In response to "Against YA"
When I read the title of this article, I bristled immediately annoyed. Then before continuing, I considered the idea that the title might be misleading, and the article might contain a defense of adults reading YA after all, so I continued on hopefully. To this end, I was disappointed.
In the article Graham writes that "once upon a time, an adult might have felt embarrassed to be caught reading the novel that inspired it. Not because it is bad—it isn’t—but because it was written for teenagers." I laughed at this because what is about condescending readers and their penchant for glorifying the past. For me, glorifying the past almost always feels icky, and it supports the notion that newer generations are deficient in some way. As a proud millennial, who has a lot of fundamental issues with both boomers and gen x, I find this assumption that yesteryear was better both problematic and offensive.
Graham also points out that the majority of people buying YA novels are over 18, but this fact has little impact considering many teenagers are not buying their own books. I understand that many do, but many have parents willing to buy them books who would fall into the 30-44 age range that she mentions.
My indignation turned to anger when she stated that Adults should feel embarrassed about reading literature written for children. No one should feel embarrassed about what they read (given that it doesn't promote violence against others). Reading is a highly personal experience and people read for many different reasons. Graham later mocks the read and let read ideology that I express here, but it is her indignation that I don't understand. Some of her concern seems to come from the place that adults stuck reading YA will miss out on the great adult fiction out there, but this is true of any one "stuck" reading any genre or sub genre, herself included. My mom only reads fantasy, does that mean she misses out on other awesome books? Maybe, but she sure doesn't feel that way. She has a rich reading life, and she raised a daughter who is comfortable moving in and out of most genre spaces.
Graham's relegation of books like Divergent and Twilight as trashy is so dismissive of anyone who discovered their love of reading in those books. Are there better fantasy novels out there? In my opinion, yes. Is Twilight problematic in many ways? As far as i'm concerned, certainly. But when I was in school, these were the books that everyone read. NOT just the kids who read books for fun, but everyone. To assume or suggest that at 19 a magical flip should switch in the minds of readers and they should start seeking out Dickens (yawn) is silly and pointless
As an English teacher, people my age (26) who strike up conversations with me always want to know my favorite book. I can never answer because it changes so often, and I think this is true for many people for whom reading is a part of life. The Harry Potter series will always hold a special place in my heart as the books that started it all, but I love most books I get my hands on. When I ask the question in return, they always offer a classic text, and this always causes me to internally roll my eyes. See, because I teach reading, I know a lot of adults and children who love reading and do it avidly, and very few of them will spout a classic as their favorite. That is a different kind of reading and different does not mean more important or more difficult. It simply means different. My favorite classic text is Frankenstein, but it's not my favorite book.
This automatic privileging of what is for adults over what is for "kids" is damaging to all readers. Graham suggests that teens want their own reading space, and while that may be true, they most certainly suffer when the adult readers in their life think the books they love are juvenile.
Graham closed with a quote from Shailene Woodley where she states that she is done making teen movies because she is not a "young adult" anymore but a "woman." For an actress who was catapulted to fame through modern teen cult classics like The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Divergent, and The Fault in Our Stars, I understand and support her sentiment. But I am a twenty six year old woman clinging to my identity as a young adult, who moves happily in and out of books written for and about all kinds of people, from all kinds of walks of life, at all kinds of different stages. I don't feel shame for my reading choices. Only pride that I am willing and able to share something my students love with them.
In the article Graham writes that "once upon a time, an adult might have felt embarrassed to be caught reading the novel that inspired it. Not because it is bad—it isn’t—but because it was written for teenagers." I laughed at this because what is about condescending readers and their penchant for glorifying the past. For me, glorifying the past almost always feels icky, and it supports the notion that newer generations are deficient in some way. As a proud millennial, who has a lot of fundamental issues with both boomers and gen x, I find this assumption that yesteryear was better both problematic and offensive.
Graham also points out that the majority of people buying YA novels are over 18, but this fact has little impact considering many teenagers are not buying their own books. I understand that many do, but many have parents willing to buy them books who would fall into the 30-44 age range that she mentions.
My indignation turned to anger when she stated that Adults should feel embarrassed about reading literature written for children. No one should feel embarrassed about what they read (given that it doesn't promote violence against others). Reading is a highly personal experience and people read for many different reasons. Graham later mocks the read and let read ideology that I express here, but it is her indignation that I don't understand. Some of her concern seems to come from the place that adults stuck reading YA will miss out on the great adult fiction out there, but this is true of any one "stuck" reading any genre or sub genre, herself included. My mom only reads fantasy, does that mean she misses out on other awesome books? Maybe, but she sure doesn't feel that way. She has a rich reading life, and she raised a daughter who is comfortable moving in and out of most genre spaces.
Graham's relegation of books like Divergent and Twilight as trashy is so dismissive of anyone who discovered their love of reading in those books. Are there better fantasy novels out there? In my opinion, yes. Is Twilight problematic in many ways? As far as i'm concerned, certainly. But when I was in school, these were the books that everyone read. NOT just the kids who read books for fun, but everyone. To assume or suggest that at 19 a magical flip should switch in the minds of readers and they should start seeking out Dickens (yawn) is silly and pointless
As an English teacher, people my age (26) who strike up conversations with me always want to know my favorite book. I can never answer because it changes so often, and I think this is true for many people for whom reading is a part of life. The Harry Potter series will always hold a special place in my heart as the books that started it all, but I love most books I get my hands on. When I ask the question in return, they always offer a classic text, and this always causes me to internally roll my eyes. See, because I teach reading, I know a lot of adults and children who love reading and do it avidly, and very few of them will spout a classic as their favorite. That is a different kind of reading and different does not mean more important or more difficult. It simply means different. My favorite classic text is Frankenstein, but it's not my favorite book.
This automatic privileging of what is for adults over what is for "kids" is damaging to all readers. Graham suggests that teens want their own reading space, and while that may be true, they most certainly suffer when the adult readers in their life think the books they love are juvenile.
Graham closed with a quote from Shailene Woodley where she states that she is done making teen movies because she is not a "young adult" anymore but a "woman." For an actress who was catapulted to fame through modern teen cult classics like The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Divergent, and The Fault in Our Stars, I understand and support her sentiment. But I am a twenty six year old woman clinging to my identity as a young adult, who moves happily in and out of books written for and about all kinds of people, from all kinds of walks of life, at all kinds of different stages. I don't feel shame for my reading choices. Only pride that I am willing and able to share something my students love with them.
Comments
Post a Comment