By now you’ve probably heard all about the Wall Street Journal opinion piece that claims Young Adult literature is dark and depraved and trying to “bulldoze” misery into young people’s lives. We Heart YA spent much of our weekend reading the amazing #YAsaves tweets, and we gathered a long list of fellow bloggers’ responses on our Facebook page. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us. We were moved, many times to tears.

Now we’d like to share our thoughts with you.

Kristan

I wrote a longer response on my personal blog, but what I want to say here is simple: YA lit is a mirror. Pleasant or not, it reflects our own realities back to us. That means there is as much variety on YA shelves as there is in a high school hallway.

But hey, you don’t have to take my word for it. Let’s look at the evidence:



Yeah, out of about 10 shelves, there were a few that looked like the one on the left here. Lots of black (whatever that means). But take two steps to the right, and what do you see? A giant yellow smiley face. Ooo, scary. Two more steps right, and you have tons of uplifting non-fiction -- books that are positive AND real.

Personally I like to sample from each of the shelves. Like I said, variety. That’s life.

Sarah

Because I am from a generation where young adult books were scarce, and just not as "shiny" as adult ones, I feel a real kinship with what's being offered on the YA shelves these days. AND I'm quite proud at how passionate the YA community has been in response to the Wall Street Journal article. My thoughts? We finally get a massive section of books for adolescents, and one well-intentioned parent can't find an appropriate novel for her child? Um, yeah, I don't buy that... Maybe twenty years ago.

What I will accept is that there are a TON of paranormal romance novels being bought by teens. It's popular. It's an escape. It's what they want right now. That's okay. I would LOVE for contemporary to make a come-back in a big way -- I mean, this is what I'm writing at the moment. It's really up to the teens buying the books. As well as this, so-called "tough stuff" novels have been around for a good while and have been improving the lives of children who unfortunately have to find a way to deal with darkness. Thank you, authors, who have the guts to write these kind of stories. It's not easy and it's saving lives. Thank you for the message being sent--that nearly always, the light will follow the darkness.

Stephanie

The darkness in fiction teaches us about the darkness that humanity is actually capable of. Schindler's List, for example, is shown in high schools all over the world, and it’s full of graphic images, but it’s also a vital part of education. We all know that history repeats itself, and the only way to prevent genocide is to remember tragedies like the Holocaust.

Issues such as violence and eating disorders don't disappear if we refuse to talk about them. They get worse. I would argue that popular media is perhaps the best way to educate teens about hard topics, because they’re more likely to pick up a book about anorexia than ask a guidance counselor for help.

Everyone seems to be focusing on the bad stuff, but what about all the good? YA literature is making statements — life is sacred, compassion and faith are worth standing for, suicide is not the answer — and teens are eating it up.

Ingrid

I am thankful that teenagers today have access to “issue books” that address topics like self-image, suicide and bullying. Books that might help them or their friends. Books that increase their empathy and tolerance. The variety of books prevalent today were not nearly as accessible when I was a teenager. When I did stumble upon books that reflected the realities of teen life (S.E. Hinton, Cynthia Voigt) I gobbled them up -- everything I could find that addressed real issues, that didn’t try to paint the world as something false, that made me think and question. Here’s what readers learn from contemporary YA literature: to stand up for yourself and your beliefs, and to stand up for those who are being mistreated. To know that you are worthy of respect, love, safety and peace. To empathize with others and to forgive yourself when you mess up. The fact is: Growing up is hard. YA lit makes things a little easier for a whole lot of teens -- both by allowing them to escape real life and by reading about how others deal with it. Take that away? Now that's crazy.


If there's one good thing that came out of the Wall Street Journal's "Darkness Too Visible," it's the discussion it began. The YA community rose up to defend its beloved books and proved itself a force to be reckoned with. What was your response to the article? How has Young Adult literature impacted your life?

Love,
The WHYA girls