Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel

I read this book while in probably, 10th grade. My friend Jane, who also introduced me to Madonna, leant me her copy, full of admiration for Ayla- Clan of the Cave Bear's leading lady. Much like Madonna, Ayla's Clan might be best reserved for adult audiences. The book is excellent. It sucks you into a prehistoric, neanderthal world and the life of a young girl of the human "Others" trying to fit in and survive. No doubt it is a difficult life and you cringe for the child trying so hard, yet faced with a formidable enemy. Ayla is successful in some ways just the same, and extraordinary in her success. You absolutely root for this girl in a "good guys vs. bad guys" way. And, who really thinks much about life in the ice age? Well, when you're reading this, you'll be thankful for the industrial age. Still, Clan of the Cave Bear has neanderthal sex in it. Forbidding and strange to a 15 year old, kind of annoying to a 42 year old. I didn't have a "NO WAY" response to letting my eldest read this book, and I liked it so well, I went back to the library to get the sequels. Valley of the Horses, Mammoth Hunters, Shelters of Stone, and Plains of Passage all follow Ayla. But in Valley of the Horses, Ayla meets Jondalar and the series turns into mostly "Rated X" fare. That took me right off the fence! The books are for adults. Even if COTCB could be handled by a teen, to introduce them to a character that inspires such devotion, then tell them "Nope, can't read the sequels" will instead inspire rebellion and lead to WAY too much knowledge.