Clean Reads discussion

I haven't been active on here in a long time, but I've come back to ask a question. I hope this goes in the right folder- sorry if it doesn't. The trend I've noticed is that here in GR when I see someone ask if any particular book is clean, someone- sometimes even the author- is real quick and real harsh in attacking the very notion of clean reads. It's come up so many times recently that I want to develop some sort of statement to post in support of someone asking such a normal question. I want to support their self awareness and choice to take care of themselves. I want to say something in the face of these social shamers so that people who seek clean aren't silenced on GR. Any ideas?

I agree with you fully, but a lot of people would probably defend the shaming as 'freedom of speech'. I don't think there's anything you can do to completely stop them, honestly; the best way to show support for clean readers is to answer their questions when you can, and ignore any shamers. :)

Yes, I've seen this before. I wish people could just be serious and respect that some people don't like reading inappropriate things by their own definition. :/

I'm seeing this more and more. Many of my friends mention content in their reviews, and a lot of authors and their friends have been particularly defensive.

Lora wrote: "...here in GR when I see someone ask if any particular book is clean, someone- sometimes even the author- is real quick and real harsh in attacking the very notion of clean reads...these social shamers..."

< sarcasm> You are being judgmental and intolerant. Just by saying something isn't clean, you are attacking the character of the author and readers. How dare you?! Those of you who are traditional in your morals are not to be tolerated. Only those on the side of the new morality are allowed to pass judgment. Therefore, you will be shamed until you cease and desist with the judgmental postings and reviews. < /sarcasm> 🙄

Hmmm. Seems like the social shamers may be close to violating these GR terms: "You agree not to post User Content that: ... (v) contains any information or content that we deem to be...defamatory, infringing, invasive of personal privacy or publicity rights, harassing, humiliating to other people (publicly or otherwise)..."

I like the point about just trying to help the ones being shamed for their POV.
Love the sarc!
I wonder if GR will become more tolerant of this kind of intolerance, which could cause them to ignore some of their own policies. I sometimes wonder about other social platforms.

In the meantime, I have been quite pleased to discover authors from times gone by who are wonderful to read. My latest is Elizabeth von Arnim, who is more well known than I had realized.

It's a shame that anyone is bothered by others about their choice for clean reads :(. The demand for these books is huge so I would tell the person being shamed that they are not alone in what they want to read. I grew up reading Christian books and must have assumed that all books were clean (just without the religious angle) except for erotica. Pretty naive, I know :). Now I appreciate knowing in advance what I am getting into. I don't understand why an author or fellow readers would shame the notion of clean reads or the readers who enjoy them ?????

Well, they like to throw around the word 'censorship' whenever someone asks about their content. It's about justifying the explicit nature of modern writing and silencing those who kind of stand there asking, "Is the Emperor really walking around naked??"
It's a demand for tolerance for one viewpoint while attacking tolerance for other viewpoints. Which, boiled down, is hypocrisy.

Very true, Lora. Hypocrisy, for sure.

Elizabeth Von Arnim is a good writer! Her books are so atmospheric.

Best-selling author Catherine Coulter just spoke at my local chapter of Sisters in Crime and said she stopped putting explicit sex/bad language in her books seven years ago. Not only did no one object to this, but she now gets several letters a week from readers thanking her. I would tell critics politely, "I'm entitled to my preferences just as you are." Probably won't stop them, but if we all speak up at least we'll prove there's a strong market for clean reads.

Did Coulter discuss how she worked this out with her publishers? Because it's often publishers pushing this. I guess she found other publishers.

Thanks for bringing this up. I wish there was a rating on books like a movie rating. I think there must be a huge market for well written books that aren't sexually graphic and don't assault you with language. In my reviews I try to give a heads up about these things when I post my reviews "for those who are interested". It's not that I don't read any books with cussing but I'd like to know ahead of time. For instance, I think Jodi Piccoult's book "Small Great Things" is such an important book on racism today yet there was a LOT of cussing in it because of the white supremacists in the story line but there was a reason for it to show the insidious evil of their beliefs but I put that in the beginning of my review as a "Warning" .
Post like this are really helpful. Thanks for posting

Re: Libby, I totally agree, and do the same. I also tell reviewers how I appreciate their heads up on offensive elements of a book they've read. :D

Oh, yes, with as many Amazon and GR reviews as I examine before deciding on some books, I have almost read as much as a book just to finally come to that decision! Most of the time it has been very helpful. However, there have been a few books like the one where no one- NO ONE- mentioned the rape of a teen girl in the very first chapter. Just how 'morally complex' it was, and how 'deeply thought out' it was. Learning to read these phrases is like learning to read real estate ads. "Fixer upper'" means, 'uh oh, gonna cost ya plenty!'

As a writer, I appreciate receiving reviews which point out that the book is 'clean' as I think that is very helpful for prospective readers - as so many of you have pointed out.

Lora wrote: "Oh, yes, with as many Amazon and GR reviews as I examine before deciding on some books, I have almost read as much as a book just to finally come to that decision! Most of the time it has been very..."

Catherine wrote: "Best-selling author Catherine Coulter just spoke at my local chapter of Sisters in Crime and said she stopped putting explicit sex/bad language in her books seven years ago. Not only did no one object, she gets several letters a week thanking her."

Anna Faversham wrote: "As a writer, I appreciate receiving reviews that point out that the book is 'clean' as I think that is very helpful for prospective readers - as so many of you have pointed out."


As a matter of fact, Coulter did leave her publisher a few years ago so she could have more control over how her books were published. Although she left over business issues, I wouldn't be surprised if that's why she now feels freer to write the way she wants. I did meet another author who said she had to fight her publisher not to include sex scenes but won, and it didn't hurt her sales either.

Catherine wrote I did meet another author who said she had to fight her publisher not to include sex scenes but won, and it didn't hurt her sales either.

There is a glorious freedom in being an Indie. Freedom always comes at a price, of course.

I'm glad the author won the battle.

Thanks for the info, Catherine.