So a recent article--"article" is a little generous here; it's more like an editorial rant--has been flying around Twitter, the blogosphere, etc. It's right here, if you'd like to take a read. And boy oh boy is it a doozy. And being a YA author, you can imagine how I feel about it. Oh, and Mr. Stein freely admits he hasn't read any of the books he mentions in his article. How's that for being uninformed?
Have you read a YA book that makes you think, that challenges the way you feel about life, that brings deeper meaning, that has characters and a story you can really connect to? Yes? So have I. Quite a few, in fact.
The biggest distinction between YA lit and adult lit is the age of the main character(s). YA books typically deal with character 14-17 years old. Adult lit is from there up. And to say that adults reading YA lit is embarrassing, is like saying that you're ashamed and embarrassed of your own adolescence, which maybe Joel Stein is. But those few years of my life helped determine who I am today. They don't shame me; they define me.
If I can't reach back and embrace that, then how will I find value from books written for the adult life I'm living now?
I completely agree with you. In fact, I made a post about it.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this guy knows that Great Expectaions, David Copperfield, Count of Monte Cristo, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckelberry Finn, The Hobbit, Oliver Twist, Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird, Treasure Island, and Kidnapped are all considered YA fiction. All of these were on lists of "classics" when I was in junior and senior high. I wonder if he would be embarrassed to be seen reading any of them.
ReplyDeleteWell you came with real hard facts about life here...I like to see your courage for highlighting this fact as so bravely indeed...I also like the way you differentiated between YA lit and adult lit...Great effort!!
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