Students passing through the hallways of American middle schools and high schools have much more on their minds than their pimpled faces may reveal. Adolescence is a time of turmoil, change, and questioning for young adults, as they face major development physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially. Teenagers have an innate desire to “fit in,” and be like peers, but often think of themselves as different, causing emotional tension as they try to develop their identities. As youth struggle their way to adulthood, it is a great deal of help when they have resources to turn to for answers, explanations, escape, and enjoyment.
Young adult literature is written specifically for teenagers, providing readers with support for, and reflection on, the struggles they face in middle school and high school. In young adult literature, an adolescent gets lost in a story about a character who is like the reader in characteristics and experiences, reducing the feeling of being an outcast that so frequently accompanies the tumultuous stage of life. In addition to experiencing like characters, a reader can be introduced to characters that are very unlike the individual, fostering empathy for others as the reader learns about life from another perspective. Through the reading of young adult literature, students can develop appropriate role models and consider the challenges that they may face not only now, but also in the future; young adult literature frequently introduces the realities and responsibilities of adulthood to be considered. The themes, characters, and stories of young adult literature play an important role in teen’s development of personal, social, and emotional identity.
Cart, M. (2008). ALA | YALSA White Papers | The Value of Young Adult Literature. American Library Association. Retrieved September 30, 2011, from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/profdev/whitepapers/yalit.cfm.
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I completely agree that young adult literature (YAL) is a pretty honest account of what being a teenager is like, more so than HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. There is so much YAL about a girl being torn between two suitors, or the average guy triumphing over the most popular guy in the school. In essence, I agree that young adults read to find answers to those problems they are too afraid to ask; however, I think the biggest reason teens are attracted to YAL is because it is a very therapeutic means of escape.
ReplyDeleteBeing given the opportunity to read about a group of girls that go to a posh boarding school in New York City is going to be so much more intriguing than a Geometry textbook distributed by the Baltimore City School System. Most young readers carry this means of escape into their adulthood, when they read trashy romance novels and tabloid magazines. I suppose the best we can do as educators is introduce them to stories that carry significance beyond what boy to choose as their prom date; the stories that teach them to love themselves and value their strengths will do them a lot more good in the long run.
The stigma attached to young adult literature is undeniable, but you are right to assert that many of the works in the genre are absolutely worthy of the time of not only teens but also voracious readers of any age. I believe part of what may steer you in the right direction, and piggybacking off of what Christen said, will be an interesting prose style attached to many of the works you give to kids. As a young man, one of my favorite texts to tear through was "Flowers for Algernon", mostly because I'd never read such an intentionally altered piece of writing before. Today, many of my students at my placement enjoy reading "Push", the source material for the Precious film from 2009, for the same reasons. Using different texts to convince students of the powers of language will be key to maximizing young adult literature.
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