Are there any books, movies, or other media that you made it through once but just NEVER want to go through again? Last night my sister asked me about the handmaid costume she saw somewhere. I told her about The Handmaid’s Tale book, and that it had been made into a series. I read the book when I was in graduate school, and probably lost a lot of popularity as a professor by making a class full of engineering students read it and write a report.
But right now, I could not stomach that book, nor could I bring myself to watch the Hulu Series. It seemed eerily possible in the 1980s, and today I could see women becoming property again, just like in the book. Shudder. I have had many nightmares brought on the The Handmaid’s Tale.
In fact, many of the books I don’t think I could take reading again are in a similar vein. You are NOT going to see me cracking open 1984 or Fahrenheit 451 any time soon, either. I think those books have already come true, and not in a good way. Yeah, the whole dystopian novel genre isn’t good for me.
Neither are books or movies about Nazi Germany. No, thank you. A couple of movies in that genre have scarred me for life, including Julia (a beautiful film, but gave me bad dreams) and Seven Beauties (eww, ick, yuck, don’t watch it). I realize now that I watched way too many of these really sad movies during my most impressionable late teen years. I STILL have Apocalypse Now nightmares, too. I wonder if High School Boyfriend knew what a pacifist he was creating by taking me to all these violent and psychologically terrifying movies?
As I have mentioned before, I’m one of them there Highly Sensitive People, which means media violence and cruelty really get to me (as well as teasing, bullying, name-calling and putdowns). I pay attention to violence warnings on books and movies for good reason!
Oh and for goodness sake, I don’t want to ever see that damned Red Pony book again (curse you, Steinbeck, and curse you, school librarian who gave it to me to read in the THIRD GRADE). Graphic descriptions of the deaths of beloved pets, innocent wild animals, and other harmless creatures aren’t for me, either. I managed to get through that book about the dog that keeps dying over and over (The Art of Racing in the Rain), because I knew all would end well (and I didn’t want to look like a wimp in front of book club).
Oddly enough, I can watch Dr. Pimple popper and shows about surgery just fine. I just don’t like violence and loss.
What are your topics you just don’t want to read about or watch these days? (I realize for many of you it may be politics, but I’m not here to encourage bashing of anyone’s views, just wondering what turns you off.)
The Hermits' Rest 
While I am very protective of myself when it comes to reading disturbing books, I have to admit that Farenheit 451 is a favorite that I have read two or three times and will probably read again. I am so blown away by the prescience of Ray Bradbury, in his twenties, sitting in the library basement typing out this book on a rented typewriter. I love watching good interviews with interesting people and the other day while doing that on my big computer screen I realized I was mimicking the huge tv screens, people in the book, put on the walls around them so they would feel included in the tv people’s lives! I have to admit it did feel like included in the conversation! Plus, from all accounts, (see The Bradbury Chronicles by Sam Weller) he was a very nice human being.
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That’s a great story, Marian. Bradbury is one of my all-time favorite authors, and I am sure I read everything he wrote until I ran out of time in grad school. He always seemed to be talking to ME in his books. I think I’ll get the biography. Thanks for mentioning it.
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Totally agree, Sue Ann. And as for childhood trauma, how about Old Yeller? Still upsetting. I never read or watched Hunger Games (and won’t.)
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