I usually reserve my opinion until things cool down, but I must admit that I kept an eye on the Wall Street Journal article situation. In case you've missed out on all the fun, Meghan Cox Gurdon wrote an inflammatory opinion piece about YA book content in the Wall Street Journal. This launched a reaction from the YA community (including the #YAsaves on Twitter) & several authors writing in to voice their opinions on their works' importance & validity. Well Ms. Gurdon is at it again writing in response to the reaction her piece drew. You can read that response here. And now it's my turn.
While I do understand Ms. Gurdon’s opinion, I can’t believe that she was so naive to think that the YA community would not be upset by her generalizations of a very diverse genre. It is very true that right now the more popular books do include sensitive subject material. Ms Gurdon maintains that, "It is true that so-called problem novels may be helpful to children in anguished circumstances. The larger question is whether books about rape, incest, eating disorders and 'cutting' (self-mutilation) help to normalize such behaviors for the vast majority of children who are merely living through the routine ordeals of adolescence.”
I would have to state that (in my opinion) these books are not normalizing these experiences, but rather validating the experiences that young adults are facing today. An easier way to say that is that the books are NOT causing these issues, the issues are giving rise to the books.Young adults are narcissistic & they want to read about people like themselves. That being said, with the age of the first sexual encounter getting younger & younger & with teens experimenting with a variety of “activities” (for lack of a better word), these books shed some realism on these taboo subjects. There are not always happy endings in these books & sometimes the reality that everything won’t be okay is enough to get through to these young adults.
Another thing to note here is that Young Adult DOES NOT only include teens. Young Adult books are meant for high school through probably mid-twenties. Granted, the majority of the readership is about 14, but I honestly can’t think of a better age to approach these subjects because I think they also serve as cautionary tales. They provide a glimpse into what could be, not what should be. Also, I don’t think there is anything worse in these books than a young adult could read in the newspaper or see on the evening news.
My main complaint would be, where does it end? If these subjects are too touchy for teen books, where do they belong? What are you going to take out of video games & music? When do I need to line up for the chip implantation? Seriously, just because the books are not as “innocent” & “pure” as some would like them to be does not mean they are not valid & worthwhile. They have an audience & a place & that place is on the shelf. There are still a plethora of books for more sensitive readers & I’ll be the first to show them to you in my library, but don’t generalize YA books in such a negative light.
And now I will leave you with a favorite quote of mine. It's from the movie American President with Michael Douglas:
“You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.”
Sound off below. What do you think of Ms. Gurdon's opinion? What do you think of my opinion? What are your thoughts on the situation?
Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.
If I’m halfway to death, is this all I’ve got to show for it? Holly, filled with regret for being a stay-at-home mom, sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Andrea, a single mom and avowed celibate, watches her friend Holly’s meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for—a committed relationship with a decent guy. So what if Andrea picks up Holly’s castaway husband? Then there’s Marissa. She has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay teenage son, a terminally ill daughter, and a husband who buries himself in his work rather than face the facts. As one woman’s marriage unravels, another one’s rekindles. As one woman’s family comes apart at the seams, another’s is reconfigured into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman’s up is another one’s down, and all three of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness before it is through.
