The New York Times recently published several opinion pieces regarding young adult literature. One piece by Joel Stein is called
"Adults Should Read Adult Books" in which Stein talks about how it is embarrassing for an adult to read a book published for teens. I checked out his website, and it looks like he might be a troll or a satirist, but none of that matters because what he says in his short piece is unfunny and perpetuates dangerous ideas.
He's not alone in his opinion. There is a group of irrational adults who think that things labeled for teens are only for teens and can't appeal to people over 18. Being the irrational people they are, they have disdain for YA literature because the characters are not like them and do not have experiences that reflect an adult reader's current experiences, which means the stories must be silly.
My first exposure to YA literature prejudice happened in 2008 when I read Margo Rabb's piece
"I'm Y.A., and I'm O.K." in the NYT Sunday Book Review. I actually cut the article out for future reference, and just found it last week after years tucked away in a folder. In her piece, Rabb recounts how a colleague at the MacDowell Colony responds with, "That is such a shame" when Rabb revealed her novel would be published as YA. I remember thinking how ridiculous this line of thinking was, but felt sure that it would blow over pretty quickly with YA on the rise and all.
Not long after I read the article, I found my own love of YA literature questioned. At a friend's party, a guest and I started a conversation about the works of Neil Gaiman. I said that I had read Sandman and
Good Omens in my teens, and to reignite my interest in his work I chose
Coraline.
"You started with the kid stuff?" the guy said, side-eyeing me.
This stunned me. Why was YA literature a thing that gave people pause? I ended up telling that guy that I loved reading YA literature because it was full of brilliant, challenging books, and that I wanted to write in the field myself. The latter part is what appeased him. This became a trend with people I talked to in the following years. As long as I wanted to make money in YA literature, my interest in it was justified.
I wish I could drive my DeLorean back in time to scream at those people that I love YA literature because they're far more interesting and complex than the meandering novels marketed to adults.
Speaking of marketing, that is definitely something Stein and other irrational adults don't seem to be aware of. Many authors write books they think will be marketed to adults, but are then designated to the YA section. The inverse is also true.
But the real issue here isn't about looking down one's nose at YA literature. What's really going on is the vile belief that children and teens are inferior to adults.
Let’s have the decency to let tween girls have their own little world of vampires and child wizards and games you play when hungry. Let’s not pump Justin Bieber in our Saabs and get engaged at Cinderella’s Castle at Disneyland. Because it’s embarrassing.
According to Stein, not only is reading YA literature embarrassing, so is anything associated with childhood. He must be one of those people with rigid ideas of "child" and "adult." Those types always see "child" and "adult" as if they are opposites instead of states that can be inhabited at the same time.
I understand it is hard for those who choose not to expose themselves to YA literature to understand the complexities of child and adolescent characters. Those characters often don't know who they are, who they can trust, and make decisions contrary to everything they know is right. (Wait, how is that different from characters in adult literature again?)
I've said it before: kids are people. They suffer and feel joy and schadenfreude and are manipulative and have ambitions to change the world and a psychology different from people over the age of 21. That needs to be examined through different lenses fiction can provide. None of that is inferior to adulthood. The experiences of children and teens are not experiences adults need to shun in order to be adults.
If you're such a grown up, you should have the reasoning skills to figure that out.
What makes up for Stein's ridiculous piece are the other articles published under "The Power of Young Adult Fiction." Sharon G. Flake writes and the need for young adults of color to see themselves in books in
"There Need to Be More Nonwhite Protagonists"; Patricia McCormick writes about fiction that doesn't play it safe in
"Authors Taking Risks Isn't Kid Stuff."Matt de la Peña's
"Seeing Themselves in Books" is my favorite article in this series because it talks about how crucial it is for kids to have books that reflect their experiences. I didn't have a lot of those when I was a kid. Part of the appeal of YA literature is that I can reflect on my time as a youth and explore how I've changed and how I've stayed the same since that time. For all you irrational adults out there: This does not mean I'm reading YA literature in order to relive my glory days. Being a kid is rarely a time of glory.
