Let’s talk about book content ratings, or rather, the lack thereof! Does it bother anyone else that there are no ratings on books? That there is no easy way to know the content of the books we want to read? Well, it’s bothered me for a very long time. Here’s the thing…I have no judgement whatsoever on the kind of content each individual is comfortable with in the books they read. I have lots of reading friends and family members and we each have differing sensitivity levels with the content in the books we read. And that’s perfectly normal. What isn’t normal to me is not being able to know what the content of a book will be before I start it. Will it have a lot of sexual content? Will it have a lot of violence? Will it have a lot of swearing? Will it have a lot of abuse? Will it have a lot of drug use? etc. etc. My sensitivities to each of these things will be different than other people’s content sensitivity. What I have a hard time with, other people might not. And what might not bother me, might really hurt or offend someone else.
I equate the lack of book ratings in the world to walking into a movie theater without knowing any ratings of the movies inside. Let’s say I’m walking into a theater to see a movie with an 8-year-old child. Or my mother-in-law. Or a friend who has suffered from abuse. Or a 17-year-old teenager. No matter who I’m going to see the movie with, I would certainly like to know the content rating of the various movies offered in the theater before deciding which one to go see. Why should this be any different with the books in the world? Before I give a book to a child, a teenager, a parent, a friend, a spouse…I would like to know the content of the book before offering it to someone to read. Additionally, when I see a book reviewed on Instagram or on TV, I would love it if I could know the content rating of the book before I choose to buy it, listen to it or get it from the library. When movies are reviewed in these same situations, ratings are immediately given. Then the viewers know whether or not that is a movie they would be comfortable with watching. I absolutely believe it should be the same for books and I’m so confused at why it is not offered.
Without the availability of content ratings for books, what is the best way for readers to know the content of a book they are about to read? Amazon used to offer a “Look Inside” feature on their website. That was such a good way to at least know the language content of a book. You could type in any word into the search feature, and it would tell you how many times that word was used in the book and in what context. Unfortunately, Amazon discontinued this feature a few years ago and I’ve been bummed about it ever since. Now, one way to perhaps learn about content in a book is to read through the book reviews posted on Amazon. I always appreciate the reviewers that will mention content in the books they are reviewing and help me make a choice on whether that book is a right fit for me or my family members. Another option is the Common Sense Media website. However, I have found that source to be more useful with movies and TV shows than with books. More often than not, when I search for a book on their website, it’s not listed.
So, until the powers-to-be in the world decide to get together and create a universal content rating system for books, similar to what’s available for movies and TV shows, we readers are on our own to figure it out for ourselves. I certainly don’t know the content of every book in the world, but I do know the content of every book in my library that I will be recommending and reviewing on this page. After reviewing my books, I will mention the book’s content “rating” based on my best guess as to how it would be rated if it were a movie. Hopefully, some of you will find that useful!
If you are a reader who likes to know the content or “rating” of a book before reading it, what are some tips you’ve found to do so?
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