Welcome to dark literature recap, where I read dark and disturbing books so that you don't have to. Today I'll be analyzing and discussing the novel "Let's Go Play at the Adams'." This book, written by Mendal Johnson, is a horror novel that explores the effects of unrestricted power within a group of kids.

[[Let's go play at the Adams' (1974)]] is a horror novel inspired by the tragic death of [[Silvia Likens]] that also acts as an allegory for American politics. That last point isn't me making wild assumptions either, the copy I read had a foreword in which the author clearly states that this book is a political metaphor. The book follows Barbara, a young adult woman who agrees to babysit for a well-off family. One morning, Barbara wakes up to discover that she has been tried to her bedframe by the very children she's baby sitting. The book follows her experiences as we watch what happens when kids have complete power and control, with no authority figure to hold them accountable for their actions.

Which brings us to the question: if you haven't read the book, should you stop this video and pick it up? The short answer is probably not. The book isn't terrible, but it's really nothing exceptional. The characters are weak and the book becomes so obsessed with being a long-form political metaphor that it sacrifices a lot of character development and substance. It isn't a bad book, and you can read it in a weekend, but if you watch this video instead of reading it you won't miss out on much. Plus, the book is surprisingly difficult to get your hands on so it might not be worth it depending on where you live.