Steve Jobs Bio for a 10 Year Old?

Let him read it. Tell him that it is meant for a grown up to read, and so there is language in there that is not appropriate for him to use.

Hi K.,

I am half way through this book and have to respectfully disagree with the other answers so far.

Steve Jobs,while a genius marketer and front man, was not someone that should be held in "hero" status. He initially refused to take responsibility for an illegitimate child he had and was the type of boss that belittled and embarrassed employees in front of others.

While it is an exceedingly interesting read, you might consider steering him towards a read that might introduce him to a better role model. Steve Wozniak was the other half of Apple and a more morally centered person. There are several biographies of him available on Amazon. If your son is interested in biographies, Walter Isaacson is a very gifted writer. I have read his bios on both Einstein and Franklin, which I'm sure your son would enjoy.

BTW, kudos to your son for being such an advanced reader! If you have any doubts about the book on Jobs, you might want to pick it up for yourself. You'd probably be the better judge of whether it would be appropriate for him than any of us. I guarantee you will not be disappointed with the book.

Take care,
L.

I guess you could. There are parts in it, where Steve Jobs really seems Jekyll/Hyde. Have a dialogue with him, after he is done. Make sure he knows, that you can't just be a raging jerk to get ahead. He really IS a jerk, in a lot of the biography. He comes across as a bully, in much of it. He also denied the paternity of his daughter, for it seems like as long as he could get away with it. Not a great lesson for a young kid. Just make sure you talk to him, because although the guy is a genius...I would NEVER want my son to emulate him. For me, it wouldn't even be about the language. It would be about not wanting my son to idolize a guy who belittled and bullied others, thought he was the best, above others, and did not accept responsibility fir his own child.

I say go for it! Just give him a heads up about the language and mature content. Maybe have him give you synopsis every x number of chapter or pages or just set aside a few minutes at dinner to discuss. You could ask him what happened, what people said, what he thinks it means, how it makes him feel. It seems this approach will help to let him know you trust him and think he can handle it without leaving him to feel alone or confused about anything. Jobs is an outlier - his tech passion started early and who knows...your son could be on a similar path to success!

I would let him read it. I am sure he has heard the words before. If he tries using them, just let him know they are 'grown up' words.

I would let him read it... honestly - do you think he has really never hear the "f" word? If you have raised him well, which it sounds like he is a good kid, he will know better then to use "bad words".

Good luck!

Did you think of looking for a kid-friendly bio of Jobs? There is at least one in our school's library, in the biography section. It's possible that your son's school has a bio of Jobs that was written (a while back, probably, so it won't include his death - or every upgrade of every device etc.) for an audience his age. Or go online to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. and seek one out. You also could have him look at the Wikipedia entry on Jobs or mentions of Jobs on kids' science web sites (there are many such sites). Kids' bios may not be as advanced as he'd like but it would avoid the issues you mention. What would concern me more than language, in any bio of any adult written for adults, would be certain family and sexual issues if I felt they were ones my kid wasn't up for addressing yet. Just a thought.

Let him read it! I would...and my hubby and I don't use those words at all nor do we allow it in our home.

I think that your boy will be so thrilled to be given such a mature book and to know his mom and dad think HE is mature enough to read it and glean to good from the not so good. Have a little chat with him as you give it to him.

I think that the pros far outweigh the cons. At that age my kids was hearing those words and worse on the playground at school. Oh the conversations we have had over the past few years regarding what kids are saying and doing...and he is only 12. You would be surprised the sexual talk and swearing that happens playing 4 square and soccer. Ugh.

Your boy just might turn out to be the next Steve Jobs...minus the poor language!!

Good luck and best wishes!!

Of course let him read it! Make sure he knows it's ok to ask you questions about it. If he's troubled by that kind of language, let him know in advance that you heard the book has it, so he can decide if it's worth it for him, or you can help him with strategies for dealing with those parts (skip over it, have you read it and tell him the content without the language, etc.)

I would let him read it. I let my daughter read pretty colorful books then when she is done reading it I might say something like "wow, that language was totally inappropriate for an X year old. I guess I should have previewed the book before I let you read it;)".

That’s GREAT if he can read this book, it important that you do go over what he’s reading so you two can have a conversation about it and you can make sure he really understanding the book. Or if he just has a question in general. My son just got done reading Catcher in the Rye and Don Quixote he loved both books and it was wonderful hearing his opinion on both books. And I love just the fact that he loves to read. You gave me a great idea; I think I will do the same for my son! :)

Let him read it with the understanding that there is 'adult' language in it and that he cannot use said language until he is an adult.

My 10, going on 11 years old in a couple months old is reading it right now. My son is enjoying the book immensely. It's prompted him to research all manner of tech and computer related things.
My son (oldest of 3) already knows the "colorful language" and knows it is not to be spoken in polite company and we leave it at that. Honestly,all 3 of our kids know it and know what is considered appropriate or not, even the 2 year old. It's better to just get it out in the open, tell him your expectations and move on.
I asked my son if there is a lot of rude words in it and he says so far there have only been 2 and he's nearly half way through it at least, if not more. I don't know how many more there are in the rest of the book. I'm hoping to read it at some point when he's done with it because I am very interested in it as well.
He dislikes reading so much that we are happy if he wants to read anything so we move past usage of language here and there. We do have limits, he's not going to be allowed to read "A Clockwork Orange" until he's a good deal older for instance ;) But a few rude words in a biography of a man our family admires and who did so many amazing things..nope..not an issue at all.

Go ahead and let him read it. You can't shield him from the f-bombs forever. Talk about it, though, and tell him why these words cannot be said by children.

When my kids were in elementary school, there was a poster on the nurse's wall of animals smoking cigarettes. I can't remember what the poster said, but it was something to the effect of kids looking as silly smoking as the animals did. I used that analogy with my kids and them having "potty mouths". That actually worked for a long time. Once they are in high school, all bets are off.

Dawn