was published towards the end. The Hunt for Red October was the first book in the series.

 

[Linflas]

I was a voracious reader at that age and pretty much was on my own to read whatever I wanted. I would say if your son is interested in Clancy's work let him read it, I doubt there is anything in any mainstream novel he couldn't see more graphically depicted on a typical bus side ad.

 

[zinfamous]

For the love of Pete. It hard enough to get a child to read, don't shit on his enthusiasm by censoring what he reads.

what this guy said.

Frankly, at that age, encouraging any type of reading is great, regardless of the subject matter (unless it's completely insane, brainwashing material)

I read a lot of trash when I was younger--hell, I was reading those Xanth novels by age 11, and those are utter filth. Of course, I learned within 5 years that that type of stuff was complete trash from a literary perspective, but it doesn't matter.

establishing the love of reading, creating that perspective, an internal voice so that the reader knows how to approach a text, how to understand is crucial. It's often better to encourage page-turning work to enforce how fun and engaging reading is (still far superior to TV) at a young age.

I'm mostly the literary sort these days, and have been for almost 2 decades now (I started hitting Shakespeare pretty hard at ~13, and realized there was no point to reading the type of stuff that I was previously accustomed), and wouldn't step anywhere near the kind of drudge I read as a kid, but whatever it takes to establish that kinship is all that matters.

I'd think Tom Clancy is perfect for this.

 

[lxskllr]

My daughter's 11 and she reads Stephen King. I can't imaging Clancy's any worse than that.

 

[TecHNooB]

All I remember is my 7th grade english class required a book for reading on Fridays. Rainbow Six had me set for the entire year.

 

[apac]

He'd probably like Rainbow Six more. I first read that when I was 13, I think.

 

[l0cke]

I read it around 13, but damn, it is a big book. Like was said earlier, start him off with Hunt for Red October.

 

[vulcanman]

For the love of Pete. It hard enough to get a child to read, don't shit on his enthusiasm by censoring what he reads.

I was afraid someone would accuse me of that.

I have read enough books with very graphic material in it that I wish I had not read. I firmly believe that some rocks are best left untouched.

 

[apac]

All I remember is my 7th grade english class required a book for reading on Fridays. Rainbow Six had me set for the entire year.

I read it in 8 days ...

I'm pretty sure I learned nothing in classes for that week, reading behind the desk.

 

[zinfamous]

My 13yr old son is an avid reader (I used to be at his age, not any more). I am searching for some new material for him (enough of the sci-fi / harry potter kind stuff).

I was wondering ... do Tom Clancy books have sexual material ... or graphic violence in them ?

Is Executive Order (I just randomly search Amazon and it came up in the search) a good (clean) book ?

Like I said ... I wish I had time to relax with a book ... most of the time I am scouring WSJ / NY Times / Technical Magazines etc. to stay afloat.

also...if your son is 13 and you're trying to keep him away from sexual material...then I'd wager that you're somewhat clueless as to what your son already knows.

at some point, this country will realize that sexuality is not a violation of "cleanliness," and that the strangely acceptable love for violence over sex has been far more damaging to our "moral conscience" as a society.

many of us realize that, of course; but there is a sad population in this country that clings to these antiquated ideas.

 

[foghorn67]

There is a fuckload of cussing in it, but besides that it's okay. I think I read Red Storm Rising when I was 13.

 

[surfsatwerk]

I was afraid someone would accuse me of that.

I have read enough books with very graphic material in it that I wish I had not read. I firmly believe that some rocks are best left untouched.

Come on dude. Minds are like a parachute, they work best when open.

 

[TecHNooB]

I read it in 8 days ...

I'm pretty sure I learned nothing in classes for that week, reading behind the desk.

The thing is, my english teacher was a huge bitch (accused me of plagiarizing on several occasions), and would never believe any middle school student had vocabulary or grammar skills beyond hers, much less finish a book 'that big'. So rather than actually finishing the book and having to find a new one (if you forgot to bring a book you get a zero for the day, whatever that means), it was easier to just carry around a big one in your backpack.

 

[foghorn67]

Come on dude. Minds are like a parachute, they work best when open.

You cannot unsee the seen. Visit 4chan and try out that parachute trick.

 

[vulcanman]

There is a fuckload of cussing in it, but besides that it's okay. I think I read Red Storm Rising when I was 13.

Cussing is fine. I am trying to avoid things that detail sex acts, rape or incest etc.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Absolutely not, it's full of sexual deviance and drug use.

 

[foghorn67]

Cussing is fine. I am trying to avoid things that detail sex acts, rape or incest etc.

I don't that is in there.

 

[TecHNooB]

Cussing is fine. I am trying to avoid things that detail sex acts, rape or incest etc.

Valley of the Horses would be a good choice. It's funny how the sequel to that was assigned as our summer reading assignment for AP History back in highschool.

 

[Ns1]

I blew through a ton of clancy books between 13-17; who gives a fuck

 

[surfsatwerk]

You cannot unsee the seen. Visit 4chan and try out that parachute trick.

Goatse has not been the end of my morality or sanity. War, faminine, rape those things freak me out... when they happen in REAL LIFE.

 

[foghorn67]

Goatse has not been the end of my morality or sanity. War, faminine, rape those things freak me out... when they happen in REAL LIFE.

But you're not 13.

 

[surfsatwerk]

But you're not 13.

I am sure that at one point in time I was.

 

[apac]

But you're not 13.

I'm pretty sure I saw goatse for the first time when I was like 12.