YA Lit & Young Adults Revisited

My last post contains the Wall Street Journal  article that started this recent discussion, along with reactions from two writers on WordPress: YA Lit & Young Adults.

I’ve had a few hours to collect my thoughts. I’m more than likely reiterating other thoughts (see NPR’s article), so I’ll just set them out in simple bullet points.

• First of all, let’s crush this “The Good Ol’ Days” mindset that keeps popping up in discussions about the current state of the world. Long rant short, at every point in human history, people were suffering. There is nothing new under the sun. Technological progress has made it easier to send and receive news. Also, some of our family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers–old and young–are opening up to speak about past nightmares they’ve been through, years ago or recent. One could say that ears are more keen to listen and hearts are more open, thanks to gradual, societal progress (though it seems that society is reverting back to its old ways at times). There are more outreach and awareness programs (many of these formed by victims and survivors). Perhaps those “Good Ol’ Days” were actually worse than these days? Just a thought.

• When we seek to label the topics of rape, suicide, physical abuse, etc. in YA lit as taboo, aren’t we just attempting to dust a mammoth under the living room rug? In the effort of “preserving the saintly minds of teenagers” by limiting expressive avenues, aren’t we just ignoring the agony of their peers? Why do we spend so much time gilding society instead of opening our eyes and trying to make some sort of a difference? Perhaps we never learned to clean our rooms–it’s easier to hide everything under the bed.

• Um, just as Linda Holmes in the NPR article mentioned, Shakespeare isn’t exactly “wholesome” reading. Taming of the Shrew–sexual innuendos (watch the play!). Romeo and Juliet–two teenagers secretly elope and later commit suicide. Macbeth–murder. You’ve got a lot of screening to do and slim pickings for high school literature class. Good luck!

• Ok, you want to be a good parent. I totally understand. But you can’t lock your teenage kids away from the world forever. My parents came to this realization in my mid-teens, and knew that I would see, read, and hear things they’d backflip over (they’re first-generation Caribbean-American Baptists, haha. I had to sneak around Harry Potter books, but eventually, they warmed up a bit to Harry). But you know what? They sat down and talked to me. They allowed me to ask questions. TRUST ME–you want your kids to be street-knowledgeable. I have some college friends who are a bit on the naive side. It’s dangerous. It really is.

This aside–I’m so glad that so many young adults are reading! Perhaps this generation isn’t “doomed” after all. Ha.

YA Lit & Young Adults

Are YA books now part of the Axis of Evil (you know, TV and videogames)?

Today, I stumbled upon a post “Is Modern YA Fiction Good or Evil?” by writer Joseph Robert Lewis, concerning this article: “Darkness Too Visible” in The Wall Street Journal. 

Is this ” new wave” of YA corrupting the minds of teenagers, or are these books opening minds and revealing true realities?

Afterward, while browsing the Writing category on WordPress, I came upon this post by The Saucy Scrivener: “Confessions of an Elitist Snob: How I Grew Up and Learned to Love YA” . It touched me and revealed a side I probably would not have known if I had stumbled across the WSJ article alone.

I’ll be revisiting this topic, since I’m short on time (have to get some shut-eye for interview tomorrow). My sincere apologies … Had to share these today, since they’ve been sitting on my mind.

 

 

 

 

Readers vs. Writers, Reviewers, Publishers, etc.

I normally lurk around book review websites and blogs for a good book to place on my “To-Read when there’s No Homework or Studying or Sleep Needed” (which is now rare for me during school) or my “Break Reading List”.

While lurking, I’ve often wondered about book-hype among publishers, reviewers, and writers. Are average readers equally excited? Are younger readers souped-up about some of these upcoming Young Adult and Children’s Lit books? (Do younger readers sample these books?)

Just wondering and shrugging!