When I looked up the ALA list of the best books for young adults, I was surprised. Very few of the books seem to have nuanced plots. Some were clearly desperate ploys to get the video game addicted generation to read, with plots centered around whild action and fairytale characters. Some are all too realistic, dealing with themes of delinquency, abortion, and abuse. Obviously these authors are trying to relate to young adult readers, but must they be so dreary. Should everything a teen reads be some kind of moral building block?
Most people think that it's a good idea for young adults to read books that feature good morals and values and of course it's good to have good influences at that point in your life. But shouldn't reading be fun? Who cares how wholesome a book is if it's absolute drudgery to read. To illustrate my feelings, I'll post here one of the books that made it onto the ALA's top books for 2010:
"Essie, 16, sews all day for pennies at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory to help feed her fatherless family and now to forget her little sister's death. Then the fire happens."
"Soccer star Devon never admitted to herself that she was pregnant. Now she’s in detention, facing charges of attempted murder after delivering a baby and dumping it in the trash."
Yes, both are real books: Those were the descriptions of Jacqueline Davies' Lostand Amy Efaw's After. Then there are books that sound simply... too dumb for the average YA reader. As a teen I waned to read books that helped me understand society and how the world works. Most kids read to be entertained but keep reading because they know they're growing from it. One particular ALA-recommended book I found that seemed not very encouraging to social and mental growth was Rita Williams-Garcias's Jumped.
"When Trina unknowingly insults Dominique in the hallway, she’s in danger of being jumped after school. Leticia could warn her, but she’s reluctant to get involved."Uh, okay, and then what happened? Is that the whole story? Don't young readers deserve better? Of course, I don't want to imply that books should be constant excitement and intellectual discussion; realities of life should be reflected in fiction. I simply feel that more kids would be regular readers if:
- authors didn't treat YA literature as an opportunity to moralize
- there were more books with realistic, non-corny themes
- authors wrote more thought-provoking books for young readers
- authors wrote less books that lead the reader along like cattle without letting them enjoy the nuances of the written word
"Soccer star Devon never admitted to herself that she was pregnant. Now she’s in detention, facing charges of attempted murder after delivering a baby and dumping it in the trash."
I agreed with you on the YA lit! Teens and young adults do not want to be pandered to and realistic non-cheesy series are few and far between.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, any lit aimed at teens falls under the scrutiny of parents. Which I think deters authors/publishers from really writing anything challenging for this set.