As a teacher of high school English, I would contend that this article is somewhat faulty. Don't get me wrong, some kids -are- reading a good deal. The problem, especially in urban areas or areas that are afflicted with issues such as poverty, drugs, and gang issues is that many of the youth don't have good role model readers and they some contend that it has no relevance to their lives. What I have seen in my classroom is not that they aren't reading, but that those who read are reading more than ever. Young adult books are high volume/high interest, but not high challenge literature and, therefore, if a young adult is truly plugged in with that genre, then they'll go through loads of it.
I foster independent reading and like to get away from my textbooks as much as possible. The kids seem to love it, too. When given the option of books they'd like to read, they mostly go for the young adult material. If there is a genre that is key to helping late blooming readers acquire the love of reading, I think this is probably a very important type to look into, not to contradict myself. I still stand by my earlier assertion, but unless you're a canon snob, you can see how these books appeal to elementary, middle, and high schoolers.
Relevant to current reading standards are some of these thoughts: Is it challenging, will it truly improve their reading level (or only keep it where it is at), is it truly literary (there's a slippery slope style question if there ever was one), and is it relevant to the world.
Relevant to reading for pleasure: Is it a book they can read and enjoy?
I suppose I prefer the latter standards, but current educational standards don't allow for that...I could rattle on for ages, but I'm going to terminate my thoughts here.
Generation R (R Is for Reader)
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"I don't want any distinguishing characteristics on my covers, no pictures of girls, not even hair color, because I want the readers to feel that they could be the girls in my stories," says Dessen, who has fought about this issue with her publisher because "with the kind of books I write, readers can hopefully read them and think, 'this book is my school, this is me, these are my friends, this is our lives.' In our popular culture now there is so little that real people can actually relate to. Maybe that's the draw with books that movies don't have: with a book you can lose yourself in it, you can really put yourself in the story."
Dessen loves writing young-adult fiction. "I have a supportive publisher, and really there are no limitations any more in this genre," she says. "And the other great thing is the immediate buzz and feedback. A few days after 'Lock & Key' came out, I got an e-mail from a reader asking me when I was going to write a sequel. This audience buys a book, they read it in a day, or less, and then they go on their blog and write about it. It's immediate. They read it fast and then they are ready for next one. I have an 8-month-old baby, and I'm still promoting this book, I haven't even thought about writing another one yet."
Dessen is very aware of the undercurrent of controversy in the young-adult book scene. A Florida school system tried to ban her last book, "Just Listen," about a girl who is assaulted at a party and finds the strength to speak up about what happened to her. When the passage describing the attempted rape was read out at a school board meeting, chairwoman Jennifer Faliero described the book as "repulsive." Teachers and librarians in the school district had to fight to keep it in the library. "I understand that parents are just being protective of their children. That's of course a good thing," Dessen says. "I just ask that before they criticize my books, they read them and understand the context." And even Dessen agrees that because her books and others deal with mature issues, parents as well as teachers, librarians and booksellers have an added responsibility to know what these kids are reading.
"I wouldn't recommend a Sarah Dessen book to anyone under 15," says Jack Martin. "They are terrific books, but there is an emotional maturity there that some younger teens are simply unequipped to handle. Realism penetrates these books, it's important for parents to know this. That's why it's important that parents talk with their kids about what they are reading, just like it's important for parents to know what movies and television shows they are watching and what kind of videogames they are playing."
Some parents are just saying no to violent videogames like Grand Theft Auto and yes to books. Steve Hunyar, owner of a software company in Alpine, Calif., says his 12-year-old twins are both voracious readers. But videogames are out. "My son enjoys the fantasy-fiction books while my daughter loves the coming-of-age genre." he says. "We do not have a PlayStation nor Xbox in our house, and no video in our cars. Academics and sports keep them quite busy. In fact, there have been times on our vacations when we've had to tell them to put their books down and look around."
As for Christopher Collins, the 13-year-old voracious reader you met atop this story, he says his parents are very aware of what he reads and they approve. His father, Craig Collins, 47, confirms that. "The books that Christopher and other teens are reading now challenge them, and that's what they like about them," he says. "I know there are people who get wound up about Harry Potter and fret that it might be promoting witchcraft and instilling anti-Christian thoughts into young minds. I think such people are fairly closed-minded. The great thing about literature is that it promotes the expansion of thought and the opening of minds."
Collins doesn't doubt that there is teen lit that crosses the line on controversial issues like drinking, drugs and sex. But, he says, the teen books his son has read have "gripped him and opened his eyes to the world. In addition to fanciful topics," he says, "many big issues are also touched upon in these books, including the Holocaust, bullying, death of a parent, death of a brother from leukemia, abusive parents, failure, success, love, war, etc. These are profound issues that I've seen handled tastefully. They're issues that some might think are too big for a teen. But teens, like adults, live in the real world. And I get the sense that they appreciate fiction that's honest and might give them a glimpse of what awaits them as adults."
© 2008
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