Look, I’m a big believer in reading what the kids are reading, so I picked up the first in this crapfest of a series. I was a big Anne Rice fan during my middle school years, so clearly I’m not against trashy, vampire romances. For some reason, vampires are sexy. But Stephanie Meyer makes Anne Rice look like Shakespeare. I committed to reading the series so that I could then intelligently discuss them with my students.
For one thing, the books are poorly written. Where’s the craft? For instance, I always give my students choice when looking for Golden Lines to mimic in order to learn grammar and sentence structure. ”Go into your independent reading book and find an example of Adjectives-out-of-order or an Appositive or an Absolute.” They couldn’t find a thing. I didn’t tell them this. They told me.
For another thing, the message of the books is icky. Wake up teachers and parents, these characters and their unemotional, dysfunctional relationships have been adopted as role models for our tweens. But don’t take the book out of their hands. Read it yourself, be a part of the discussion, and cast yourself as a voice in their head when they are thinking about things in the quiet of their alone time. Discussion over Censorship.
It’s easy. It’s plucky. It’s sexy. I get it. But they require responsibility in their reading.
So for those teachers or parents who want the Cliff Notes version of this series, here it is so you don’t have to go through the torture that I did. Not important, you say? Well this series, supported in large part by tween girls, has outsold J.K. Rowling’s little juggernaut, proving the age-old adage that vampires and virgins do sell after all.
Here goes:
Book one, Twilight: outsider girl falls in love with cold, unemotional, tortured, vegetarian vamp who won’t tell her the truth about anything, including his feelings towards her. Think Ethan Hawke in Reality Bites but with a great car and without the tobacco problem. Girl decides that she’s plain and vamps are beautiful and she wants to be one. Her father (with the depth of Homer Simpson), meanwhile, is totally unattached to reality, doesn’t notice there’s a vampire sleeping in her room each night. She almost dies.
Book two, New Moon: outsider girl still loves cold, unemotional vamp who has a hard time staying a veggie around her. He still can’t tell her how he feels, breaks her heart by deserting her (for her own safety, but he won’t tell her that. Why would honesty help things after all? I mean, there would be no plot if people were up front with each other in this book. It seems dishonesty is this series biggest plot device.) Meanwhile, a sophomore who turns out to be a warm and fuzzy local werewolf falls in love with her. He stays by her through thick and thin, protects her, and makes her laugh, but she’s not interested. Count Coldhearted returns. She still complains that she’s plain and vampires are beautiful and why can’t they have sex? He says marriage before sex. But college first. She almost dies.
Book three, Eclipse: Despite the wooing of the warm and fuzzy werewolf who loves her, outsider girl still loves cold, unemotional vamp. Vamp still sleeps in her bed each night sans sex. They plan a marriage that outsider girl really doesn’t want because she thinks it’s stupid; but if he wants it, and as long as it then leads to sex, she’ll agree. She still begs cold, unemotional vamp to have sex with her. He refuses…coldly. Newborn vampires with insatiable blood-thirst go on a rampage in Seattle seeking outsider girl blood. She almost dies.
Book four, Breaking Dawn: Outsider girl and vamp marry, have sex that almost tears her apart. She loves it, bruises and all. She gets pregnant with vamp baby who tries to eat its way out of her. She gives birth to vamp baby who is soooo precious that everyone wants to protect it. To save outsider girl, vamp turns her into a vampire but only if she’s under morphine to dull the pain of the conversion. Morphine makes her unable to scream but she feels everything while it’s going on and can’t react to it, but nobody knows and they think it went all fine and dandy. She becomes the first vampire with the ability to be vegetarian from the get-go. Warm and fuzzy loyal werewolf buddy gets zapped by special love-bond with rapidly growing baby and marriage plans are made for yet another interspecies marriage. Outsider girl finally becomes beautiful and feels accepted. Oh, yeah, they all almost die.
In other words, this is clearly a series about a girl who never feels comfortable in her own skin until she’s being emotionally abused by someone who constantly battles his urge to hurt her. She makes excuses for his hurt and asks for more with each book. The message in this series is being read by millions of tweens around the world.
I certainly don’t believe in censoring a school library, and all four books are even in my own classroom library, but my question is this: Where are the adults in this conversation? Tweens need guidance in reading between the lines. Tweens need help interpreting and seeing beyond PG-13 sex scenes and vampire violence. When a book is loved by a tween, they are relating to a character and a situation. But while I have heard the phenomena of this series discussed by adults, the characters and themes seem to be nowhere in the discussion.
I’m glad to finally be finding people who agree with me. There were lots of disturbing things in these books. When other mothers and parent groups asked for my opinion, I ended up writing a 15 page essay on them. I was so disappointed that many couldn’t see those things. It not only seems to be true that America is dumbing down, but the rest of the world is too.
your a retard
the twilight saga is the most inspirational saga ever. obviously so because you know th
Why is it that every older generation dislikes the younger generation. This book is FICTION…if you really want to learn something you read what is known as NONFICTION or better yet JOURNALISM. I am a 28 yr old male. I dont care much for the books or the movies…I am a Hemmingway/Palaniuck/Hunter Thompson kind of guy. I have read all four books and im sorry but if you want more censorship maybe you need to move to down under (Australia where Censorship is extreme). These books are no better than the Goosebumps books i read while growing up. Although the Twilight saga is geared a little more towards girls than it is guys. Its still make-believe and fantasy. Taking these books from teenagers is like voiding them of an imagination. Without an imagination you grow old, dislike the generation that is younger than you, and become grouchy, miserable old people. I understand why parents want to know what their kids are reading, but seriously this review makes these books sound like pornography. And to think all those Nancy Drew books yall grew up reading….Are you trying to tell me there werent boys in those stories? love? passion? Im sure there was a series of books that you all read while teenagers that had most if not the same ideas represented in their pages. All in all its just crappy fiction. Im sure i could name off more than a dozen titles you definately dont want your kids reading instead…? And to think some of the best writers in history have some if not most of the same ideas and morals found in their pages; and Im sure some if not all you parents out there read some of the same crap. Ill agree the Twilight series is a little lean on the plot and a little cheesy on everything else, but what do you really expect out of FICTION? Its like believing everything you read on the internet/hear on CNN/or better yet believe a word President Obama says….. If you want your kids to read something worth reading then let them read some of the better works: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Sun also Rises, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Heart of Darkness, Edgar allen Poe (for dark sometimes violent themes and symbolism), Flannery O’ Connor stories, and im sure i could keep on going. The problem here is that Twilight, although has themes of brutal love, damnation, sex, and other adult themes; yall fail to realize that all these themes are already found in the books that the school system makes them read already…its part of becoming a better reader to find this stuff and make meaning of it. Watching violence on the news doesnt make you a violent person…..so therefore reading crappy romance novels doesnt make you a bad person or grow up to become an idiot. Let your Kids be free thinkers and have a great imagination!
Twilight encouraged many young girls to read, and I, as well as all the other Twilight fans, will hunt you down, torture you, build a bonfire and burn you if we see you in the street. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
In short, go f*&%k yourself, you b*&%h.
Goodness, isn’t that a bit harsh! Everybody is entitled to their own opinion and I for one totally agree with her! Twilight is taking an axe to feminism and cutting it down, we are spawning a generation of girls who will let men abuse them for love…Horrible!
You teach???? That’s sad. Really REALLY sad.
I think the grown ups forget that they encourage young people to read all different types of material (fiction and non-fiction). People read to learn (prepare them for the world) but also reading for entertainment, I think you have to have a balance and never give up what you enjoy. Who knows you might become the next great writer; keep reading all different types of books.
you are a stupid c*&%t and everyone who has writtin you a coment thinks your a d*&%$#t and you should actually read the book
well, i think that twilight is a REALLY GOOD book, and you are a REALLY BAD wratting books review.
Wow…what a lot of…opinions.
Kudos to you anyway, for your review. It’s not that bad actually, seeing that most anti-twi’s just scream “TWILIGHT SUCKS”. At least yours breaks it down point by point. Too bad not many people realise that…
That aside, being 16, i understand if many teens enjoy the book (i don’t, but i can understand why). However, i really don’t get why mothers, ADULTS even, are freaking over the book. They are supposed to be ‘mature’, leading good examples to their children. Is this really the behaviour children expect from their parents? Sure, they’re human, but i’d have thought that they were above the meaningless calling of names. That’s just juvenile.
All the best in your teaching career (:
THE WORST BOOK EVER IT RUINED MY LIFE EVERYWHERE I GO PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT IT STILL!
\Twilight encouraged many young girls to read, and I, as well as all the other Twilight fans, will hunt you down, torture you, build a bonfire and burn you if we see you in the street. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
In short, go f*&%k yourself, you b*&%h.\
I refer to this comment and the numerous others like it. In the politest of ways I’m telling you, you’re making yourself look really stupid and idiotic. I mean seriously, there are actually people that don’t fall in love with the old, pale, stalker of a dead guy that is edward and bella sue.
There are people that can see that Twilight has no plot, makes no sense and is just stupid for the reasons that the wonderful, intelligent author of this article pointed out. People have a different opinion. Not all people think Twilight is ‘the best book EVAAA!’. There are actually people who disagree with you. GET OVER IT AND GET A LIFE. I don’t see why you need to go insane over these books. It’s unhealthy.
By saying things like that, you’re not making yourselves look very intelligent. And you doing a great disservice to Twilight by giving the idea that it’s a book for idiots like yourselves.
If you want to look remotely sane, remotely mature, why don’t you say WHY you think it’s a bad review apart from the fact that you like the book and she doesn’t. Give a REASON as to why you go completely ape. Bet you can’t.
(btw, I completely agree with this review, think it’s great)
i like all the other twilight saga fans love the books and the movie i just am so attracted to edward because he treats bella so much like he loves her not including the second book or move.i am going to cry when he leaves her in the second movie. i would die if my bf yold me he didnt want me. so i can relate to bella and cannot wait for breaking dawn. wowzers. so all you peeople who hate twilight get over yourselves you mother f&%^#@g
c&^k suckers.
I understand where the adults are coming from I am a young mother. If you look that deeply into the book that is what you will get but if you look into as a girl – teen- tween – it is a beautiful love story. Take it as it is.
And I’m back.
People are still just finding this …
And there’s still hatin’. What a surprise. Seriously, it makes me sad. Maybe I won’t let my kids have internet until they’re like 16 and know how to respect people. Because some of these comments are awful rude, and I honestly can’t see how parents miss it. My kids would definitely be disciplined if I found out they’d been talking to someone the way several of these obviously tween/pre-teens have. I’ll probably end up getting cybersitter and only allow them a certain amount of computer time.
Anyways, Tweenteacher I can’t remember if last time I was here you had the Breaking Dawn review, I think you didn’t but I’m not sure. And again, spot on. It’s crazy. Jen, that’s why I think tween-teen girls shouldn’t be reading this, no matter how deeply or not they look into it. I know not all are like this; but if any book caused my kids to ‘defend’ it by being rude and disrespectful like some of these who’ve commented, I’d throw it in the trash. There’s no way I’d allow my kids to read a book which caused them to swear at people and tell them to go die and all manner of things. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
Why is it that every older generation dislikes the younger generation. This book is FICTION…if you really want to learn something you read what is known as NONFICTION or better yet JOURNALISM. I am a 28 yr old male. I dont care much for the books or the movies…I am a Hemmingway/Palaniuck/Hunter Thompson kind of guy. I have read all four books and im sorry but if you want more censorship maybe you need to move to down under (Australia where Censorship is extreme). These books are no better than the Goosebumps books i read while growing up. Although the Twilight saga is geared a little more towards girls than it is guys. Its still make-believe and fantasy. Taking these books from teenagers is like voiding them of an imagination. Without an imagination you grow old, dislike the generation that is younger than you, and become grouchy, miserable old people. I understand why parents want to know what their kids are reading, but seriously this review makes these books sound like pornography. And to think all those Nancy Drew books yall grew up reading….Are you trying to tell me there werent boys in those stories? love? passion? Im sure there was a series of books that you all read while teenagers that had most if not the same ideas represented in their pages. All in all its just crappy fiction. Im sure i could name off more than a dozen titles you definately dont want your kids reading instead…? And to think some of the best writers in history have some if not most of the same ideas and morals found in their pages; and Im sure some if not all you parents out there read some of the same crap. Ill agree the Twilight series is a little lean on the plot and a little cheesy on everything else, but what do you really expect out of FICTION? Its like believing everything you read on the internet/hear on CNN/or better yet believe a word President Obama says….. If you want your kids to read something worth reading then let them read some of the better works: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Sun also Rises, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Heart of Darkness, Edgar allen Poe (for dark sometimes violent themes and symbolism), Flannery O’ Connor stories, and im sure i could keep on going. The problem here is that Twilight, although has themes of brutal love, damnation, sex, and other adult themes; yall fail to realize that all these themes are already found in the books that the school system makes them read already…its part of becoming a better reader to find this stuff and make meaning of it. Watching violence on the news doesnt make you a violent person…..so therefore reading crappy romance novels doesnt make you a bad person or grow up to become an idiot.
*Claps* Nicely writen!
Twilight is, what I think, one of the worest books ever writen. Yeah that’s right, go and cry, Twi-hards!
For one thing, it’s kind of repititive. A.K.A Bella almost dies every book. But, none of the “Good people” actually dies. A good book need a protagonist to die. I could rant and rave all day but Im leaving it at that
Their is always two sides to a window. These books I agree can be understood at many levels…
I have worked in the school system and with troubled teens (in home counseling). These books really show you what is going on inside a teenagers head. YOUNG ADULTS REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY WANT. They want so many things. They are so indecisive that is almost appears they are bipolar. From Bellas point of view she wants him soooo bad but Edward reminds her of what is important. Excluding the vamp thing this is our teenagers…
These books really have a good moral story… Abstinence
I must admit, I could only make it through two of the books so when I looked for a summary of books 3 and 4, I came across this one. Great job! Doesn’t anybody have a sense of humor anymore?
I agree, it’s great to get young adults reading and I would have loved this series when I was 12 or 13. Lighten up everybody.
well i like the twilight books. i used to nvr read and i was reading like 40 pages a day. im not obsessed with the books like many other girls but i really dont like you belittling the parents of children who read them. you have your own opinion i know, but a classic love story doesn’t need to be gramatically correct. it needs to have adoration of one another,and hope that there’s someone out there that you can grow old with. its an amazing story, and fwi the reason edward left was so he wouldn’t hurt bella anymore. he cared about her that much… and bella wanted sex just like many other girls. i for one believe in marriage before sex, but its something girls can relate to. cant we all jst accept each other’s opinions instead of shooting them down and trying to convince them otherwhise. and to all those who were cussing the writer of this out- cmon…seriously? your making those of us who actually like the book dumb. watch your language….STEPHENIE MEYER ROCKS!!!!!
“a classic love story doesn’t need to be gramatically correct”
Well, that just made me laugh out loud, because of course if the story has good-looking people in it, then it would never need proper grammar!
“and bella wanted sex just like many other girls”
That is a disgusting stereotype. I don’t know who you are, or who you think you are but really, how dare you pigeon-hole ‘many other’ girls. People who think that are close-minded. I am a fifteen year old girl and I hate this book for setting feminism back fifty years.
Also, an aside to ‘Mrs.Cullen’ – ’so all you peeople who hate twilight get over yourselves you mother f&%^#@g
c&^k suckers.’
That is utterly ridiculous. You do realise, that by including foul insults like that you have made your post completely pointless, because instead of talking rationally about the subject you simply cursed haters out.
Twilight- Promoting abuse and sexism since the damn thing was penned from SMeyer’s wet dream.
Yes, I just found this, but I need to thank you for it. I lost interest in Twilight before even seeing a physical copy. Something about a vampire glittering made my stomach churn. But I work after school with a high school volunteer who is crazy about them, and I hoped to understand the obsession. Here I have my info! And so smartly written.
I am not a teacher, nor a student, parent or teen. But, I do know enough about kids to know that they will come to their own conclusions about the story. They do not need extra help over-analyzing a science-fiction book, especially when your personal belief is that Bella is being abused. Bella abuses herself physically and emotionally. Edward tries to stop her, but she is stubborn and will do as she pleases. Pretty typical for an 18 year old girl, am I right? She puts HERSELF in those situations and the people around her know that they can either support her in her misguided decisions and try to lessen the blow of the consequences for her or they can fight to stop her, only to lose the battle and have her do what she will anyway with more disastrous consequences. As for their marriage, Edward and Bella make it work because he initially pushes her away and she says (in so many words) “I don’t think so, buddy! I’m not going anywhere and you can’t make me! You’re staying right here with me, where you belong!” I think the true underlying emotion for Bella regarding herself is that she’s plain, but she doesn’t really care what anyone else thinks, except Edward. Besides, what teenage girl DOESN’T feel uncomfortable in her own skin? What grown woman doesn’t have some sort of body issue? It is the way of our life and it’s not all society’s fault. It’s our own. If you think you can honestly say that there’s nothing you dislike about your body (or that what you don’t like about yourself has more to do with outside influences than your own personal criticism) then you’re lying to yourself. People are emotional masochists and we are our own worst critics. Why do you think we pick at our faces and our teeth in the mirror every morning or fuss over our hair or turn every which way trying to fit into a pair of jeans that’s just one size smaller than we are? It’s a daily ritual of striving to be one step closer to being as comfortable as we can be with ourselves. In my opinion, your standpoint on the books is off the mark. Edward is a little controlling at first, yes, but Bella really only becomes more confident in herself as the books move forward because she begins to realize her own potential and finds ways to achieve the end result that she wants without too much disaster. As she does this, Edward releases his grip a little, knowing how capable she is and shows more of a proud, loving and encouraging position in her life. If proud, loving and encouraging are abuse, then sign me up! I’ll take that kind of abuse any day.
so i’ve been reading all the comments and in my oppinion the twilight series is over-rated. I understand many teenagers love it but it’s extremely pointless and a waste of time. I read all four books and it took me over a year to try and finish them because they were’nt interesting and i lost interest so easily. I couln’t even finished the fourth one i got so bored. i can understand how many teens can relate to them by the whole “teenage, one true love” stuff but its this kind of writing that make teenage girls believe that they will find there “edward” one day. It makes me mad hearing all the girls running around talking about twilight like its the best thing in the world. Stephani Myer can’t write and these books do not have a good storyline. Just my oppinion. The books were awful, and i dont even understand how they became movies. This series is over-rated and hopefully people will stop boosting it up.
ok i love thins review because it is true i use to watch this lovely young girl and she was responsible typical girl with great friends but ever since she started to read these stupid awful vampire books that are not traditional about a sex obsessed teenage girl and an abusive stalker vampire this thirteen year old girl i use to watch has a b****y attitude runs away pretends to trip is gonna name her children after the novel’s characters and had sex in her parents room with her boyfriend AT THIRTEEN!!!!! she claimed that “i am a Bella with no rules” wtg crappy writer don’t you have children good effin job now your children are gonna be W*****s all this stupid series proves is that vampires are p*****ys and teenage girls are retarded selfish brats that only think of themselves good effin job steph!
I am also dissapointed but for a reason called WOMENS DIGNITY… obviously… I think this writer is very councious of the message she is sending to girls and boys all over the world.. Girls are hollow until we find a man who will have all the authority to tell us what to do… And we only become interesting when we get married and have kids… The sex begging is all a distraction. I really hated Bella until she got a personality, unfortunately that just happens when she gets married.. And all the fantasy about the perfect baby and the protection powers makes just easier to get the message in peoples heads… Caution! Stephanie Mayer just may had done a deal with the devil: Teach girls how to be idiots!
Great review. I applaud you for reading the books yourself, and your well-thought out critiques. I personally enjoy the books, although I cringe while doing so, because the writing is so poor.
Ah yes the Twilight. I am actually in search of cliffs notes and not because of my children (they are too young) but because an adult friend gave me the book and keeps asking if I have read it. I tried but for one, could not bring myself back to high school and for two, it is just pretty lame. I did manage to see the movie and appreciate the subtle “abstanance” message for the younger generation. But from what I hear somewhere in the seriese the Bella gets pregnant very young. I just hope it’s after college and then I will have no problem with this tweeny seriese.
Your dumb! what the hell do you want us too read then?
teachers make us read and now they even want too choose what we should read? i think everyone has a different opinion and your talkin like if urs was the right one.. i think EVERYONE HAS A CHOICE what do you care on what Stephenie writes or what we should read.. seriosly! Go F%^%^&^ off