Should parents control what their children read?

[Alan Ronney]

In general, my son is in the stage of teenage protest. And in general I am not at war with him. But I presented this rebellion as something petty in type, rock music and so on.
But he went further, and said that he wanted to read the very abnormal literature that he would find. He has already read "Mein Kampf" and he has read "Naked Lunch".
I started reading Carlos Castaneda and is now interested in Selenger.
And in general, I do not fit into his desire yet. But then he wants to read the Beatnik Bible, and that worries me.
I don’t want all of this to have any negative effect on him. 

[Area54]

I just make the observation that anyone who wishes to understand how the German people could fall into the trap that led to the atrocities of WWII would benefit from reading Mein Kampf. I know I did.

I haven't read Naked Lunch, but I see that Time included it in their list of the 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005. I presume you find aspects of the content disturbing. Have you considered, or attempted, to discuss the work with your son?

I'm assuming you meant he has started reading Carlos Castaneda, though you posted that you had. I found his writing amusing nonsense.

Someone whose reading embraces Mein Kampf and the Beatnik Bible, sounds like someone who is taking a look at the world from several perspectives. Why do you think that is a bad thing?

I suggest you discuss his reading with him from the perspective of what he liked/disliked about the works, what he found interesting, how they had changed his understanding, etc. That conversation, done openly, can greatly reduce the risk that any negative effect might follow.

[Alan Ronney]

You know, I really felt calmer, thanks. And yes, I discuss what I read with him all the time. He's a smart guy and very curious.
Yes, he started reading Castaneda. I think it is important for him to discuss these topics with friends and with me. But he has such a period that he is very closed to others.

A friend of mine, a teacher, advises me to offer him different analyzes of these books for reading to find different points of view. And promoted his critical thinking.

[zapatos]

I also suggest that you read whatever it is that he chooses to read. Then you can speak to him on level ground.

[Alan Ronney]

Yes, it was an amazing experience. It was like that. I began to read with him on an equal footing. After reading The Catcher in the Rye, he became depressed. I read it too, and we were able to talk about it. I was able to formulate normal arguments to convince him that these are trifles. In order not to pressure him with my point of view on this book, I even found examples of essays that analyze depression. Here they are essay writing service link deleted what do you think of them? it's too much? Is it okay for a child to read such tests? Or will I go far? It seems to me that he is just now faced with the problem of opposition between childhood and adulthood.