Wednesday, November 18, 2015

The YA Debate?

As many of my readers know, I'm a huge fan of Young Adult Literature. I've read every word John Green, Sarah Dessen, and Lauren Conrad (yes, her books are considered to be YA) have ever written, and some of my favorite books are in fact of the Young Adult Genre. With that being said, those books often cause a literary debate. And that is, are they literature? And, should adults be picking these novels up as well?

We Were Liars is a YA Book I've Read Over the summer.
This semester, I am taking a Young Adult Literature class, where many of the books are books I've either read before or could see myself reading. Some of the books include "Perks of Being a Wallflower," "We Were Liars," "The Hunger Games" and "The Maze Runner" just to name a few. All of these books are books I've either read or wanted to read.
This semester, I'm also taking a 20th century literature course. Obviously, you can tell the different between my texts for the classes, because there's a difference between John Green and Ernest Hemingway. However, when someone says these books aren't exactly literature, I can't help but wonder what is literature? What makes something a piece of literature?
A lot of the Young Adult books I've read were in my spare time. When I'm reading a book for pleasure, I'm reading it because I've heard it's good or because I want to have something to entertain me. I'm not close reading, and I want something that is a good novel. However, Young Adult novels often have some serious elements in them, such as one of my favorite books, "The Carrie Diaries" by Candace Bushnell. Carrie is struggling with trying to figure out who she really is, as well figuring out what she wants in relationships. Furthermore, that's a serious theme. Another one of my favorites, "Saint Anything" by Sarah Dessen, explores the impact having a family member doing time in prison hashad  on a family. That's a serious read, in my opinion.
However, I understand that reading something like "L.A. Candy" maybe not be have the literary nutrients as something like "The Sun Also Rises" does. Furthermore, I think reading in its entirety is a good thing no matter what you're reading. I've loved reading since I was little, and use reading a way to relax. I read over 15 books every summer, ranging in all kinds of genres. To me, as long as someone's reading, it doesn't matter what it is. Therefore, I can honestly conclude that reading YA is a good thing, because it definitely feeds someone's appetite for books. And when growing up, we were told to read books. It shouldn't matter whether or not something may or may not be considered to be literature.

2 comments:

  1. "Saint Anything" might be good for my aunt or younger cousin. My older cousin just got released after being incarcerated 3-years.
    I'm not one to pick up a book and read it the same time amount I did the following day. Too many are half read. I need a good list. Lord of the Flies is a must (banned in my school before I got the chance to read it). I'd love for you to post about some good reads that immediately grasp the readers attention or isn't too slow moving. Classics tend to be too slow or doesn't grasp my attention fast enough...but it's on my bucket list to experience a few.

    - Harlynn
    mindyourmadness.blogspot.com

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  2. I totally recommend "Saint Anything." I definately recommend a book I've read recently for class called "Throne of Glass." It's an amazing read, and you basically are sucked into the book, and can't stop reading.
    Thanks for stopping by! :)

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