I've noticed in the past few weeks since the initial WSJ kerfluffle about dark YA that there seems to be at least one minor kerfluffle like that every week.
The good thing about that is that I get to use the word "kerfluffle" a lot.
The bad thing is that YA authors and readers always have to be on the defensive. It's like being the nerdy kid in middle school, always waiting for somebody to say something mean to you. And really, I've already done that once, no need to do it again.
And what do you do to make bullies on the playground go away?
Ignore them.
Yes, of course there are times we should speak up. The ones we keep defending ourselves against are the vocal minority after all. There are definitely times when we should make ourselves heard, because our opinions matter too.
But you know what? I think that our point has been made. The thousands of tweets and blog posts about #YASaves show that YA is important, that it has changed so many lives for the better and that it is a worthwhile genre. Thousands of heartfelt posts, against a few prominent and disgruntled articles.
You know what, YA community? You rock. I think YA authors and readers are some of the nicest, most creative, and most wonderful people. I love being a part of this community - it is a wonderful and supportive and kind community.
Keep on being awesome. Never forget that we are doing this because we love it, and that is something that matters far more than any nay-saying article ever could.
As for the nay-sayers:
Of course you are entitled to your opinion. So are we. Now, excuse me, I'll be on my merry way.
Showing posts with label YA Saves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YA Saves. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
The Light in YA
So the Wall Street Journal kerfluffle is beginning to diminish (some noteworthy things to look at are NPR's fantastic article, the many many brilliant posts and blogs under the #YASaves tag, and the parody #YAKills tag. Hilarity!), but there was one more thing I wanted to mull over.
The article laments the lack of ANY lighthearted YA fiction. This is completely false. There is light YA, and there should be light YA. Like I said, the darkness is important (and even in the lighthearted books there has to be SOME measure of darkness... otherwise there would be no plot).
But sometimes after English class, when we read HAMLET and ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT and ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST and MACBETH and HEART OF DARKNESS and THE SUN ALSO RISES, all sorts of grim and violent and depressing stuff, it's time to turn to something fun. Sometimes we just want something fun to read, and there are plenty of books out there that fit the bill.
I'm not saying that these fun books are "lesser" because they might not have big weighty issues in them, because that isn't true. Some of them have even appeared as Printz honor books. Fun and silliness is important, because there is darkness in the world, and we have to face that, but we have to learn to laugh, too.
So. Here is a list of some good old lighthearted YA. (At least, the ones I can think of.)
1. AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES - John Green
2. AIRBORN - Kenneth Oppel
3. ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS - Stephanie Perkins
4. LET IT SNOW - John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle
5. AVALON HIGH - Meg Cabot
6. SONG OF THE SPARROW - Lisa Ann Sandell
7. EAST - Edith Pattou
8. ALL AMERICAN GIRL - Meg Cabot
9. SORCERY AND CECELIA - Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
10. NOBODY'S PRINCESS - Esther Friesner
11. PRADA AND PREJUDICE - Mandy Hubbard
12. DEVILISH - Maureen Johnson
13. THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS - E. Lockhart
14. GOOD OMENS - Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett
15. THIRTEENTH CHILD - Patricia C. Wrede
What are some lighthearted YA books that you would recommend?
The article laments the lack of ANY lighthearted YA fiction. This is completely false. There is light YA, and there should be light YA. Like I said, the darkness is important (and even in the lighthearted books there has to be SOME measure of darkness... otherwise there would be no plot).
But sometimes after English class, when we read HAMLET and ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT and ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST and MACBETH and HEART OF DARKNESS and THE SUN ALSO RISES, all sorts of grim and violent and depressing stuff, it's time to turn to something fun. Sometimes we just want something fun to read, and there are plenty of books out there that fit the bill.
I'm not saying that these fun books are "lesser" because they might not have big weighty issues in them, because that isn't true. Some of them have even appeared as Printz honor books. Fun and silliness is important, because there is darkness in the world, and we have to face that, but we have to learn to laugh, too.
So. Here is a list of some good old lighthearted YA. (At least, the ones I can think of.)
1. AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES - John Green
2. AIRBORN - Kenneth Oppel
3. ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS - Stephanie Perkins
4. LET IT SNOW - John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle
5. AVALON HIGH - Meg Cabot
6. SONG OF THE SPARROW - Lisa Ann Sandell
7. EAST - Edith Pattou
8. ALL AMERICAN GIRL - Meg Cabot
9. SORCERY AND CECELIA - Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
10. NOBODY'S PRINCESS - Esther Friesner
11. PRADA AND PREJUDICE - Mandy Hubbard
12. DEVILISH - Maureen Johnson
13. THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS - E. Lockhart
14. GOOD OMENS - Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett
15. THIRTEENTH CHILD - Patricia C. Wrede
What are some lighthearted YA books that you would recommend?
Sunday, June 5, 2011
YA Saves
I'm sure by now all of you have heard of the article posted by the Wall Street Journal, condemning today's YA books as nothing but darkness and something teens should be protected from. (Today they posted a rebuttal, which is better, but it and the YA community still don't quite see eye to eye.)
That article made me angry. It made me so angry that I had a lot of trouble sleeping last night. I love YA, and I have loved both reading and writing YA for years now. The YA community is filled with friendly, intelligent, wonderful, and talented people that I have had the privilege of getting to know.
YA is always deemed lesser. Questionable. Something not to be trusted, in spite of how well YA is doing. In spite of how many people love it. It's hard enough to receive rejection letter after rejection letter, wait endlessly for internship news that never comes, but to have people who think that my dreams are somehow lesser because it involves fiction for teenagers? Not. Cool. And articles like this do nothing to erase that stigma. They add to it.
The problem with that article is twofold. The first is that the mom shown at the beginning of the article did not even bother to look past the covers. I cannot imagine anyone going into a bookstore and not being able to find one single thing that would suit their tastes.
Because here's the thing. Not all YA is dark. Not all YA SHOULD be dark. Yes, darkness has an important place (more on that later), but so does fun. People need books that are lighthearted as much as they need books that will make them think (my favorites are books that combine the two). Fun is important. Not everyone wants to or feels ready to read books about rape or suicide or drugs. And that's okay. That is completely and totally okay. It's great that there are parents who are concerned about what their kids are reading, and whether or not they can handle it. What is NOT okay is for someone to say that because their child does not want to read about the issues of death or anorexia or incest, EVERYONE'S children should not read about those things.
Something the first article leaves out completely (and something the rebuttal is strongest in) is the idea that it is important to talk with your children about the things they read. I talk to my mom about books all the time. If parents are concerned about reading materials, don't simply say no: TALK. Talk about books, and the things they're saying, the things they mean. Talk about the darkness in them, and the lightness too. In instances like this, communication is key.
The other thing that bugs me about the article is that it writes the darkness in YA off as depravity, when that is so far from the case. The darkness in well-written YA books does not exist to be dark. It does not exist for shock factor alone. Any dark book, YA or otherwise, is trying to get out of that darkness. To make things better, both for the characters and the reader. The point is not to linger in darkness forever, but to move beyond it, to heal.
This is where the real strength of both YA as a genre and as a community shines through. It took twenty minutes for the tag #YAsaves to become one of the top trending topics on Twitter yesterday, and it was still going strong this morning. In response to the first article, authors such as Maureen Johnson, Libba Bray, Robin Wasserman, and Hannah Moskowitz prompted us all to write our responses and tell us how YA has helped us. There were thousands of responses, everywhere from "YA helped me to become more empathetic" to "YA kept me from committing suicide."
There is darkness in the world; the article bemoans the fact that today's YA is nothing like the sweet, Judy Blume-esque fiction of days gone by. And you know what? There was darkness then too. But now, we're not afraid to speak up about it. We're not afraid to write about it, because these dark issues are things that teens face every day.
I was lucky - I AM lucky. I have a wonderful, supportive family, I was never bullied or abused, I did well in school; I lead a safe, sheltered life and I am so grateful. Dark books for me teach me to empathize - they show me worlds beyond my own and help me to relate, help me to understand. And for the people to whom such darkness is a reality?
It can - and does - help to show them that they are not alone, that they have hope, and that they can get through it.
I write YA in the hopes that someday, something that I love will make someone else happy. That one of my books will make someone laugh or make their day or make them think. And yes, there is sometimes darkness in what I write. Because there is darkness in the world, and we should not try to hide it.
Because those dark and terrible YA books? They often have moments of stunning beauty in them, and the light of those moments shines all the brighter for the darkness they had to overcome first.
That article made me angry. It made me so angry that I had a lot of trouble sleeping last night. I love YA, and I have loved both reading and writing YA for years now. The YA community is filled with friendly, intelligent, wonderful, and talented people that I have had the privilege of getting to know.
YA is always deemed lesser. Questionable. Something not to be trusted, in spite of how well YA is doing. In spite of how many people love it. It's hard enough to receive rejection letter after rejection letter, wait endlessly for internship news that never comes, but to have people who think that my dreams are somehow lesser because it involves fiction for teenagers? Not. Cool. And articles like this do nothing to erase that stigma. They add to it.
The problem with that article is twofold. The first is that the mom shown at the beginning of the article did not even bother to look past the covers. I cannot imagine anyone going into a bookstore and not being able to find one single thing that would suit their tastes.
Because here's the thing. Not all YA is dark. Not all YA SHOULD be dark. Yes, darkness has an important place (more on that later), but so does fun. People need books that are lighthearted as much as they need books that will make them think (my favorites are books that combine the two). Fun is important. Not everyone wants to or feels ready to read books about rape or suicide or drugs. And that's okay. That is completely and totally okay. It's great that there are parents who are concerned about what their kids are reading, and whether or not they can handle it. What is NOT okay is for someone to say that because their child does not want to read about the issues of death or anorexia or incest, EVERYONE'S children should not read about those things.
Something the first article leaves out completely (and something the rebuttal is strongest in) is the idea that it is important to talk with your children about the things they read. I talk to my mom about books all the time. If parents are concerned about reading materials, don't simply say no: TALK. Talk about books, and the things they're saying, the things they mean. Talk about the darkness in them, and the lightness too. In instances like this, communication is key.
The other thing that bugs me about the article is that it writes the darkness in YA off as depravity, when that is so far from the case. The darkness in well-written YA books does not exist to be dark. It does not exist for shock factor alone. Any dark book, YA or otherwise, is trying to get out of that darkness. To make things better, both for the characters and the reader. The point is not to linger in darkness forever, but to move beyond it, to heal.
This is where the real strength of both YA as a genre and as a community shines through. It took twenty minutes for the tag #YAsaves to become one of the top trending topics on Twitter yesterday, and it was still going strong this morning. In response to the first article, authors such as Maureen Johnson, Libba Bray, Robin Wasserman, and Hannah Moskowitz prompted us all to write our responses and tell us how YA has helped us. There were thousands of responses, everywhere from "YA helped me to become more empathetic" to "YA kept me from committing suicide."
There is darkness in the world; the article bemoans the fact that today's YA is nothing like the sweet, Judy Blume-esque fiction of days gone by. And you know what? There was darkness then too. But now, we're not afraid to speak up about it. We're not afraid to write about it, because these dark issues are things that teens face every day.
I was lucky - I AM lucky. I have a wonderful, supportive family, I was never bullied or abused, I did well in school; I lead a safe, sheltered life and I am so grateful. Dark books for me teach me to empathize - they show me worlds beyond my own and help me to relate, help me to understand. And for the people to whom such darkness is a reality?
It can - and does - help to show them that they are not alone, that they have hope, and that they can get through it.
I write YA in the hopes that someday, something that I love will make someone else happy. That one of my books will make someone laugh or make their day or make them think. And yes, there is sometimes darkness in what I write. Because there is darkness in the world, and we should not try to hide it.
Because those dark and terrible YA books? They often have moments of stunning beauty in them, and the light of those moments shines all the brighter for the darkness they had to overcome first.
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