Oh yeah, I think people definitely remember That One Book that traumatized them, even though they maybe read and loved half a dozen of those non-traumatizing Newbery books that you listed above. I can still recount the mounting misery of Out of the Dust almost blow by blow, even though it's been two decades since I read it, because it was so upsetting that it burned itself into my brain.
But also, one reader's super traumatizing book is another reader's jam. I have met people who honest to God loved Bridge to Terabithia. I don't think it's possible to weed out potentially traumatizing books without also weeding out many of the books that have the potential to become touchstones in people's lives, because a book with a capacity to touch readers deeply is going to create strong reactions in both directions.
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Date: 2021-09-08 01:35 am (UTC)But also, one reader's super traumatizing book is another reader's jam. I have met people who honest to God loved Bridge to Terabithia. I don't think it's possible to weed out potentially traumatizing books without also weeding out many of the books that have the potential to become touchstones in people's lives, because a book with a capacity to touch readers deeply is going to create strong reactions in both directions.