More than two decades passed between my experience with Young Adult Literature (YA) in high school and my exposure to contemporary, 21st century YA. It wasn't until the summer of 2005 that I discovered the YA section at the public library. Actually, my 12 year old daughter found it first. We had just moved to a new neighborhood, and, being an avid reader with few friends in the area, she spent her days devouring books. She typically finished a novel each day. At first, I was absolutely thrilled. While other children were glued to the "idiot box" or engaged in the annihilation of whole virtual civilizations, mine was reading.
One day my husband pick up a volume she'd left lying face down on the couch and began to read. To his horror and mine, we discovered that she was reading a book that graphically depicted teenage lesbian relationships, sexual harassment, drug use, self-mutilation, and pre-meditated violence in less than 200 pages. While the book may have been appropriate for an 18 or 19 year-old, it was quite a lot of information for a pre-teen to digest. In fact, I cannot remember ever reading such a graphic book in any genre. I started to pay closer attention to the books she was checking-out at the library.
Not all adult books are created equally, so I don't know why I thought the whole YA genre would contain books appropriate for my twelve year old. During that summer, I began to think about what literary quality in YA literature means to me. I discovered that I define quality in the YA genre almost the same way I do quality in the adult genre. The story needs to be something that resonates with the reader. In order for that to happen, even in fantasy and science fiction, there needs to be a kernel of truth in the story. I think that acts as an anchor for the reader. Next, the events and details should be necessary to the narration. They should be true to the story. Some authors choose to sensationalize a story, perhaps knowing that sex, violence, and the f-word sells just about anything. A good book, for any age level, prompts consideration of social and political issues, faith, and the human experience.
Sex, violence, and colorful speech is, sometimes, a critical part of the story. Let's face it, without the discussion of rape and lynching, Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird would not exist. Teachers and parents must be sensitive to the maturity of the children in their care. Censorship is definitely not the answer. A determined teen will find access to what he or she seeks. I think well-informed guidance is appropriate. My daughter and I worked together to identify books to read now and books to read later. The process opened the door for many wonderful discussions - consideration of the social and political issues, faith, and the human experience inspired by good literature.
bookhenge
