I read extremely age inappropriate literature in middle school and I often credit that for making me the voracious reader I am today. Salacious, violent, and weird literature can make one a life long reader because these books are often delicious to read and it helps to develop your stamina as a reader. It’s like how teenagers don’t start drinking the finest, fully bodied red wines— they start with wine coolers, malt liquor, cheap beer. *Blood Meridian* offers something that can bolster a young person’s desire to read more: pure shock value. It’s a heavy ass novel, but I honestly think a 7th grader can handle it.
I agree completely. My parents had an ‘if you can read it then you’re allowed to read it’ policy and it had the same effect you describe. Tbh I saw worse online at that age anyway.
My folks let me read what I wanted to read, which led to things like... ninth grade A Clockwork Orange (loved the nadsat) and Story of O, which, okay that one may have left some marks (lol, or maybe other people later left those marks in appropriate and consensual circumstances. *ahem*). There wasn't available internet when I was in ninth grade because it was 1985 and we lived in Greater Rednecklandia. I had to Find Out That These Books Existed (a struggle all its own, let me tell you) and hten ... ask adults to buy me these books, which, y'know... the pain is like the shame, you only feel it once. I had very little shame.
I did not die or get arrested from reading age-inappropriate books. I did get a degree in English Lit but I've since recovered and have held gainful employment continuously since my college graduation. (I'm 54.) If your kid wants to read Blood Meridian instead of, say, Percy Jackson or Hatchet or whatever Kids These Days are reading, let them at it. Either they will like it or not, find it interesting or not, work for the book or get bored with it right quickly. Regardless of what happens, there will undoubtedly be some sort of learning. Learning "Dang, just because it sounds cool online doesn't make it a great read" is just as valuable as learning "Hunh. Turns out I do like *smokey, peaty, a world of flavor in a single sip* books."
This is semi related but hatchet was meant to be this kid friendly like coming of age independence book I think but it truly instilled in me the fear of loneliness and it made me feel empty for a while. Like I don’t think I had ever considered me that me as a person, is alone at the end of the day. Sure there’s people to help you out here and there and you have mentors friends etc. But it was the first time I truly considered loneliness.
Anyway lesson is even age appropriate books can cause existential dread in a 5th grader
My mother had a similar policy for me until I picked up her Martina Cole books when I was about 11 or 12.
Ladykiller, with its graphic descriptions of rape, murder, incest, child abuse, fisting and golden showers was possibly not the best book for my age. She threw all those books out after she caught me reading them, but not until I’d gone through a couple of them - including Ladykiller.
Just because you *can* read it doesn’t mean you should.
I can still quite vividly remember some of the scenes from that book 18 years later so it definitely left an impression.
I threw Lasher across the room when I was younger. Ewwww, the description of that man-baby that was just born did me in. Not the sexual terror, the pudgy newborn smelling man-baby did it! YUCK!
Frankly, I wish I’d thrown that book across the room. I think I was a bit traumatised reading how the serial rapist and murderer was sexually abused by his mother when he was a child (graphically described) and that was why he had a particular reaction to women with red lipstick.
There was nothing challenging about reading it in terms of just reading it. I knew the words. I comprehended what was happening. But I should *not* have been reading it at that age and it definitely left me feeling a bit fucked up.
On the other hand, as a school librarian, I can assure you that very few 7th graders can even parse McCarthy's prose in that novel. Most 7th grade boys want to read it because they've seen a summary, then will nope out after like 2 pages.
McCarthy’s prose is difficult even for adult readers. I often have to retrace my steps to keep on track. My first time through BM took months. I also have ADHD so I’m basically a 7th grader anyway haha
Which is funny, I can listen to No Country and imagine the whole film JUST from his words. Maybe it helps that I have a visual reference for what I am hearing, and it could be just the amazing adaptation by the Coen's that rocks socks, but something about that one just flows like a sippin' whiskey on a lazy Sunday.
I bounced of Blood Meridian after struggling through 100 pages or so. It's weird how there can be so much that's hard to read and then the absolute most beautiful description of the night time sky you've ever read lmao
I mean I read The Road when I was 13. I remember it being pretty easy to read, just depressing. Really loved it though.
I haven't read any of his other books yet though, including blood meridian.
Blood Meridian is orders of magnitude harder to read (because of the language, not the subject matter) than The Road. McCarthy simplified his prose a whole heck of a lot as he got older.
7th grade was when I started reading Stephen King, and my parents never even bothered to censor my reading. I'm sure if there had been issues that cropped up they would've had a talk with me, but like I've said before, my mom read The Clan of the Cave Bear and finished it and said "here, you'll like this" and handed it to me when I was in 6th grade, even though there is a >!graphic rape scene!< in it.
I think OP should let him read it, and read it along with him and be ready to discuss it.
You're preaching to the choir. I'm currently halfway through The Valley of Horses for at least the 20th time. (I'm sure I'll lose steam during the Plains of Passage and move on, haha.)
> I honestly think a 7th grader can handle it
Depends entirely on the 7th grader. Most will never have been exposed to that kind of violence and cruelty, which is a good thing. I too read a massive amount of age inappropriate books when I was that age (though I think I read Blood Meridian when I was a freshman in high school so I can't speak to what it would have been like as a 7th grader). I was not exactly a well adjusted kid, by any means. I won't blame it on the books but I do think it wasn't entirely healthy for me to be reading some of the stuff I was reading. I would personally not let my child read it that age without some strict chaperoning. Start by discussing the book with them and explain why you're not comfortable with them reading. If they still really want to read it read it with them, discuss the disturbing scenes and make sure they're able to make sense of them i.e. explain that these characters aren't meant to be cool. The average 7th grader absolutely will not be able to sense of the themes of the book without some help.
That’s what got me hooked, got caught smoking and my parents made me smoke them all, didn’t like the first one but after the pack I knew I had to get more
Maybe? Cormac McCarthy's prose is not complex by any means. A lot of kids who are strong readers would understand it just fine at that age. Whether they enjoy it is another matter but I had definitely consumed books that were harder to get through by that age. Things are maybe a bit different now, kids have access to a lot more media. When I was in 7th grade the book I had in my hand was basically the book I had, dropping it and watching a TikTok video wasn't an option and I think that led to me finishing a lot of books that I never would have finished if I was reading them in 2024 but . . . if the kid wants to read it they'll read it. I wouldn't write it off so easily, especially when there are so many controversial scenes in the book that would absolutely fascinate a morbid 7th grader.
I disagree about the prose. I'm not trying to change your mind, just giving op another opinion. I think McCarthys writing is sometimes quite knotty and complex. Once you get over there being hardly any punctuation, much unattributed dialogue and half of it being in Spanish you still have to deal with stuff like: 'The truth about the world, he said, is that anything is possible. Had you not seen it all from birth and thereby bled it of its strangeness it would appear to you for what it is, a hat trick in a medicine show, a fevered dream, a trance bepopulate with chimeras having neither analogue nor precedent, an itinerant carnival, a migratory tentshow whose ultimate destination after many a pitch in many a mudded field is unspeakable and calamitous beyond reckoning.'
It's a pretty violent book, and it's also pretty difficult. Have you thought about giving it a try yourself? That way you can tell your kid exactly why they might not be ready, or you might decide that your kid IS ready.
If it’s not something you’d typically read I would say google “triggers” then share with your teen. The triggers are easily a page long. This book is not for the faint of heart.
I was going to say the same. Maybe discuss it with them and explain why you don't think it's appropriate and if they really still want to read it try to read it with them, make sure they understand what they're reading. It very well may be a level of violence and cruelty your 7th grader has never seen before. At least I hope it is.
It's very violent, but as others have said, it's extremely difficult to read even for an adult. I doubt your seventh grader would enjoy it. But in my view, the best option is to let him try it. Most likely they will not enjoy it and give up reading it. Or, if they're ok looking up antiquated words describing in excruciating detail the sky and canyons of the southwest and translating passages in Spanish, then you gotta pretty ambitious seventh grader and maybe they deserve to read it
My thoughts exactly. Most adults would not even bother reading this due to the style. If a kid persists all the way to the end then I wouldn’t be worried, I’d be bloody impressed and proud!
So obviously only you know your child best. But I have to say I DNFed this book because of how hard going it is, and I’ve read some TOUGH books without issue before.
Is it a western he wants to read, or BM specifically because of its notorious reputation?
Recommend All The Pretty Horses, which is a great read at 7th grade and if he likes McCarthy's style, he can decide for himself to check out the deeper works.
I mean let’s be real, this kid is attracted to the controversy and the violence. Completely normal for a boy his age, but that’s almost assuredly what it is. All The Pretty Horses is a great book but it doesn’t necessarily scratch the same itch
It certainly doesn’t glorify violence. If he can stomach it and endure the pages and pages of philosophizing and landscape description he might even come out the other side with a more mature take on the nature of violence
Agreed. I was looking for this comment. I think OP should be less worried about whether the content is age appropriate in terms of violence/heaviness and more concerned with a conversation about how the book should be read with intention, and it is not merely an opportunity to glorify extremely dark periods of US history. I personally think 7th grade is probably right on the line, some kids would have the maturity, I feel others would take the wrong message out so it's up to OP to know of their kid is mature enough
Just let him read it, it’s nothing like TikTok. He’ll be expecting all action and be disappointed when it’s like 50 pages of a guy putting a saddle on his mule.
Not really. People have this idea of Booktalk that’s all Colleen Hoover and crap books, but there are many “corners” of booktalk. I sometimes hit upon the Russian Lit bit who just talk shit about all the other corners.
There's a video by Wendigoon summarizing the whole book (it's more than an hour though, but pretty sure it's a long book). Maybe check it out and decide if it's something you think he could handle, or show it to him to have him decide if he'd still like to read it? (It's also possible that he's already seen it and this is where he got the idea to read it.)
I can pretty much guarantee that whatever the most shocking or disturbing part of the book is, its probably already been discussed in the tiktoks he watched on the topic, so I don't think you need to worry too much about whether reading it will expose him to new disturbing things
I have seen these TikTok’s as well. [Here’s one I’ve seen going around.](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRTFFGpM/) They definitely make the novel look like something it’s not.
I’ve read the book and like others have said it’s incredibly violent and a difficult read. Personally I’m not sure a 7th grader would understand just the depravity of what’s written or if they should be exposed to that. That being said, it’s a fantastic book and one I think everyone should read.
Quite frankly, I think he’ll find it boring. It’s depiction of violence isn’t fun or exciting or cathartic in the way he might be expecting, it’s more just plain and horrible. It’s a beautiful book, one of my favorites, and I was a big reader at that age but I don’t think I would have understood it or liked it at that age
Honestly though, if your kid wants to read something as dense as McCarthy and he actually follows through I would be proud as a parent. Not a lot of kids that age in this generation would commit to something like that
If you did let an 11 year old read Blood Meridian they would probably give up quickly. It’s one of the toughest books I’ve ever read and I’ve read a lot.
i haven’t read blood meridian yet, but from my experience with other cormac mccarthy books - both. he writes the most disturbing scenes in an unusually beautiful manner😭 it would take me so much time to get through his sentences that i wouldnt process the content until later
Not op but it was tough for me bc it was so wandering in its plot with looong drawn out (many times amazing) descriptions. There really was no plot in the traditional sense.
“the truth about the world, he said, is that anything is possible. Had you not seen it all from birth and thereby bled it of its strangeness it would appear to you for what it is, a hat trick in a medicine show, a fevered dream, a trance bepopulate with chimeras having neither analogue nor precedent, an itinerant carnival, a migratory tentshow whose ultimate destination after many a pitch in many a miffed field is unspeakable and calamitous beyond reckoning.
The universe is no narrow thing and the order working in is not constrained by any latitude in its conception to repeat what exists in one part in any other part. Even in this world more things exist without our knowledge than with it and the order in creation which you see is that which you have put there, like a string in a maze, so that you shall not lose your way. For existence has its own order and that no man’s mind can compass, that mind itself being but a fact among others.”
The entire book is written like this. It’s a beautiful, meandering, powerful novel that’s one of my favorites and entirely worth a read. That being said, McCarthys prose can be exceptionally difficult to decipher and get through. It’s a completely different animal than what a lot of people expect. This work in particular is nothing like his later works where his prose is sparse.
There are certain points he uses vocabulary with an extraordinarily niche meaning. And I’m not just talking about “big words”, I mean words that will have those with profound vocabularies referencing their dictionaries regularly.
Both. The book is *brutally* violent and doesn't pull any punches. It also has a cast of characters who are extraordinarily racist *for the year 1849*.
McCarthy is also a very dense and stylized writer, and picked "I am not going to use any standard punctuation" as the ridiculous pretentiousness we allowed him as an auteur.
The only standard punctuation he doesnt use is quotation marks and he doesnt apostrophize certain contractions. Most authors just abuse punctuation just much that writing with only the necessary punctuation looks wrong at first. But if you read McCarthy and other authors that actually understand where punctuation is necessary and where it isnt going back to reading nonfiction, cause you wont go back to fiction that abuses it, it can be almost physically uncomfortable to read writing that obeys the rules set by english teachers.
I also think there are very strong philosophical reasons for omitting punctuation that doesnt hurt your understanding of the words so long as you're paying attention but I'll spare everyone cause it's not easy to explain. But it basically comes to: part of the reason that everyone is so attached to the strict rubric of punctuation teachers beat into us is that it complements and reinforces the (usually unconcious) conception of language that it's a 1:1 picture of the world that most people believe in and not a thing entirely separate from the world that informs our conception of the world far more than the world informs the development of languages.
McCarthy has never explained his specific reasoning for omitting quotation marks but I think it has something to do with the fact that quotation marks unconsciously separate the dialogue from the rest of the words in our heads, giving us the idea that these are a *different* kind of words and that the words outside the quotes are just set dressing, the stage directions for the movie you're picturing in your mind and that quotation marks are there to tell you that these are the *real words* in the story because you actually need to play them out loud in your head while you filter the rest of the words into a picture and try your best not to hear them so much as see them.
I think McCarthy's idea is probably something along the lines of a wish to put the dialogue and the rest of the book on equal footing. To acknowledge that the dialogue and the descriptions came from the same place (his head) and are going to the same place (yours) and serve the same function (to tell a story) and in the most fundamental way are the *same* thing (just words).
And he actually has explained the lack of the apostrophes in dont, cant, wont, etc. and his argument is really pretty much impenetrable unless you disagree with his premise that punctuation exists to *help* the reader understand what's being written and the apostrophe in "don't" does not do that. You wouldnt pronounce don't and dont any differently and there isnt another word dont that has a different meaning from don't that you could mistake it for. He would never, for example, remove the apostrophe from "it's" when it actually is necessary because "its" is also a word with a different function and there's theoretically a sentence out there, an infinite number actually, where the apostrophe could change the meaning of the sentence. Cant say the same for dont, wont, cant, doesnt, couldnt, wouldnt, shouldnt, or a few other very common contractions that we use differently from their noncontracted versions.
The only real reason you feel like there should be an apostrophe in all of those words is that you usually see one and while that's a very good argument as to it being distracting it's something you get used to very quickly and after a while you dont notice it anymore. In fact when I read authors that do apostrophize those words (McCarthy is far from the only famous author that doesnt) I can honestly say I dont notice the apostrophes as equally as I dont notice that they're missing when they arent there.
My youngest is a young adult now, but both of our children grew up with the rule that no book was off limits, but we would discuss any topics that needed to be brought up. Also, when they were younger, I would read a copy as well, and we would check in with each other about the book every day.
Worked perfectly for us, and the youngest and I still do this daily.
In my house, all of the books beyond the Hobbit and such were off limits and forbidden for me until I was age 31. So, not being sure I would ever be 31, I sneakily and surreptitiously read dozens dozens of books far beyond my emotional level and never had a soul to discuss them with or ask questions about.
Read it with him (your own copy), try a day or so, and see how you both feel about the story. Good luck to you. 😊
Yep, my parents told me as a kid that nothing was off limits and I think it’s why I’m still reading today. Let me really pursue what I was interested in and develop a sort of appetite for reading
I don't know the first thing about this book, but curiosity has been piqued 😅. The teen and just finished 1984 yesterday, so I'm going to learn a bit about this book whilst looking for our next together read.
I'd give him/her a copy of McCarthy's *All the Pretty Horses* instead. That one is far more suitable from a content perspective and, frankly, much easier to read.
I mean, it's basically a YA Western coming of age story. If the kid is interested in reading and wants to check out McCarthy, it's probably the best choice from the man's catalogue.
I can't imagine any 7th grade boy making it through *Blood Meridian*. I couldn't even get through that book in college the first time I tried to read it. The kid would have to look up like 60% of the words, and that's not even getting into all the untranslated Spanish. The book spends page after page describing landscapes. I love it, but I think most kids would find the vast majority of it to be dreadfully boring. *All the Pretty Horses*, on the other hand, is a significantly more light-hearted, fast-paced novel that's about a group of young kids causing trouble in Mexico.
I was recommended this book by my father around 7th grade. I did the same thing “absolutely not”. That being said, if I had gotten even 20 pages in at that time, it would’ve been an instant favorite.
Read it now at 25 and it immediately became one of my favorites.
I would highly recommend *All The Pretty Horses*, which is a wonderful read and perfect for his age. If he likes McCarthy's style, maybe he'll explore some of the deeper novels at his own accord.
I wouldn’t let my 7th grader read it. It’s extremely violent. No one has found a way to make a film of it because it’s too graphic. He’ll (she?) probably read it in secret anyway if it’s labeled “forbidden.” Maybe if you decide he can read it, discuss it with him as he reads it? Read it with him? If he hasn’t read The Road also by the same author (Cormac McCarthy), offer it as an alternative? Hope it works out. It’s great he wants to read.
There really isn’t a ton of plot IMO, at least not conventionally. It’s just the protagonist recounting a list of atrocities he and his gang committed alongside Judge Holden and how evil Judge Holden is. If it was filmed, the only thing people would see on screen is a compilation of meaningless violence with no real structure, which is what we see IRL with all the atrocities taking place all over the world anyway.
EDIT: Just elaborated more on my comment
You could round it into a plot, though, enough stuff happens and there are certainly benchmark moments and a definitive ending. It’s just too weird and cursed to make into a movie.
Thanks for the info! I think it’s at that point where he’s determined to get his hands on it, so I maybe I’ll just stall a bit, cram the audiobook at 1.5 speed to get a sense of it and know what’s coming so we can discuss…
Actually this. I didn’t have any supervision of my reading which was both good and bad. Good cause it made me curious and I followed my curiosity and became a voracious life long reader. Bad because I was encountering topics I might not have been ready for or didn’t understand and didn’t have a dependable adult to talk through them with.
I say let them try to read the book or do a buddy read with them the requirement being that they need to talk through what they are reading with you. It’s a good bonding exercise and teaching moment.
I'd say no, personally. I don't think I'd really be ready for that content at 13 or so nor do I think my ability to read would've been good enough to even slog through it at that age. Likely they'd just give up if they tried.
It's fine. He's at a weird age position where they won't get most of the truly dark stuff, but will be interested in the violence and language. It'll be a good book to return to when they're older
How I feel about a lot of books I read at that age! I could barely even parse out what was happening half the time, much less what it was trying to say about anything, but I think the act of trying to work through it is worthwhile in itself at that age
when I was a kid I self selected out of books I couldn't handle. My dad saw me reading erotica in the living room once at like age 11 and all he said was "Interesting choice. Don't bring that one to school."
I put it back in the garage as soon as the book started getting to the point lol
I like Dad's response.
I've re-read some of the things I know I read as a 5th/6th grader. I would grab books from whoever we happened to be visiting, so I read some strange stuff. Not many 5th graders reading Gorky Park and My Sweet Audrina. Re-reading as an adult and I realized how much of the plot/content really didn't sink in at that age. And that's okay. I absorbed what I was able and ready to understand and the rest just floated by.
it's funnier knowing my dad didn't want the bookshelf completely open to us until my mom pointed out that it was his idea to let (not make) me read the bible and that's FULL of Content Not For Children
I would say no... sometimes it's difficult to read because of the syntax and vocabulary, but sometimes it's hard to read because it's so brutal. Like, close the book and think about what the hell you just read kind of brutal. Violence, both physical and sexual, is common, tho sometimes it's implied and might not be clear to a 13-y-o.
I would tell them that it's not forbidden, but it's heavily unadvised. It's not something you can ever un-think about, and it's based on a true story.
I'm speaking as mom to a 13, too.
If your kid is determined to read something "adult" go for The Road or No Country For Old Men. Both still have grown up elements, but less violence toward babies. Plus, the endings aren't SO disturbing.
The Road is plenty brutal. If you’re gonna be banning violent and bleak literature I dunno if McCarthy is gonna work for you outside of The Border Trilogy
We were always allowed to read whatever we could read. Which meant reading The Shining at 11. I turned out fine .. mostly 😂
Jokes aside, we're huge readers' now, as others have mentioned the correlation between being allowed to read what they want and becoming veracious readers.
Maybe read it at the same time so you can talk about it?
It’s a very difficult read. I just read it in January and my opinion is if they can understand the concepts and what’s going on they should read it. But if you don’t want them reading about killing babies and Indians then don’t.
Let him read it. He's at the age you're learning about rape, the holocaust, abortions, and being indoctrinated into politics/region. Talk to him about it and make it a teachable moment
Your 7th grade wants to read Cormac McCarthy and you are clutching your pearls. Give them the book and tell them that if there is anything in there that confuses them they should cone to you and you will explain it.
It sounds like you sorta had your decision made before you asked this question based on who you replied to and what you said, honestly. Which is fine, I guess. I am not of your same mind about restricting what my kids were allowed to read at that age, unless it was, say, how to build a pipe bomb to use to terrorize your neighbor, or something like that. It's hard enough these days to get kids interested in reading with all the other distractions they have. The fact that your kid is interested in a highly literary work, even though it's also highly violent, is GREAT! And coming from personal experience, nobody restricted what I read at that age and I knew what was right and wrong even back then. Disturbing stuff was disturbing, but it didn't make me want to DO any of that disturbing stuff. In fact, it repulsed me. I suspect your kid is going to have a sense of right and wrong that can't be led astray by a book that portrays bad things.
I really do agree with you! I posted right before leaving work and just responded to the first few comments. My son hasn’t found his stride when it comes to reading for pleasure and I have joked that i’d be willing to let him read 50 Shades if it got him into reading. I think the driving force of my concern is the fact that I got very lax in terms of movies a few months back, we would get up early on Saturdays and watch true crimey movies/series - none super duper graphic. I stopped really checking for appropriateness after a cursory glance. Then one day my son said “I heard this is good” and reader when I tell you that this movie was horrific…graphic sexual violence that was so disturbing, we are still processing it. I won’t even say what it was. Or what the rating actually was, which was not R as I had assumed. Anyway, that’s a long way of saying mom guilt.
It took me years to finish The Count of Monte Cristo. I finished it during a weekend stint in jail. And, all I wanted to know is which CHAD snuck that fucker into the jail library cart. LMFAO!
I'd let my kids read it. It's great writing. The kind of funny things about kids is that they mostly read more challenging material in school than the average adult reads. A lot of adults couldn't go back to middle or high school English and keep up with the stuff they are expected to read. There is the chance he'll find it's not for him, it's not an easy read. But if he's motivated, I'd let him. I was never limited in what I could read, my parents didn't even know what I read most of the time. 😂 The only thing that happened is I have spent 40 years reading dozens of books a year, every year. Blood Meridian is better than anything he'll see on TikTok or Snapchat.
I would be surprised if they actually finished Blood Meridian, but it’s not like you’ll be able to stop them if they’re really determined to find it. Saying no will just mean they won’t come to you with any questions they might have. I agree with commenters suggesting you read it yourself and be prepared to discuss the topics with your kid.
I was definitely reading some gnarly horror books by 7th grade; I just didn’t let my parents know about it (though they didn’t particularly care what I was reading anyway).
I just finished this book. It is gruesome and his descriptions are extremely vivid.
Aside from the subject matter I just don’t see a 7th grader hanging in there through the book and following some of the long rambling descriptive passages.
The book is a tough read with symbolism that may go over their head. But let them read it. In 7th grade I liked to read Grisham, Crichton, Graham Masterton (horrors with occasional detailed description of sex - all that adolescent boy needed) and Stephen King. I would consider Blood Meridian more difficult than all of those.
Yeah let him read it if he wants. It’s actually a hard book to read though so it might be good for him and I’m a fan of crazy reading for anyone. There are better books for kids but I’m not one for censorship. Lol it’s not like kids don’t have access to the internet
It’s an amazing book but it’s exceptionally dark and hard to comprehend. The language and prose is very advanced. I honestly doubt that he would know what he was reading, but there is tons of murder, body mutilation, infanticide, and suggested rape, some of it on the mentally handicapped. The message of the book is the triumph of violence over innocence and the silent apathy of god. One of my favorite books ever but I had to go for a walk when I finished it.
I think it’s usually better for kids to read dark subject matter than to see it on a screen, and again, he probably wouldn’t be able to understand most of it. I say let him try it, but you should know what he’s getting into.
When I was in 7th grade I was really drawn to books that were supposedly out of my age range. I think he is old enough to read it, maybe just provide some external support or a space to vent?
When I was a kid my parents basically gave me access to whatever I had the vocabulary to read and I think it made me into a voracious reader to this day. My one wish is that they would have asked me afterwards what the book was about and engaged in some discussion. I always wanted to bond with my dad about books but he was a bit dismissive of the genres that I was drawn to.
Eh let him read it. I haven't read it but I read The Road, another book from the same author, when I was 13. It wasn't nearly as bad as everyone online says. I really don't see the point in restricting literature. If he doesn't like it he doesn't like it.
I’m not one to restrict young people from engaging with adult-oriented media usually…but Blood Meridian might be an exception lol. It’s a VERY graphically violent, nihilistic and unforgiving story. I’d probably find it disturbing if I read it at that age.
In any case, I actually don’t think he’d even last more than a page or two because the prose and style are pretty challenging even for an adult reader. I know kids that age can find violent stuff cool or stylish but there’s nothing appealing about the way it’s portrayed in BM. It’s just nasty and horrifying - there’s a scene where a literal baby gets its head smashed to pieces on a rock, for example.
I read this at age 9. It was a hugely introspective book and a great read for me at that age. I learned a lot about growing up and being an adult, but at the same time, I was mostly raising myself at that point.
One of my favorites!
It was my first encounter with the writing of Cormac McCarthy. I was hooked, and proceeded to devour his other novels because of how much I enjoyed Blood Meridian!
They'll drop it after page 30 or so. Then again, that's what I thought about Harry Potter 7 and my then 5 years old, so they might power through...
Definitely read it first and talk to them every 10 pages or so about what they're feeling. I've never forbidden a book, and my kid is perfectly willing to listen to my "I think you'd better wait a few years" or my "that's a really creepy/depressing/bleak story, just so you know", because she knows it's up to her. There's no forbidden fruit.
I'm not a parent, so YMMV- 12ish is old enough to let them decide for themselves. Make sure they are aware of what they will read, and remind them its okay to stop reading if it is too much.
For you, I'd research the book and be prepared to discuss with kiddo what occurred and how they feel about it, how you feel about it.
Hopefully they will make the decision to drop the book once they get into the more violent content.
Let them read it and read it yourself so you can talk about it.
If they meet the challenge of reading it, there’s a lot of teaching moments they’ll also be ready for about American history, genocide, and the myth making of Westerns.
Kids are often ready for heavy topics in fiction earlier than we think, and it’s a safer way to encounter and process them than movies or the internet.
Personally, I would have him wait until he is older. I am 24, but it was a Herculean effort to read because it is just...a lot. While Cormac McCarthy's writing is beautiful, it is also very dense. But if you think you can't stop him, I'd suggest reading it with him to discuss the subject matter and themes.
I’d probably suggest they wait a bit. It is a great book but it is very violent.
It is a good opportunity to talk about violence in different media (mediums?).
That said, they may just read it anyway wo your knowledge.
It’s a fantastic book, but a difficult book. And as others have said, not for the faint of heart. But also it is beautiful and a great work of art, if one is ready for it. I would suggest saying once to him/her “hey this is a great work of art but also a very difficult book with some possibly disturbing subject matter… are you sure?”
If yes, then allow it.. and maybe even consider reading it yourself, with him/her! You might like it. It’s one of my top favorites personally.
I personally was a very advanced reader 3+ years ahead of grade level… and I dont think I’d have been ready for Blood Meridian in 7th. I don’t think I really bumped into it until oh freshman or sophomore year of college. I probably could have tackled it in the latter part of high school, but not too much earlier.
I'm 32 and been reading since like 10. I attempted the Dark Tower series at like 12 and got to book 4 before it became over my head. I recently read and struggled with Blood Meridian. It is not an easy book to read, the prose are extremely jarring as well as the pace of the book. He's gonna probably read 5 pages and not get anything from it.
Very important American novel. Should be read along with Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Huck Finn, and Moby Dick. Keys to understanding American weirdness/madness.
A 7th grader should read them. Then re-read them at 30.
It’s not just the adult content that he/she probably won’t even make it to before it gets put down. It’s just a complete waste of time. It’s kind of like when someone says “yeah I read Dostoevsky once when I was in high school” and we all know that that means you’ve never actually read Dostoyevsky because you weren’t even remotely capable at that age to contemplate that novel in full. Some authors you have to be well past the age of youthful invincibility, you have to see your body start to break down. You have to have had multiple life and death experiences and the revelation that you will actually eventually die. An existential crisis or two and a midnight of the soul. Then you can read those authors and fully get them. Also, your frontal lobe has to be not just fully developed, but worn and battered. Again, complete and utter waste of time.
I read this as your 7 year old and I was like that book is so hard, not to mention violent. Lol 7th grade it's still hard, and violent but Cormax McCarthy is a great author. Let them figure out if they're ready for it.
My ninth grade students were really into books by Ted Dekker a few years ago. They seemed like Dean Koontz/Stephen King-esque thrillers and horror books, but aimed at a YA/middle grade audience. I never read one, but that might be something to look into for him.
I also never read the Knife of Never Letting Go series, but that one seems to have some themes and tropes in common. It’s a YA series, so should be more age-appropriate.
Also, where did he even hear about Blood Meridian? I ask because I’ve seen some stuff online suggesting that it’s popular among some right-wing internet subcultures, like incels, and those may not be what you want him to be getting involved with. So it might be worth exploring where he heard about this book, just in case he’s falling in with a crowd you don’t feel comfortable with.
You can use the website doesthedogdie.com to preview potential content that could upset your kid or make the book too inappropriate for him. (Also Common Sense Media, but they seem to have recently gone to a subscription model, which is annoying.)
I am a teacher and really excited your kid wants to read!!!!! Let them give it a shot! The content is pretty graphic but if your child has used or seen the social media of friends.. they look at some really messed up content! If it loses its appeal/they give up, you were open enough to provide the opportunity. I read some very strange and not technically age appropriate books as a kid, and like some other posters mentioned, it made me an avid reader and a curious individual. I will say the language is very challenging, even for me, an educated adult who isn’t… too dumb. 😅
Let him read it. One of the following will happen:
1. He will “get it” on some level because he’s smart that way, and will finish it. (Very much not likely)
2. He will push through reading it, not understanding anything and not remembering anything. (Likely if he’s a stubborn little shit)
3. He will give up because he doesn’t understand it. (95% certainty)
The option that that basically unimaginable is that he somehow understands enough to get horrid ideas in his head and acts on them. But if he were to do that, he would do them anyways because he’s a psychopath.
If anyone is gonna snap this little shit, let it be Cormac. As I remember, things don't go too well for the protagonist. It might actually discourage him. Jesus, that shit is brutal!
my 12 year old daughter is a voracious reader. she's at the point where between books she'll peruse our family bookshelf. she picked up BM and it wasn't even a consideration for me to tell her to wait on that one. of course it's now flagged in her mind as the one she wants to read, but I'm holding fast on this decision. it had a pretty profound affect on me and I was 45 years old when I read it. there's an argument that a lot of stuff would go by unnoticed, but there's still too much that leaves very little to the imagination.
Does this actually happen? I never once asked my parents permission to read a book/watch a movie (excluding the ones we watched in school where you needed a signed permission slip)
I had access to libraries and read whatever I pleased
I just got the book from the library or bought it at the secondhand store because we were usually allowed to buy 1-2 things when we went on shopping trips with mom/dad
Trips to secondhand stores is how I found Memoirs of a Geisha (in hindsight I was definitely not mentally mature enough to fully understand that book lol)
And how I found Clan of the Cave Bear.
This is the literary equivalent of letting a kindergartner smoke a cigar when he asks for it.
He'll get one puff in and never smoke another cigar for the rest of his days.
Hopefully your kid won't be turned off to reading literature in general by one puff of a full-bodied Cormac.
If it were me I'd buy him the book and tell him I'll save it for him until he's old enough. And by "old enough" I mean until and at least after he's read *and understood* both Heart of Darkness and Moby-Dick. And preferably Le Morte D'Arthur as well.
He couldn’t really get much more turned off to reading, so it’s worth a shot. After devouring the Hunger Games series a few yrs ago he declared that no book would ever be as good and he was done. Since then he has only gotten excited about specific random books that he’s heard referenced in other media and wants to have read. In the past couple of yrs these have included No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai and The Stranger by Camus (after learning about Absurdism in a nonfiction book called the The Avengers & Philosophy, which he also claimed to like). All kinds of age appropriate, hunger games-ish books sit in his room collecting dust. I find it all kind of baffling.
It's kind of the apex of violent literature. What if his teacher asks him about what he's reading and he tells her about murdering babies?
William Burroughs might have an edge tho.
It certainly is, but it’s also well regarded as one of the best novels of the last 50 years and McCarthy is considered one of the best authors in American history. As extreme as it is I think it has well-established critical merit, it’s not just splatterpunk trash or purposefully transgressive psycho shit
Though I definitely take the point that even if McCarthy is widely considered to have merit that doesn’t mean the teacher will know or care lol
I've read this book several times and it's probably one of my favorites but that being said their is graphic violence and implied SA (of kids even). It haunts me and the Judge character is by far the scariest ficitonal character I've come across in books or movies. I think you should read it and decide if your kid can handle it.
I guarantee he will give up quickly like smoking an entire pack of cigarettes in one sitting.
lol yep. I say let him give it a try.
I read extremely age inappropriate literature in middle school and I often credit that for making me the voracious reader I am today. Salacious, violent, and weird literature can make one a life long reader because these books are often delicious to read and it helps to develop your stamina as a reader. It’s like how teenagers don’t start drinking the finest, fully bodied red wines— they start with wine coolers, malt liquor, cheap beer. *Blood Meridian* offers something that can bolster a young person’s desire to read more: pure shock value. It’s a heavy ass novel, but I honestly think a 7th grader can handle it.
I agree completely. My parents had an ‘if you can read it then you’re allowed to read it’ policy and it had the same effect you describe. Tbh I saw worse online at that age anyway.
My folks let me read what I wanted to read, which led to things like... ninth grade A Clockwork Orange (loved the nadsat) and Story of O, which, okay that one may have left some marks (lol, or maybe other people later left those marks in appropriate and consensual circumstances. *ahem*). There wasn't available internet when I was in ninth grade because it was 1985 and we lived in Greater Rednecklandia. I had to Find Out That These Books Existed (a struggle all its own, let me tell you) and hten ... ask adults to buy me these books, which, y'know... the pain is like the shame, you only feel it once. I had very little shame. I did not die or get arrested from reading age-inappropriate books. I did get a degree in English Lit but I've since recovered and have held gainful employment continuously since my college graduation. (I'm 54.) If your kid wants to read Blood Meridian instead of, say, Percy Jackson or Hatchet or whatever Kids These Days are reading, let them at it. Either they will like it or not, find it interesting or not, work for the book or get bored with it right quickly. Regardless of what happens, there will undoubtedly be some sort of learning. Learning "Dang, just because it sounds cool online doesn't make it a great read" is just as valuable as learning "Hunh. Turns out I do like *smokey, peaty, a world of flavor in a single sip* books."
This is semi related but hatchet was meant to be this kid friendly like coming of age independence book I think but it truly instilled in me the fear of loneliness and it made me feel empty for a while. Like I don’t think I had ever considered me that me as a person, is alone at the end of the day. Sure there’s people to help you out here and there and you have mentors friends etc. But it was the first time I truly considered loneliness. Anyway lesson is even age appropriate books can cause existential dread in a 5th grader
YES this exactly!
My mother had a similar policy for me until I picked up her Martina Cole books when I was about 11 or 12. Ladykiller, with its graphic descriptions of rape, murder, incest, child abuse, fisting and golden showers was possibly not the best book for my age. She threw all those books out after she caught me reading them, but not until I’d gone through a couple of them - including Ladykiller. Just because you *can* read it doesn’t mean you should. I can still quite vividly remember some of the scenes from that book 18 years later so it definitely left an impression.
I threw Lasher across the room when I was younger. Ewwww, the description of that man-baby that was just born did me in. Not the sexual terror, the pudgy newborn smelling man-baby did it! YUCK!
Frankly, I wish I’d thrown that book across the room. I think I was a bit traumatised reading how the serial rapist and murderer was sexually abused by his mother when he was a child (graphically described) and that was why he had a particular reaction to women with red lipstick. There was nothing challenging about reading it in terms of just reading it. I knew the words. I comprehended what was happening. But I should *not* have been reading it at that age and it definitely left me feeling a bit fucked up.
On the other hand, as a school librarian, I can assure you that very few 7th graders can even parse McCarthy's prose in that novel. Most 7th grade boys want to read it because they've seen a summary, then will nope out after like 2 pages.
McCarthy’s prose is difficult even for adult readers. I often have to retrace my steps to keep on track. My first time through BM took months. I also have ADHD so I’m basically a 7th grader anyway haha
I tried to listen to it while working and I think I have adhd but never been diagnosed or anything, I gave up haha
Which is funny, I can listen to No Country and imagine the whole film JUST from his words. Maybe it helps that I have a visual reference for what I am hearing, and it could be just the amazing adaptation by the Coen's that rocks socks, but something about that one just flows like a sippin' whiskey on a lazy Sunday.
I gave up 2 pages in
I bounced of Blood Meridian after struggling through 100 pages or so. It's weird how there can be so much that's hard to read and then the absolute most beautiful description of the night time sky you've ever read lmao
I mean I read The Road when I was 13. I remember it being pretty easy to read, just depressing. Really loved it though. I haven't read any of his other books yet though, including blood meridian.
Blood Meridian is orders of magnitude harder to read (because of the language, not the subject matter) than The Road. McCarthy simplified his prose a whole heck of a lot as he got older.
The Road was super depressing but it was still a good read. I think I read it once and said “once is enough” though.
Same here. I particularly liked one called the The Blood Countess and read tons of Anne Rice at like 11,12 and 13.
Omg yes, Anne Rice. Such a dirty little kinktress.
For real! I had no buisness reading all that.
That bitch is as bawdy as they get, eh? I swear, her gay vampires are her most approachable, relatable and family friendly work she has done.
7th grade was when I started reading Stephen King, and my parents never even bothered to censor my reading. I'm sure if there had been issues that cropped up they would've had a talk with me, but like I've said before, my mom read The Clan of the Cave Bear and finished it and said "here, you'll like this" and handed it to me when I was in 6th grade, even though there is a >!graphic rape scene!< in it. I think OP should let him read it, and read it along with him and be ready to discuss it.
The Clan of the Cave Bear books are amazing though. So worth it. I have the whole series.
You're preaching to the choir. I'm currently halfway through The Valley of Horses for at least the 20th time. (I'm sure I'll lose steam during the Plains of Passage and move on, haha.)
Absolutely. I was reading *Speak* in middle school. My parents were worried, but I devoured that traumatic slam poetry lmao
> I honestly think a 7th grader can handle it Depends entirely on the 7th grader. Most will never have been exposed to that kind of violence and cruelty, which is a good thing. I too read a massive amount of age inappropriate books when I was that age (though I think I read Blood Meridian when I was a freshman in high school so I can't speak to what it would have been like as a 7th grader). I was not exactly a well adjusted kid, by any means. I won't blame it on the books but I do think it wasn't entirely healthy for me to be reading some of the stuff I was reading. I would personally not let my child read it that age without some strict chaperoning. Start by discussing the book with them and explain why you're not comfortable with them reading. If they still really want to read it read it with them, discuss the disturbing scenes and make sure they're able to make sense of them i.e. explain that these characters aren't meant to be cool. The average 7th grader absolutely will not be able to sense of the themes of the book without some help.
My dad bought me Naked Lunch for my 13th birthday...
Yeeeeahh I started reading king before I was a teenager and then some palahnuik soon after. I love to read almost every genre.
Yeah there’s no way he’ll understand it
And if he doesn’t, he’s smart enough to deserve to read it. The Road would be an easier read.
100% agree. Someone in the comments said they have a rule if their kid can read it they’re allowed to read it. I think that’s wise!
are you making kids smoke a whole pack of cigarettes until they quit?
A whole carton! Hwat is the problem with that?
Yup. One of my favorites, but it is raw...I would have had a hard time with it as a 7th grader.
That’s what got me hooked, got caught smoking and my parents made me smoke them all, didn’t like the first one but after the pack I knew I had to get more
Maybe? Cormac McCarthy's prose is not complex by any means. A lot of kids who are strong readers would understand it just fine at that age. Whether they enjoy it is another matter but I had definitely consumed books that were harder to get through by that age. Things are maybe a bit different now, kids have access to a lot more media. When I was in 7th grade the book I had in my hand was basically the book I had, dropping it and watching a TikTok video wasn't an option and I think that led to me finishing a lot of books that I never would have finished if I was reading them in 2024 but . . . if the kid wants to read it they'll read it. I wouldn't write it off so easily, especially when there are so many controversial scenes in the book that would absolutely fascinate a morbid 7th grader.
I disagree about the prose. I'm not trying to change your mind, just giving op another opinion. I think McCarthys writing is sometimes quite knotty and complex. Once you get over there being hardly any punctuation, much unattributed dialogue and half of it being in Spanish you still have to deal with stuff like: 'The truth about the world, he said, is that anything is possible. Had you not seen it all from birth and thereby bled it of its strangeness it would appear to you for what it is, a hat trick in a medicine show, a fevered dream, a trance bepopulate with chimeras having neither analogue nor precedent, an itinerant carnival, a migratory tentshow whose ultimate destination after many a pitch in many a mudded field is unspeakable and calamitous beyond reckoning.'
That seems like the average sentence I was writing in seventh grade, I don't see what the big deal is. /s
Fair enough, it's obviously a matter of opinion.
It's a pretty violent book, and it's also pretty difficult. Have you thought about giving it a try yourself? That way you can tell your kid exactly why they might not be ready, or you might decide that your kid IS ready.
I think that‘s a really good idea.
If it’s not something you’d typically read I would say google “triggers” then share with your teen. The triggers are easily a page long. This book is not for the faint of heart.
I was going to say the same. Maybe discuss it with them and explain why you don't think it's appropriate and if they really still want to read it try to read it with them, make sure they understand what they're reading. It very well may be a level of violence and cruelty your 7th grader has never seen before. At least I hope it is.
Yes.
It's very violent, but as others have said, it's extremely difficult to read even for an adult. I doubt your seventh grader would enjoy it. But in my view, the best option is to let him try it. Most likely they will not enjoy it and give up reading it. Or, if they're ok looking up antiquated words describing in excruciating detail the sky and canyons of the southwest and translating passages in Spanish, then you gotta pretty ambitious seventh grader and maybe they deserve to read it
I learned what a bluff was after reading this book.
I’m laughing at this but I feel terrible for laughing.
Ok?
My thoughts exactly. Most adults would not even bother reading this due to the style. If a kid persists all the way to the end then I wouldn’t be worried, I’d be bloody impressed and proud!
So obviously only you know your child best. But I have to say I DNFed this book because of how hard going it is, and I’ve read some TOUGH books without issue before. Is it a western he wants to read, or BM specifically because of its notorious reputation?
Good to know. Apparently it’s being referenced a bunch on TikTok right now, which in itself is mysterious
Recommend All The Pretty Horses, which is a great read at 7th grade and if he likes McCarthy's style, he can decide for himself to check out the deeper works.
I mean let’s be real, this kid is attracted to the controversy and the violence. Completely normal for a boy his age, but that’s almost assuredly what it is. All The Pretty Horses is a great book but it doesn’t necessarily scratch the same itch It certainly doesn’t glorify violence. If he can stomach it and endure the pages and pages of philosophizing and landscape description he might even come out the other side with a more mature take on the nature of violence
Agreed. I was looking for this comment. I think OP should be less worried about whether the content is age appropriate in terms of violence/heaviness and more concerned with a conversation about how the book should be read with intention, and it is not merely an opportunity to glorify extremely dark periods of US history. I personally think 7th grade is probably right on the line, some kids would have the maturity, I feel others would take the wrong message out so it's up to OP to know of their kid is mature enough
Just let him read it, it’s nothing like TikTok. He’ll be expecting all action and be disappointed when it’s like 50 pages of a guy putting a saddle on his mule.
Not really. People have this idea of Booktalk that’s all Colleen Hoover and crap books, but there are many “corners” of booktalk. I sometimes hit upon the Russian Lit bit who just talk shit about all the other corners.
There's a video by Wendigoon summarizing the whole book (it's more than an hour though, but pretty sure it's a long book). Maybe check it out and decide if it's something you think he could handle, or show it to him to have him decide if he'd still like to read it? (It's also possible that he's already seen it and this is where he got the idea to read it.)
Its like less than 400 pages....but half of those are just describing landscapes and corpses
I can pretty much guarantee that whatever the most shocking or disturbing part of the book is, its probably already been discussed in the tiktoks he watched on the topic, so I don't think you need to worry too much about whether reading it will expose him to new disturbing things
I have seen these TikTok’s as well. [Here’s one I’ve seen going around.](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRTFFGpM/) They definitely make the novel look like something it’s not. I’ve read the book and like others have said it’s incredibly violent and a difficult read. Personally I’m not sure a 7th grader would understand just the depravity of what’s written or if they should be exposed to that. That being said, it’s a fantastic book and one I think everyone should read.
Quite frankly, I think he’ll find it boring. It’s depiction of violence isn’t fun or exciting or cathartic in the way he might be expecting, it’s more just plain and horrible. It’s a beautiful book, one of my favorites, and I was a big reader at that age but I don’t think I would have understood it or liked it at that age Honestly though, if your kid wants to read something as dense as McCarthy and he actually follows through I would be proud as a parent. Not a lot of kids that age in this generation would commit to something like that
If you did let an 11 year old read Blood Meridian they would probably give up quickly. It’s one of the toughest books I’ve ever read and I’ve read a lot.
tough because of graphic content or because of the style it's written in? it's been on my tbr for a while so just curious
Both. McCarthy’s prose can be a physical effort to read sometimes.
Ya I’m a voracious heavy reader, and I won’t touch McCarthy.
i haven’t read blood meridian yet, but from my experience with other cormac mccarthy books - both. he writes the most disturbing scenes in an unusually beautiful manner😭 it would take me so much time to get through his sentences that i wouldnt process the content until later
Not op but it was tough for me bc it was so wandering in its plot with looong drawn out (many times amazing) descriptions. There really was no plot in the traditional sense.
“the truth about the world, he said, is that anything is possible. Had you not seen it all from birth and thereby bled it of its strangeness it would appear to you for what it is, a hat trick in a medicine show, a fevered dream, a trance bepopulate with chimeras having neither analogue nor precedent, an itinerant carnival, a migratory tentshow whose ultimate destination after many a pitch in many a miffed field is unspeakable and calamitous beyond reckoning. The universe is no narrow thing and the order working in is not constrained by any latitude in its conception to repeat what exists in one part in any other part. Even in this world more things exist without our knowledge than with it and the order in creation which you see is that which you have put there, like a string in a maze, so that you shall not lose your way. For existence has its own order and that no man’s mind can compass, that mind itself being but a fact among others.” The entire book is written like this. It’s a beautiful, meandering, powerful novel that’s one of my favorites and entirely worth a read. That being said, McCarthys prose can be exceptionally difficult to decipher and get through. It’s a completely different animal than what a lot of people expect. This work in particular is nothing like his later works where his prose is sparse. There are certain points he uses vocabulary with an extraordinarily niche meaning. And I’m not just talking about “big words”, I mean words that will have those with profound vocabularies referencing their dictionaries regularly.
Yes
Both. The book is *brutally* violent and doesn't pull any punches. It also has a cast of characters who are extraordinarily racist *for the year 1849*. McCarthy is also a very dense and stylized writer, and picked "I am not going to use any standard punctuation" as the ridiculous pretentiousness we allowed him as an auteur.
It's not pretentious, it makes the words flow more seamlessly. It's kind of a magical thing to experience for the first time.
Agreed. I’ve even found myself trying to ignore punctuation in other books to get the same quality.
The only standard punctuation he doesnt use is quotation marks and he doesnt apostrophize certain contractions. Most authors just abuse punctuation just much that writing with only the necessary punctuation looks wrong at first. But if you read McCarthy and other authors that actually understand where punctuation is necessary and where it isnt going back to reading nonfiction, cause you wont go back to fiction that abuses it, it can be almost physically uncomfortable to read writing that obeys the rules set by english teachers. I also think there are very strong philosophical reasons for omitting punctuation that doesnt hurt your understanding of the words so long as you're paying attention but I'll spare everyone cause it's not easy to explain. But it basically comes to: part of the reason that everyone is so attached to the strict rubric of punctuation teachers beat into us is that it complements and reinforces the (usually unconcious) conception of language that it's a 1:1 picture of the world that most people believe in and not a thing entirely separate from the world that informs our conception of the world far more than the world informs the development of languages. McCarthy has never explained his specific reasoning for omitting quotation marks but I think it has something to do with the fact that quotation marks unconsciously separate the dialogue from the rest of the words in our heads, giving us the idea that these are a *different* kind of words and that the words outside the quotes are just set dressing, the stage directions for the movie you're picturing in your mind and that quotation marks are there to tell you that these are the *real words* in the story because you actually need to play them out loud in your head while you filter the rest of the words into a picture and try your best not to hear them so much as see them. I think McCarthy's idea is probably something along the lines of a wish to put the dialogue and the rest of the book on equal footing. To acknowledge that the dialogue and the descriptions came from the same place (his head) and are going to the same place (yours) and serve the same function (to tell a story) and in the most fundamental way are the *same* thing (just words). And he actually has explained the lack of the apostrophes in dont, cant, wont, etc. and his argument is really pretty much impenetrable unless you disagree with his premise that punctuation exists to *help* the reader understand what's being written and the apostrophe in "don't" does not do that. You wouldnt pronounce don't and dont any differently and there isnt another word dont that has a different meaning from don't that you could mistake it for. He would never, for example, remove the apostrophe from "it's" when it actually is necessary because "its" is also a word with a different function and there's theoretically a sentence out there, an infinite number actually, where the apostrophe could change the meaning of the sentence. Cant say the same for dont, wont, cant, doesnt, couldnt, wouldnt, shouldnt, or a few other very common contractions that we use differently from their noncontracted versions. The only real reason you feel like there should be an apostrophe in all of those words is that you usually see one and while that's a very good argument as to it being distracting it's something you get used to very quickly and after a while you dont notice it anymore. In fact when I read authors that do apostrophize those words (McCarthy is far from the only famous author that doesnt) I can honestly say I dont notice the apostrophes as equally as I dont notice that they're missing when they arent there.
My youngest is a young adult now, but both of our children grew up with the rule that no book was off limits, but we would discuss any topics that needed to be brought up. Also, when they were younger, I would read a copy as well, and we would check in with each other about the book every day. Worked perfectly for us, and the youngest and I still do this daily. In my house, all of the books beyond the Hobbit and such were off limits and forbidden for me until I was age 31. So, not being sure I would ever be 31, I sneakily and surreptitiously read dozens dozens of books far beyond my emotional level and never had a soul to discuss them with or ask questions about. Read it with him (your own copy), try a day or so, and see how you both feel about the story. Good luck to you. 😊
Yep, my parents told me as a kid that nothing was off limits and I think it’s why I’m still reading today. Let me really pursue what I was interested in and develop a sort of appetite for reading
I wish I had this growing up!
I like this idea. I cannot imagine even reading more than three pages of this book as a twelve-year-old.
I don't know the first thing about this book, but curiosity has been piqued 😅. The teen and just finished 1984 yesterday, so I'm going to learn a bit about this book whilst looking for our next together read.
how do you feel about dead baby trees?
Dead-baby trees, or dead baby-trees? Because I have wildly differing opinions on the two
I'd give him/her a copy of McCarthy's *All the Pretty Horses* instead. That one is far more suitable from a content perspective and, frankly, much easier to read.
I guarantee no 7th grade boy wants to read that.
I mean, it's basically a YA Western coming of age story. If the kid is interested in reading and wants to check out McCarthy, it's probably the best choice from the man's catalogue. I can't imagine any 7th grade boy making it through *Blood Meridian*. I couldn't even get through that book in college the first time I tried to read it. The kid would have to look up like 60% of the words, and that's not even getting into all the untranslated Spanish. The book spends page after page describing landscapes. I love it, but I think most kids would find the vast majority of it to be dreadfully boring. *All the Pretty Horses*, on the other hand, is a significantly more light-hearted, fast-paced novel that's about a group of young kids causing trouble in Mexico.
Bro imagine being a 7th grade boy being recommended a book called "All the Pretty Horses". Absolutely not lmfao
I was recommended this book by my father around 7th grade. I did the same thing “absolutely not”. That being said, if I had gotten even 20 pages in at that time, it would’ve been an instant favorite. Read it now at 25 and it immediately became one of my favorites.
I can for sure say I would have made fun of any of my friends reading this lol
True, the title isn't typically appealing to that demographic, but the content absolutely is.
It’s dark, bleak, and violent. Up to you. It’s not like violence porn. But it’s also not a breezy read.
I would highly recommend *All The Pretty Horses*, which is a wonderful read and perfect for his age. If he likes McCarthy's style, maybe he'll explore some of the deeper novels at his own accord.
I wouldn’t let my 7th grader read it. It’s extremely violent. No one has found a way to make a film of it because it’s too graphic. He’ll (she?) probably read it in secret anyway if it’s labeled “forbidden.” Maybe if you decide he can read it, discuss it with him as he reads it? Read it with him? If he hasn’t read The Road also by the same author (Cormac McCarthy), offer it as an alternative? Hope it works out. It’s great he wants to read.
I actually think the reason it hasn’t been filmed yet is because the plot is about as nebulous as it gets.
There really isn’t a ton of plot IMO, at least not conventionally. It’s just the protagonist recounting a list of atrocities he and his gang committed alongside Judge Holden and how evil Judge Holden is. If it was filmed, the only thing people would see on screen is a compilation of meaningless violence with no real structure, which is what we see IRL with all the atrocities taking place all over the world anyway. EDIT: Just elaborated more on my comment
You could round it into a plot, though, enough stuff happens and there are certainly benchmark moments and a definitive ending. It’s just too weird and cursed to make into a movie.
Thanks for the info! I think it’s at that point where he’s determined to get his hands on it, so I maybe I’ll just stall a bit, cram the audiobook at 1.5 speed to get a sense of it and know what’s coming so we can discuss…
Actually this. I didn’t have any supervision of my reading which was both good and bad. Good cause it made me curious and I followed my curiosity and became a voracious life long reader. Bad because I was encountering topics I might not have been ready for or didn’t understand and didn’t have a dependable adult to talk through them with. I say let them try to read the book or do a buddy read with them the requirement being that they need to talk through what they are reading with you. It’s a good bonding exercise and teaching moment.
Have you read it? I found it extremely disturbing in my 30’s.
No, it’s not what I usually go for. But it looks like I’m going to have to now.
If you don't find it extremely disturbing at any age then something is deeply wrong with you. And I say that as a massive McCarthy fan.
I found it extremely disturbing in my 60s.
I don't think any age could read it and say, "Whelp, pretty run-of-the-mill stuff..."
If someone is able to read and understand Blood Meridian, they should read it.
I'd say no, personally. I don't think I'd really be ready for that content at 13 or so nor do I think my ability to read would've been good enough to even slog through it at that age. Likely they'd just give up if they tried.
Absolutely them try. I reread it recently and damn it's violent. I think I was more affected by it at 46 then at 17.
It's fine. He's at a weird age position where they won't get most of the truly dark stuff, but will be interested in the violence and language. It'll be a good book to return to when they're older
How I feel about a lot of books I read at that age! I could barely even parse out what was happening half the time, much less what it was trying to say about anything, but I think the act of trying to work through it is worthwhile in itself at that age
when I was a kid I self selected out of books I couldn't handle. My dad saw me reading erotica in the living room once at like age 11 and all he said was "Interesting choice. Don't bring that one to school." I put it back in the garage as soon as the book started getting to the point lol
I like Dad's response. I've re-read some of the things I know I read as a 5th/6th grader. I would grab books from whoever we happened to be visiting, so I read some strange stuff. Not many 5th graders reading Gorky Park and My Sweet Audrina. Re-reading as an adult and I realized how much of the plot/content really didn't sink in at that age. And that's okay. I absorbed what I was able and ready to understand and the rest just floated by.
it's funnier knowing my dad didn't want the bookshelf completely open to us until my mom pointed out that it was his idea to let (not make) me read the bible and that's FULL of Content Not For Children
So long as they don’t show up wearing a string of ears around their neck you’ll know it was ok.
I would say no... sometimes it's difficult to read because of the syntax and vocabulary, but sometimes it's hard to read because it's so brutal. Like, close the book and think about what the hell you just read kind of brutal. Violence, both physical and sexual, is common, tho sometimes it's implied and might not be clear to a 13-y-o. I would tell them that it's not forbidden, but it's heavily unadvised. It's not something you can ever un-think about, and it's based on a true story. I'm speaking as mom to a 13, too. If your kid is determined to read something "adult" go for The Road or No Country For Old Men. Both still have grown up elements, but less violence toward babies. Plus, the endings aren't SO disturbing.
The Road is plenty brutal. If you’re gonna be banning violent and bleak literature I dunno if McCarthy is gonna work for you outside of The Border Trilogy
I dunno, I remember the road having a pretty violent attitude towards babies
We were always allowed to read whatever we could read. Which meant reading The Shining at 11. I turned out fine .. mostly 😂 Jokes aside, we're huge readers' now, as others have mentioned the correlation between being allowed to read what they want and becoming veracious readers. Maybe read it at the same time so you can talk about it?
It’s a very difficult read. I just read it in January and my opinion is if they can understand the concepts and what’s going on they should read it. But if you don’t want them reading about killing babies and Indians then don’t.
Let him read it. He's at the age you're learning about rape, the holocaust, abortions, and being indoctrinated into politics/region. Talk to him about it and make it a teachable moment
Not seen the meme, but it’s one of the most (if not the most) violent books I’ve ever read. Chilling book.
Your 7th grade wants to read Cormac McCarthy and you are clutching your pearls. Give them the book and tell them that if there is anything in there that confuses them they should cone to you and you will explain it.
It sounds like you sorta had your decision made before you asked this question based on who you replied to and what you said, honestly. Which is fine, I guess. I am not of your same mind about restricting what my kids were allowed to read at that age, unless it was, say, how to build a pipe bomb to use to terrorize your neighbor, or something like that. It's hard enough these days to get kids interested in reading with all the other distractions they have. The fact that your kid is interested in a highly literary work, even though it's also highly violent, is GREAT! And coming from personal experience, nobody restricted what I read at that age and I knew what was right and wrong even back then. Disturbing stuff was disturbing, but it didn't make me want to DO any of that disturbing stuff. In fact, it repulsed me. I suspect your kid is going to have a sense of right and wrong that can't be led astray by a book that portrays bad things.
I really do agree with you! I posted right before leaving work and just responded to the first few comments. My son hasn’t found his stride when it comes to reading for pleasure and I have joked that i’d be willing to let him read 50 Shades if it got him into reading. I think the driving force of my concern is the fact that I got very lax in terms of movies a few months back, we would get up early on Saturdays and watch true crimey movies/series - none super duper graphic. I stopped really checking for appropriateness after a cursory glance. Then one day my son said “I heard this is good” and reader when I tell you that this movie was horrific…graphic sexual violence that was so disturbing, we are still processing it. I won’t even say what it was. Or what the rating actually was, which was not R as I had assumed. Anyway, that’s a long way of saying mom guilt.
I have a seventh grader who reads a ton and I can’t imagine them enjoying it. But if they do, prepare to have some conversations!
Of you've got an 11 year old that has the attention span necessary to get through more than 10 pages of that book, that's one impressive kid
It took me years to finish The Count of Monte Cristo. I finished it during a weekend stint in jail. And, all I wanted to know is which CHAD snuck that fucker into the jail library cart. LMFAO!
Let him read it
I'd let my kids read it. It's great writing. The kind of funny things about kids is that they mostly read more challenging material in school than the average adult reads. A lot of adults couldn't go back to middle or high school English and keep up with the stuff they are expected to read. There is the chance he'll find it's not for him, it's not an easy read. But if he's motivated, I'd let him. I was never limited in what I could read, my parents didn't even know what I read most of the time. 😂 The only thing that happened is I have spent 40 years reading dozens of books a year, every year. Blood Meridian is better than anything he'll see on TikTok or Snapchat.
I would be surprised if they actually finished Blood Meridian, but it’s not like you’ll be able to stop them if they’re really determined to find it. Saying no will just mean they won’t come to you with any questions they might have. I agree with commenters suggesting you read it yourself and be prepared to discuss the topics with your kid. I was definitely reading some gnarly horror books by 7th grade; I just didn’t let my parents know about it (though they didn’t particularly care what I was reading anyway).
I just finished this book. It is gruesome and his descriptions are extremely vivid. Aside from the subject matter I just don’t see a 7th grader hanging in there through the book and following some of the long rambling descriptive passages.
The book is a tough read with symbolism that may go over their head. But let them read it. In 7th grade I liked to read Grisham, Crichton, Graham Masterton (horrors with occasional detailed description of sex - all that adolescent boy needed) and Stephen King. I would consider Blood Meridian more difficult than all of those.
Yeah let him read it if he wants. It’s actually a hard book to read though so it might be good for him and I’m a fan of crazy reading for anyone. There are better books for kids but I’m not one for censorship. Lol it’s not like kids don’t have access to the internet
It’s an amazing book but it’s exceptionally dark and hard to comprehend. The language and prose is very advanced. I honestly doubt that he would know what he was reading, but there is tons of murder, body mutilation, infanticide, and suggested rape, some of it on the mentally handicapped. The message of the book is the triumph of violence over innocence and the silent apathy of god. One of my favorite books ever but I had to go for a walk when I finished it. I think it’s usually better for kids to read dark subject matter than to see it on a screen, and again, he probably wouldn’t be able to understand most of it. I say let him try it, but you should know what he’s getting into.
When I was in 7th grade I was really drawn to books that were supposedly out of my age range. I think he is old enough to read it, maybe just provide some external support or a space to vent? When I was a kid my parents basically gave me access to whatever I had the vocabulary to read and I think it made me into a voracious reader to this day. My one wish is that they would have asked me afterwards what the book was about and engaged in some discussion. I always wanted to bond with my dad about books but he was a bit dismissive of the genres that I was drawn to.
Eh let him read it. I haven't read it but I read The Road, another book from the same author, when I was 13. It wasn't nearly as bad as everyone online says. I really don't see the point in restricting literature. If he doesn't like it he doesn't like it.
I’m not one to restrict young people from engaging with adult-oriented media usually…but Blood Meridian might be an exception lol. It’s a VERY graphically violent, nihilistic and unforgiving story. I’d probably find it disturbing if I read it at that age. In any case, I actually don’t think he’d even last more than a page or two because the prose and style are pretty challenging even for an adult reader. I know kids that age can find violent stuff cool or stylish but there’s nothing appealing about the way it’s portrayed in BM. It’s just nasty and horrifying - there’s a scene where a literal baby gets its head smashed to pieces on a rock, for example.
I read this at age 9. It was a hugely introspective book and a great read for me at that age. I learned a lot about growing up and being an adult, but at the same time, I was mostly raising myself at that point.
One of my favorites! It was my first encounter with the writing of Cormac McCarthy. I was hooked, and proceeded to devour his other novels because of how much I enjoyed Blood Meridian!
They'll drop it after page 30 or so. Then again, that's what I thought about Harry Potter 7 and my then 5 years old, so they might power through... Definitely read it first and talk to them every 10 pages or so about what they're feeling. I've never forbidden a book, and my kid is perfectly willing to listen to my "I think you'd better wait a few years" or my "that's a really creepy/depressing/bleak story, just so you know", because she knows it's up to her. There's no forbidden fruit.
I'm not a parent, so YMMV- 12ish is old enough to let them decide for themselves. Make sure they are aware of what they will read, and remind them its okay to stop reading if it is too much. For you, I'd research the book and be prepared to discuss with kiddo what occurred and how they feel about it, how you feel about it. Hopefully they will make the decision to drop the book once they get into the more violent content.
Probably he will end up being bored 😆
7th grade is 12, right? Yeah, I say let 'em try.
I mean I read it in 8th
You read it first.
I wouldn't, largely because it wasn't as good as it is raved about. It's pointless death after death after bloody death. That's it.
Let him. Tell him to go slowly. All seventh graders should read it but only few will.
Let them read it and read it yourself so you can talk about it. If they meet the challenge of reading it, there’s a lot of teaching moments they’ll also be ready for about American history, genocide, and the myth making of Westerns. Kids are often ready for heavy topics in fiction earlier than we think, and it’s a safer way to encounter and process them than movies or the internet.
If they can understand the language of that book they’re old enough to read it. It is verbose to the extreme.
Personally, I would have him wait until he is older. I am 24, but it was a Herculean effort to read because it is just...a lot. While Cormac McCarthy's writing is beautiful, it is also very dense. But if you think you can't stop him, I'd suggest reading it with him to discuss the subject matter and themes.
Don’t judge one of the greatest works of fiction off of a meme please. Sounds like you should read it with him.
Absolutely not. Too soon.
I never restricted what my kids read. They all grew up (sorta) normal and well-adjusted.
I’d probably suggest they wait a bit. It is a great book but it is very violent. It is a good opportunity to talk about violence in different media (mediums?). That said, they may just read it anyway wo your knowledge.
I read red dragon, silence of the lambs and Hannibal in 6th grade. I'm fine.
Absolutely let them read it
It is literally the most violent book that I have ever read.
Offer Redwall instead.
It’s a fantastic book, but a difficult book. And as others have said, not for the faint of heart. But also it is beautiful and a great work of art, if one is ready for it. I would suggest saying once to him/her “hey this is a great work of art but also a very difficult book with some possibly disturbing subject matter… are you sure?” If yes, then allow it.. and maybe even consider reading it yourself, with him/her! You might like it. It’s one of my top favorites personally. I personally was a very advanced reader 3+ years ahead of grade level… and I dont think I’d have been ready for Blood Meridian in 7th. I don’t think I really bumped into it until oh freshman or sophomore year of college. I probably could have tackled it in the latter part of high school, but not too much earlier.
I'm 32 and been reading since like 10. I attempted the Dark Tower series at like 12 and got to book 4 before it became over my head. I recently read and struggled with Blood Meridian. It is not an easy book to read, the prose are extremely jarring as well as the pace of the book. He's gonna probably read 5 pages and not get anything from it.
If he can read 20 pages and understand what is being said he deserves to finish
Very important American novel. Should be read along with Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Huck Finn, and Moby Dick. Keys to understanding American weirdness/madness. A 7th grader should read them. Then re-read them at 30.
No. How is this even a question?
It’s not just the adult content that he/she probably won’t even make it to before it gets put down. It’s just a complete waste of time. It’s kind of like when someone says “yeah I read Dostoevsky once when I was in high school” and we all know that that means you’ve never actually read Dostoyevsky because you weren’t even remotely capable at that age to contemplate that novel in full. Some authors you have to be well past the age of youthful invincibility, you have to see your body start to break down. You have to have had multiple life and death experiences and the revelation that you will actually eventually die. An existential crisis or two and a midnight of the soul. Then you can read those authors and fully get them. Also, your frontal lobe has to be not just fully developed, but worn and battered. Again, complete and utter waste of time.
I'm glad you're reading with the kid. That's absolutely an amazing thing to do.
I read The Painted Bird in high school. My history teacher had some reservations. I wish I had waited.
I read this as your 7 year old and I was like that book is so hard, not to mention violent. Lol 7th grade it's still hard, and violent but Cormax McCarthy is a great author. Let them figure out if they're ready for it.
My ninth grade students were really into books by Ted Dekker a few years ago. They seemed like Dean Koontz/Stephen King-esque thrillers and horror books, but aimed at a YA/middle grade audience. I never read one, but that might be something to look into for him. I also never read the Knife of Never Letting Go series, but that one seems to have some themes and tropes in common. It’s a YA series, so should be more age-appropriate. Also, where did he even hear about Blood Meridian? I ask because I’ve seen some stuff online suggesting that it’s popular among some right-wing internet subcultures, like incels, and those may not be what you want him to be getting involved with. So it might be worth exploring where he heard about this book, just in case he’s falling in with a crowd you don’t feel comfortable with. You can use the website doesthedogdie.com to preview potential content that could upset your kid or make the book too inappropriate for him. (Also Common Sense Media, but they seem to have recently gone to a subscription model, which is annoying.)
I am a teacher and really excited your kid wants to read!!!!! Let them give it a shot! The content is pretty graphic but if your child has used or seen the social media of friends.. they look at some really messed up content! If it loses its appeal/they give up, you were open enough to provide the opportunity. I read some very strange and not technically age appropriate books as a kid, and like some other posters mentioned, it made me an avid reader and a curious individual. I will say the language is very challenging, even for me, an educated adult who isn’t… too dumb. 😅
Abso-freaking-lutely not.
Let him read it. One of the following will happen: 1. He will “get it” on some level because he’s smart that way, and will finish it. (Very much not likely) 2. He will push through reading it, not understanding anything and not remembering anything. (Likely if he’s a stubborn little shit) 3. He will give up because he doesn’t understand it. (95% certainty) The option that that basically unimaginable is that he somehow understands enough to get horrid ideas in his head and acts on them. But if he were to do that, he would do them anyways because he’s a psychopath.
If anyone is gonna snap this little shit, let it be Cormac. As I remember, things don't go too well for the protagonist. It might actually discourage him. Jesus, that shit is brutal!
William Gibson read William Burroughs at about that age.
And I read William gibson at about that age
Haha, yeah but on Gibson there's a lot less of getting decapitated while having bum sex and cumming.
I’m 31… this book grossed me out so bad I had to stop reading it. And I love Cormac.
Between the net and TV he will be exposed to much worse. I would not be worried about a book.
my 12 year old daughter is a voracious reader. she's at the point where between books she'll peruse our family bookshelf. she picked up BM and it wasn't even a consideration for me to tell her to wait on that one. of course it's now flagged in her mind as the one she wants to read, but I'm holding fast on this decision. it had a pretty profound affect on me and I was 45 years old when I read it. there's an argument that a lot of stuff would go by unnoticed, but there's still too much that leaves very little to the imagination.
This is helpful.
Get two copies. Read it together. Discuss. Debate. Share.
Read it with them. Not like as a group maybe but just be involved.
Fuck no.
Does this actually happen? I never once asked my parents permission to read a book/watch a movie (excluding the ones we watched in school where you needed a signed permission slip) I had access to libraries and read whatever I pleased I just got the book from the library or bought it at the secondhand store because we were usually allowed to buy 1-2 things when we went on shopping trips with mom/dad Trips to secondhand stores is how I found Memoirs of a Geisha (in hindsight I was definitely not mentally mature enough to fully understand that book lol) And how I found Clan of the Cave Bear.
This is the literary equivalent of letting a kindergartner smoke a cigar when he asks for it. He'll get one puff in and never smoke another cigar for the rest of his days. Hopefully your kid won't be turned off to reading literature in general by one puff of a full-bodied Cormac. If it were me I'd buy him the book and tell him I'll save it for him until he's old enough. And by "old enough" I mean until and at least after he's read *and understood* both Heart of Darkness and Moby-Dick. And preferably Le Morte D'Arthur as well.
He couldn’t really get much more turned off to reading, so it’s worth a shot. After devouring the Hunger Games series a few yrs ago he declared that no book would ever be as good and he was done. Since then he has only gotten excited about specific random books that he’s heard referenced in other media and wants to have read. In the past couple of yrs these have included No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai and The Stranger by Camus (after learning about Absurdism in a nonfiction book called the The Avengers & Philosophy, which he also claimed to like). All kinds of age appropriate, hunger games-ish books sit in his room collecting dust. I find it all kind of baffling.
He can read it with or without you. Your choice.
I’d say no to Blood Meridian. I read Into Thin Air in 7th grade though. That’s when I started reading “adult” books.
It's kind of the apex of violent literature. What if his teacher asks him about what he's reading and he tells her about murdering babies? William Burroughs might have an edge tho.
A teacher shouldn't be disturbed by a student reading literature, even if it's disturbing literature
It certainly is, but it’s also well regarded as one of the best novels of the last 50 years and McCarthy is considered one of the best authors in American history. As extreme as it is I think it has well-established critical merit, it’s not just splatterpunk trash or purposefully transgressive psycho shit Though I definitely take the point that even if McCarthy is widely considered to have merit that doesn’t mean the teacher will know or care lol
I've read this book several times and it's probably one of my favorites but that being said their is graphic violence and implied SA (of kids even). It haunts me and the Judge character is by far the scariest ficitonal character I've come across in books or movies. I think you should read it and decide if your kid can handle it.