RIANNA SEELIG
Staff Writer
Young adult (YA) literature tends to get a bad reputation in the literary world. The more simplistic-sounding diction, the love triangles, the at-times flat characters and predictable plotlines are a turn-off for some readers.
However, some of this negativity may not be deserved.
Most people are familiar with the more infamous Young Adult novels: most YA contemporary, because of its ridiculous fluffiness; Jodi Picoult YA books because of how overly-dramatic they are; and the one that has to be mentioned, “Twilight.”
Cue scowl of disgust from the literary community.
It is easy to be distracted by bad YA literature. Unfortunately, some assume all YA literature must be as bad as the more popular series. This is a complete falsehood, especially when one considers series like “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” “The Fifth Wave” and, of course, “Harry Potter.”
YA might not be as “sophisticated” as some literary fiction, but that does not mean it should be completely disregarded. While older generations may look at a series like “Pretty Little Liars” and blow it off because it seems “immature,” there clearly must be something positive going on for fans to defend the books year after year.
Consider “Pretty Little Liars,” a typical bit of YA contemporary fiction filled with drama, romance, scandal, sex and murder. However, it is also a series filled with a multiracial characters, characters with mental illnesses, characters dealing with loss and trauma and characters who do not identify as heterosexual.
For tweens, teens, young adults and a fair amount of adults, themes such as sexual discovery, loss, mental illness, suicide, divorced parents, etc. are all too real. Reading about characters in the same situations as readers who make it out successfully may be exactly what readers need to overcome their struggles.
Books like “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green, “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell, “If I Stay” by Gayle Foreman and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky remain on the New York Times Bestseller list for months at a time — fans and critics must be finding more value in YA literature than the literary community would like to admit.
An article on Slate Review published in 2014 by Ruth Graham bashed YA and adults who enjoy reading YA novels.
“Read whatever you want,” the subheading read. “But you should feel embarrassed when what you’re reading was written for children.”
When did the literary community turn into a judgement party? Even the most sophisticated of readers likely aren’t sitting down with Saramago, Morrison, DeLillo or Chaucer every time they want to read for pleasure. Don’t kid yourselves.
Some criticize the genre for becoming “too mature” for its intended audience. That is to say, many parents are concerned their teens are reading stories that are too violent, dark or sexually explicit for their age group. Parents would prefer things like suicide, drugs, student-teacher relationships and incest stay out of their kid’s heads.
Maureen Johnson, author of the YA series, “The Name of the Star,” published a response article on The Guardian to parents who want to ban any form of “darker” YA literature.
“The idea that ‘darkness’ doesn’t belong in stories makes me wonder if the author of this article [an article against dark YA lit] has ever read any Poe, Dickens, Shakespeare, Hemingway, Tolstoy, or … almost any other author, ever, or the Bible, for that matter, or the news,” she said.
Hate to break it to parents, but, without risking giving anyone a heart attack … your teens are probably having sex. If they’re not, they will be eventually. They have also probably encountered drugs, alcohol, mental illness and a slew of other personal obstacles in one way or another. Level-headed characters in similar situations may be able to serve as guidance or reassurance in the chaotic world of a teen.
In a 2011 article published on Salon.com by Mary Elizabeth Williams, the misplaced concern for teens reading about mature themes was addressed.
“Let me further assure you, an entire generation of women managed to devour the “Flowers in the Attic” series without having sex with their brothers,” she said. “We read, as teens continue to do now, to be moved, to fall in love with characters, to learn and to sometimes just explore the things that scared and fascinated us.”
Really, no one should be faulted for reading what they want to read — including those who like YA lierature. People are free to read whatever they want, regardless of whether or not they are the “intended audience.” Furthermore, reading, in whatever form, should never be discouraged — something to keep in mind.