Young-adult literature is defined by the National Council of Teachers of English as "literature wherein the protagonist is either a teenager or one who approaches problems from a teenage perspective... Typically, they describe initiation into the adult world, or the surmounting of a contemporary problem forced upon the protagonist(s) by the adult world. Though generally written for a teenage reader, such novels -- like all fine literature -- address the entire spectrum of life." And full disclosure: I really like it.
This past year, my English teacher has been pushing me to put aside my colorfully covered YA books for more "sophisticated" reading. Don't get me wrong. I deeply love literature -- all forms of it -- and my bookshelf is dotted with just as many classics as contemporary novels. However, there's an unavoidable stigma when it comes to YA literature. It's often set aside as "beach reads" or "immature." I mean, sure, I've read my fair share of bad YA where the protagonist is whiny, the plot unrealistic, and the romance -- because there's always a romance in these kinds of books -- is idealistic at best. But I think it's unfair to reduce an entire genre of literature into something of less value simply because of the age of its protagonists.
There are important, poignant truths to find in any genre of literature, and I don't believe that YA is an exception. Sure, YA houses a cast of characters who are young and sometimes naive, but isn't that a truth in itself? Young adulthood is a confusing time in which adulthood is in sight but childhood is not so far behind. It's a time of firsts and important lessons and poignant memories that are felt just as deeply as those in adulthood.
Ruth Gainer, in her article "Against YA," writes: "Read whatever your want. But you should feel embarrassed when what you're reading was written for children." Okay, yes, YA literature is written for teens, but that just means that this is a genre that represents the truths of living life on the cusp of adulthood. There isn't anything inherently wrong with that. Just because much of the young adult experience encompasses a naivety that adult literature has grown out of doesn't mean that authors are unable to craft a rich, fulfilling, masterful story out of those characters.
As a reader, it's important for me to be able to connect to what I'm reading. YA does that at a level that no other genre is able to do. It's a shame that I'm made to feel as if my interest in YA literature makes me feel less of a sophisticated reader. Because, ultimately, the message that sends is that my own stories, as a young adult trying to figure her world out, mean less, are less important or valuable, as the ones I'll make in adulthood. And that's just not true.
