Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Rating Explanation

Language: There are not many instances of swearing or profanity in this book, however, there is a smattering of F-words.

Violence: Fairly brief description of the bombing of Dresden in World War II. Right after the bombing one of the characters must shoot the animals that escaped from the Dresden Zoo. The main character, 9-year old Oskar, daydreams that he bashes in the head of another boy at school. Discussion of September 11 attacks and people jumping from the burning buildings. Oskar explores whether he would rather stay in the building and burn or jump.

Sexual Content: Many, many crass words and language denoting body parts and sexual acts. Description of sculptor positioning naked woman and touching her body, ending in sex (p. 82-85). Another scene in which two teenagers have sex (p. 127-8). Brief sex scene between estranged husband and wife (p. 278-6). A strange, long kiss between two sisters.

Adult Themes: Oskar is dealing with his father’s death in the September 11 attacks. He is mad at his mother because he thinks she isn’t mourning enough and that she has moved on too quickly. Oskar’s grandfather abandoned his grandmother and their unborn child.

Synopsis

Oskar Schell is 9 years old going on 30 or so. After losing his father in the World Trade Center on September 11 he finds a key in his father’s closet. It doesn’t fit any of the locks in their apartment and is in an envelope labeled “Black,” so naturally he decides to talk to every person in New York City with the last name of Black. An older gentleman, named Black, who keeps a card catalog of all of the people he has ever met, accompanies him on his quest. They meet many intriguing people and eventually Oskar begins to come to terms with his grief for his father.

A companion story to Oskar’s is that of his grandparents. They also deal with loss and abandonment but from different sources.

I hesitated at first to list this book on the site because of some of the content, but on Amazon it is classified as Adult/High School, and it was recommended to me by a high school student so I know that teens are reading it. I was uncomfortable with the language and content on several occasions and I would not suggest that anyone younger than a senior in high school read it. However, in spite of the things in the book that were offensive to me, there were some very endearing and sweet aspects of the story that I really enjoyed.

©2009 The Literate Mother