10 Inappropriate Books People Read When They Were Way Too Young

Did you ever read something well before you should have age-wise? You've got company.

Someone recently asked, “What books did you read at a young age that you definitely shouldn't have?” Did it screw you up or disturb you in any way? If so, how?” Here are the top-voted responses.

“YES! I'm 42 and can't even look at those book covers without getting creeped out. That illustrator scarred a whole generation. Do you remember the story about the scarecrow who skins someone and nails it to the roof? I mean, WHAT?” 

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

“I read Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice when I was around 11, and someone in the book was smoking a cigarette, turning it into a long, cylindrical ash."

Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice

"So I spent my later teenage years trying to turn cigarettes into long, cylindrical ashes because of that one. It's weird how you can read something, and it just sticks with you.”

“I've read everything I could of King's, and nothing messed with me like Gerald's Game. Not the story but the click at the end that he was real. I was a grown woman, but this one terrified me in my own house.”

Stephen King Books

Alternatively, another user admitted, “I read a book called 100 Strokes of the Brush Before Bed when I was twelve. It turned out to be seriously inappropriate erotica. Needless to say, I read it in two days.”

100 Strokes of the Brush Before Bed by Melissa Panarello

One person confessed, “Memoirs of a Geisha provided 11-year-old me with some interesting new concepts about sex. I know my mom saw me reading that one. I have no idea what she was thinking, considering I wasn't allowed to watch The Simpsons because it was rude.”

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Swipe up to learn more!