I’ll pitch in support on the idea that it depends on the maturity level of the reader, rather than chronological age.

I was in 3rd grade when I read Slave Girl of Gor. I found it to be an interesting concept, the philosophy that a woman couldn’t truly feel feminine until she was dominated by a real man. Now then, I grew up and almost all of my heroines are strong, kick @$$ alpha characters. Obviously, reading Slave Girl of Gor didn’t make me think women needed to be submissive.

I went on to read Clan of the Cave Bear, Valley of the Horses and the rest of the books in that series – including the very explicit love scenes. It wasn’t a problem. Nor were the VC Andrews books or Anne McCaffrey books or any of my other favorites.

In contrast, my mom hesitated to let my younger sister read the same books I did – holding off a few years and in some cases half a dozen before letting my sister read the same books. When I asked her why, she just said that I had an “old soul” and my sister might not handle the stories quite as well.

I do think it depends on the maturity of the reader and their ability to enjoy the story without taking it someplace it shouldn’t go.

That said, I think a good point was made that the young man in question is a 15 yr old conversing in an adult forum with unknown people much older than himself. It’s not just about what he reads and how well he handles it, it’s who he talks to about it.

I think people conflate a few issues. If we were talking about a fifteen year old boy being sexually propositioned by an adult, that would be one thing. But we’re talking about a fifteen year old boy without any coercion, expressing his views on a piece of writing that contains sex.

It’s words on paper.

I have a hard time seeing the issue personally. I think in our desire to protect children from things like pedophiles and other forms of sexual exploitation, we’ve gone overboard and forgotten that 15 year olds are sexual beings. They have sexual feelings, attitudes, and opinions. Many of them are HAVING sex with other 15 year olds, whether people want to be in the dark about that or not.

I’ve been reading romance since I was about… I’d say 9? Ish? My grandmother had a room full of books. Literally. Stacks upon stacks of books, up to the ceiling, crammed in every corner, on every surface, and overflowing the closet. So many books, that you could barely walk through the “aisles” she’d created. Guess what: they were all romance. Being the avid reader I am, I grabbed one and started reading. And was immediately hooked.

Granted, most of these books were the early Harlequins that only hinted at the characters having actual intercourse, but there was enough innuendo that I knew what was going on. And yeah, I might be a bit pervy now, but I don’t think I’m perverse (there’s a difference) or damaged because of it.

I don’t know if the review this kid wrote was taken down or if the link is broken, but when I click on it, it comes up as “not found”. Judging from the other commenter’s remarks, I’d say he’s intelligent enough to know what’s going on, and won’t be scarred from it. Hell, he’s FIFTEEN. My little brother just turned 16 and he knows almost as much about sex as I do. And I’m 27! Times, they are a-changin’. Kids know more about sex at a younger age than previous generations. God knows I learned about it earlier than my mom. And she learned about it earlier than her mom… see where I’m going with this?

My point is, reading a *gasp* erotica book at 15 isn’t going to scar, emotionally damage, or otherwise harm this kid. It’s not going to turn him into a sexual deviant who likes to touch himself while he watches dogs go at it. If nothing else, it will help him to expand his horizons, broaden his mind, and maybe help him to treat his eventual partner just a little bit better in bed (when he’s much older & in a stable relationship, of course).

I think this whole “OMG HE’S TOO YOUNG!” thing has gotten wayyyy out of hand.

I agree that it is no big deal. I did not read romance or erotica as a child, but I did have Stephen King’s Misery taken away from me in 7th grade. My teacher told my mother that I should not be reading material like that. My mother’s comment, “At least she is reading, how many of the other kids are reading?” I also watch horror movies when I was “too young”. I am mostly okay.

The first adult book I read – at age 9! was Clan of the Cave Bear. Where the main character is raped repeatedly throughout the first book.
I purchased 2 books when I was 15 that I thought sounded really yummy – they were hardcore BDSM books.
You know that saying, Age is just a number? I think that should be applied in this situation. There are many 15 year olds who no, probably shouldn’t read it. But I don’t feel that age is the deciding factor here.

How many movies has John watched that had sex acts in it?

I just skimmed John’s review and the comments. Personally, I think the complaints are silly about his age in terms of him reviewing the novel. He’s on the site to review novels. He happened to pick up a book to read and whoops, it’s erotica. Now what? He read it and now he’s not suppose to review it? That’s just plain silly. Furthermore, if I had read his review, I would have never known he was fifteen unless he or someone mentioned it.

I’m going to jump into his parents’ shoes for a minute. Would I want my children talking to adults about sexual content? Well, my initial reaction is no. Then again, I need to put it into perspective. I would be more than happy for them to receive sex education in school, provided by an adult instructor. So I can’t completely rule out no talking to other adults about sex.

Okay, so this isn’t sex ed, and the adults are strangers. Would I be comfortable? Yeah. But on the same token, I saw nothing graphic in the posts. It was a young man saying he felt uncomfortable with the sex scenes, and it was his first erotic read, oh…and get over it. I think as a parent I could deal with my daughters reviewing an occasional erotic book as long as I’m aware of what’s happening. Sure, I’d prefer they weren’t reading them. I like pretending they’re innocent.

Here’s the thing. If I let my children blog, they’re bound to encounter adults. It’s rather silly to think otherwise. Even if my child only read YA novels, I’d wonder how much sex was in it anyway. Have you taken a look at what’s on TV these days? If we took it at face value, every teen is having sex–Vampire Diaries, Kyle XY, Smallville. I’d be kidding myself if I thought it wasn’t in the books, even if they weren’t on a graphic level.

I’d hope his parents are aware of his online activities. Given the popularity of Dear Author, I’m going with the assumption they are. I say if adults have a problem with their children going online talking with strangers about erotic novels, then they should restrict their own children from doing so. If you as an adult have a problem with a teen talking about erotic novels, then don’t read his reviews.

He’s not breaking the law. He’s giving his opinions about a book he’s already read. It’s not like anyone can yank the knowledge back out of his head. Sometimes people just need to worry about themselves and stop trying to live the lives of everyone else.