Why do you think that the Young Adult genre is so popular with even the adult readers? Do you read YA books, yourself?
When I was a Young Adult, I memorized the YA section of our small-town library. It was like my very own bookshelf... I knew where each book was and glared at the librarians jealously for getting to put books back on my shelves.
When I "grew up", I crossed the 10 ft room to the Adult side... I quickly discovered that "Adult" could be hiding Rated R anything behind the most innocent-looking covers. In "Adult" books, bad things can happen and often do. Adults deal with scandals and impossible choices where they have to lie or lie. The idealism and hope that skips through the YA books suddenly loses it's shoe in the mud of reality.
I don't read much contemporary YA b/c I'm not drawn to the indecisive, heart-upheaving side of being young, which anything close to reality needs to take into account.
I LOVE YA because of the choices, the opportunities and the willingness to take risk. Like Lye said in The Girl Who Circumvented Fairyland in a Ship of her own Making:
When you were born, your courage is new and clean.Authors let YA heroes be courageous and unafraid. They tackle the impossible and come out on the other side not dead. In that sense, I have never grown up.
I like gritty reality, but I hate resignation. And even if I can skim over explicit sex scenes or gushing gore, the attitude of the story is integral.
Oh... and I think everyone likes some YA because there are great books that got labeled YA. Who picked that label anyway? It's better than "Children's Lit" - I feel funny browsing the "children's" for a good book. At least I can pretend it's for my kids, now. (I can't wait 'til they like my books!!!)
Do you like YA? Why?!
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Isn't the picture beautiful? She just makes me feel like curling up with a book. And I've been so distracted the past few days, I could use some reading focus.
Hop over to The True Book Addict to sign on at any time for for any length of time (or so she said!)
And I'd love to hear how you're reading goes!!! :-)
I need to finish How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
and make a couple decisions - to finish or not to finish (or to skim?!) two selections from NetGalley that I'm having trouble staying interested in. I hate quitting!!
