Over the past 15 to 20 years, the popularity of young adult literature has skyrocketed. Teenagers and even adults can't get enough of young heroes and heroines overcoming obstacles and finding true love. Young adult dystopian novels are especially popular, most likely because the idea of a post-apocalyptic world terrifies us enough that we can't stop reading it. But the problem with this genre is not just that they are very unrealistic, but that they all have the same basic plot line. But this is the storyline that makes young adult authors money, so they keep using it.
A majority of teen fiction revolves around a young girl who is an outcast in her society. Whether this society actually exists or is a creation of the author's imagination, she doesn't fit it. After being introduced to her life, she then encounters something that will change her life forever. It may be a sickness of a loved one or almost being killed by the government, but she is thrown something that she doesn't believe she will be able to overcome. Her love interest is also introduced at some point in the beginning of the story, and the readers are led to believe that she either hates this person or he is so good looking that she doesn't stand a chance. This boy usually helps her get past whatever obstacle is in her way because she is incapable of doing it herself and then she falls in love with him and they live happily ever after (we assume).
Here's another thing, the girls that are described in the books are usually flawless. They have perfect skin and long flowing hair which makes the guys swoon. And they usually believe that they aren't that pretty, but you know they are gorgeous. We usually wonder why girls have such bad self-image and it is because of these types of things. When teenage girls read these books and they don't look like what the author is describing, it makes them feel worthless. It makes them feel like no boy is ever going to find them attractive and that you have to be ridiculously beautiful in order to have any worth or be able to save the world.
But these stories are what teenage girls are reading. They get lost in them because it makes them feel like they are the brave girl in the story who isn't afraid of anything and is so beautiful that any boy would fall in love with her. I know this because I have read my fair share of young adult novels, and I am not ashamed. They are mesmerizing, especially when your world isn't. And I'm not saying that all young adult fiction is awful and nobody should ever read it. There are a lot of wonderful books out there that I would definitely recommend to a friend. But there are also a lot of books that can give rise to unrealistic expectations for what life will be like. And girls don't always need a boy to come and rescue them, they are strong enough to do it on their own.
There is also very little diversity in young adult fiction. The main female character is usually a white girl who has very little problems. There very few, if any, main characters who are of a different race or face things like depression or anxiety. Why is this? Most likely because society today is so afraid of offending people that authors stay away from things like race and mental illness. We also don't understand a whole lot about mental illnesses, so we tend to avoid talking about them altogether.
Reading teen fiction can be a great escape for young people who don't necessarily want to be in their own world at that moment. But they shouldn't feel discouraged by what they are reading. They should be able to read a good book and walk away feeling better about themselves, not worse.
