Most of Ursula leGuin's books that were not specifically written with children in mind deal extensively with gender roles and identity, sexual mores, and their interaction with religious, social, and political institutions, among other themes (such as the nature of freedom, justice, knowledge, and wisdom...) There isn't necessarily any graphic sex in these particular books (there is in some of her other titles), but there are certainly situations in most of her adult-targeted books where characters have to deal with sex and sexuality. "The Left Hand of Darkness" is about first human contact with a humanoid race that is genderless and asexual most of the time, but in which individuals periodically go through a sexual phase which lasts about a week, and which unpredictably results in the individual being either male or female for that time. "The Lathe of Heaven" might give some nightmares if your child is the type who worries about nuclear annihilation. If you are a fast reader, I'd suggest previewing them yourself to get a feel for whether your child is up to dealing with the concepts and whether the books raise questions that you feel comfortable talking about with your child at this point.
If your child likes fantasy, as well as SF, leGuin's "Earthsea" books are some of the best stuff out there, and I don't recall any potentially objectionable content, unless you object to the idea of magic.
Last edited by aculady; 11/19/11 05:18 PM. Reason: clarification
