I always find it odd when people tell me they won’t read young adult novels. When I will ask them why, I get a numerous amount of different excuses.
— They’re dumbed down.
— They aren’t mature enough.
— They deal with subjects only kids care about.
— They’re not literary enough.
— I only read books that I can discuss with my peers. I’d be embarrassed to admit I read YA.
I could go on.
I once got into an argument with another author. He was angry that his “adult” book was being read and loved by teenagers. He was worried that he’d be classified as a YA author. When I questioned this, he argued that his novel was far too violent to be considered YA and that it dealt with adult issues.
I asked him if he’d ever read a young adult book, and the answer was no. However, he did admit that he’d read books like The Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies, which had teenage protagonists. His assumption was that because these books are found in the adult section, they must be adult books.
They’re not.
Decades ago, there wasn’t even a young adult genre. So a lot of books with teenage protagonists automatically defaulted into the adult section. I’ve heard people argue that “YA” shouldn’t even exist, and sometimes I agree. Although I will also agree that it might make bookstores a bit chaotic.
Let’s go back and focus on some of those above excuses.
Young adult books are dumbed down. No, they’re not. Okay, if you grew up in the fifties, yes, they were. But today’s YA books are anything but. They deal with real-life situations, emotional difficulties, death, sex (oh yes, sex), and all the other things that both adults and teenagers deal with. YA doesn’t sugarcoat. To suggest that it does is rather insulting, don’t you think? To say that teenagers are too stupid to deal with real-world situations and must have everything simplified suggests that people don’t give teenagers enough credit. Kids today are smart. They are perfectly capable of thinking for themselves.
They aren’t mature enough. Okay, if you’re one of those people who believe that you must do things that only grown-ups do, then I suppose you’re right. But for everyone else, YA books deal with mature subjects like relationships, abuse, sex (oh yes, the sex word again), drugs, violence, and pretty much anything one can imagine.
They deal with subjects only kids care about. Yeah, once again, no. YA deals with the same fun subjects you’ll find in all genres. Fantasy, dystopia, horror, comedy, SEX, government. Want some good end-of-the world books? There are plenty, right up there with Stephen King’s The Stand in terms of scariness. I see just as many vampire books for adults as for teens. There’s just as much fantasy too. Sci-fi? Yep.
They’re not literary enough. Go read The Book Thief. I’ll be honest, that book made me bawl. Out loud. Real tears. In my bedroom, thankfully.
I only read books that I can discuss with my peers. I’d be embarrassed to admit I read YA. This one makes me sad. In a world where people are forced to grow up so quickly, it’s a shame that someone would be embarrassed to admit they’re enjoying something. Funny enough, when Harry Potter was all the rage, people wanted to be seen reading it. Adults follow trends the same way teenagers do; we just don’t like to admit it.
All I can say to people who think only teenagers should read YA is: Why would you want to shut yourself out from so many good stories? Does this mean you shouldn’t go see the latest Disney movie because you don’t have children? Don’t close yourself off.
It’s autumn. Wouldn’t it be nice to go jump in a pile of leaves?
There’s a difference between being childlike and being childish. There’s also a difference between childhood and adolescence. They can’t be treated in the same way. And, I don’t think people in our culture grow up too fast, I don’t think many grow up at all, and emotional immaturity is a huge problem. But perhaps they do lose their childlike sense of wonder, and that’s a problem too.
I don’t read much YA fiction, partly because it is supposedly told from the viewpoint of a teenager, which doesn’t interest me much anymore. Ironically, most is not really from a teenager’s viewpoint, but an adult’s version of a teenager’s viewpoint, which interests me even less. So, I’m not sure why it’s so incredibly important for everyone to read it (Though I have, and liked some, especially Phillip Pullman’s work, and some other fantasy. But reading about someone in highschool is like a bad dream come true. That’s the last place I want to return to). The best fiction of any genre transcends that genre; and the worst of any genre is crap, regardless of the genre.
I suppose this constant defense of YA books lately is because people in the literary establishment have less respect for them, I’m not sure. It’s probably the best-selling fiction genre, so I don’t know what the issue is. If people want to read YA fiction books, that’s fine. There’s no need to defend that. But I think that if someone does not want to read YA books, that should be okay too and they shouldn’t be harangued for it.
Also, your article title is misleading. You don’t discuss children’s books. You seem to be putting them in the same category as YA, yet then go on to argue that YA books are not really different from adult books. Incomplete and confusing, but the subject could fill a book, and I understand this is just a blog post.
However, let me say that I don’t disagree with you that young adult books can have value. I’m sorry if anyone is making you feel bad for enjoying them.
I like to read Star Wars young adult books Princess Leah and Hans Solo’s youngest son named after father has some wonderful adventures of his own. I read clean books [no cuss words or detailed sex].
I do not care if my friends/family like my choices but children like my choices and I can communicate on their level. this my third time trying to send this comment. [email protected].
also our children are smart and wise. when adults show interest in their child’s/young adults books that says I trust you and opens the door for communication. I use YA books and movies as a teaching aid to help work out life journey problems this helps me and any child I have the opportunity to help.
Thank you for sharing this story with me.
I read all genre’s and levels of books. I enjoy reading so I don’t classify books in my head to whether they are YA or Adult. I still love reading children’s books and I am almost 40. I have read some YA that should have actually been classified as Adult but why worry about it. Anyways like this post.