Anna Begins Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 (edited) Athena You are very right , and brought up a good point. The YA books I'm sure help lots of teens address situations in their lives that they struggle with such a s bullying for one . There are probably lots of teens who don't have a close person they feel comfortable in talking to ,so they can read about others who face adversity and how to handle it . I think this is the right place for this... I saw the movie for Gale Forman's If I Stay last night and ended up reading an interview with her after the movie on Amazon. She gave a great quote on YA: Q: This book explores some serious themes. Why is this a book for kids and not adults? GF: It’s a book for kids precisely because it explores serious themes. Teenagers are grappling with choices about life and love as much as adults, so why shouldn’t their reading reflect that? I don’t set out to write YA. It just seems like I’m drawn to stories about young people. That said, I think If I Stay is for adults, too. I love the idea of teens reading this book and then handing it off to their parents. Edited September 11, 2014 by Anna Begins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Stamper Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Do you read Mr Men books as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Do you read Mr Men books as well? When I see one available to be read I do, they are so cute. Oops sorry, I realise now that you were trying to be all clever and condescending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Stamper Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 When I see one available to be read I do, they are so cute. Oops sorry, I realise now that you were trying to be all clever and condescending. Not at all. I've read them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Tim, let me warn you now that if you're only here to be clever or to upset people, it won't be tolerated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 We had a big bang up on this board sometime during the summer about Harry Potter. Not a fan of book snobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 (edited) Coming to this late: don't know why I didn't pick this up earlier. Some interesting thoughts and comments. Some of my own to contribute: Personally, I tend not to read YA books much any more: yes I do, in very broad terms, find most of them a bit too simplistic for my taste, and tend to hanker for something I find a bit more involving and/or challenging. I also am generalising very broadly: YA books encompass a massive range of reading, just as 'grown-up' books do. But, within those general terms, there is a difference. I don't quite know what it is - I read plenty of lighter books, so we're not talking just big classics etc., but there is something about the writing in YA books that feels 'younger'. But that, I think, is as much due to the fact that, being a teacher, I've had more than enough of 'young people's' issues/ideas at the end of the working day, and am in need of alternative sustenance. But I could easily say the same for many 'adult' books. Indeed, I would suggest that quite a lot of YA books are more 'adult' than many books aimed at the grown-ups! It's simply horses for courses - we all want different books at different times in different contexts. And I did say 'tend to hanker', as that isn't always the case! I do feel that the writer is being horribly patronising, and do agree with others here that her condemnation of YA books as unsuitable for 'adults' is a nonsense. Funnily enough, I found several of Joanne Harrison's 10 reasons to read YA books exactly reasons why I don't read them much any more: I certainly appreciate young people, their enthusiasm, etc etc, but I'm not young any more, and my needs have changed (I don't regard myself as old either - mid-50s - but my son would disagree with me!). I certainly believe reading should be inclusive, i.e. include all styles of readers - including those who don't want to find YA books generally particularly rewarding. I certainly don't rely on critics (including Joanne Harrison) to tell me what to read, and am equally old enough to decide what I do want to read (as well as leaving others to read what they want to read!). And I do agree, I want to be completely involved in a book, but I generally don't find I get that involvement with YA books. Etc etc. Finally, I'm not sure I agree that 'a good book is a good book', simply because I'm not sure what is meant by a 'good' book. As I've found all too often since joining my book group, my 'good' (or do I mean 'enjoyable'?) book is somebody else's disaster, and vice-versa. Edited November 5, 2014 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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