In many people's minds, books rival dogs for the role of man's best friend. They can cure the worst heartbreaks, bring a smile to a face that has felt only tears, and are a free portal to anywhere in the world one might wish to go. Part of what makes a book so magical is the wide range of possibilities for it. The number of genres, subgenres, topics, wide range of characters, and a global pick of settings means that there's something for every reader in any corner of a bookstore. One section that has been getting a large amount of attention is the Young Adult genre, in both a positive and negative way.

In my years of hunting bookstores, libraries, and anywhere else books can be found; I've noticed an increasingly condescending attitude towards this hugely multifaceted genre. Some of the most common critiques I've heard center around not considering YA books "real literature." However, this begs the question: what is literature, really? In my experience, literature is something that makes you question yourself, the world around you, even the book itself or the authors choices. Successful literature evokes a passionate emotional response, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. It would be unfair to the writers of the genre and the readers, young or old, to dismiss a whole category of books simply based on the age of the target audience.

The wonderful thing about books is that no matter what age the target audience is, anyone can read them. Teen, recent adult, or middle-aged parent; if a book makes you feel something, you shouldn't be ashamed of reading that particular genre. Young Adult books, along this line of thinking, have such a wide range. I have seen books tackling sexual assault, any type of abuse, addiction, loss, love, heartbreak; and I don't think a single one of those topics are trivial. I would go as far as to say that because of the previously listed topics and more, the YA genre may be one of the most important categories yet in contemporary lit.

I say this largely because these are the books that middle to high school kids are reading. Those years are some of the most formative for anyone, emotionally or otherwise. It makes sense that this genre would grow to accommodate the wide range of experiences people go through at this stage in their lives. Books in this genre confront emotions and experience that confound even the most experienced adults, and it's important that the youth have books that they can relate to, that can help them process and grow. From heartbreak to assault to abuse, the more books that address it, the better. Let's normalize LGBTQIA+ romances, and if a kid struggling with their gender/sexual identity learns that they're not alone or abnormal, isn't that even better? If a sexual assault survivor can read about different protagonists who make it through a variety of different ordeals, it can help decrease the stigma surrounding their attack and help encourage them to seek help or speak out or even just heal internally.

So many books are doing all of the above, and more. To list them all would take thousands of words. There is one thing I know: we read to know we're not alone. The YA genre, from what I can tell, does an amazing job of accomplishing that. It has helped shaped me and so many other readers as a person, and the authors who write in that niche don't get nearly enough credit.