Tired of my Tumblr board being drowned in images of immaculate shelves packed with YA novels and Harry Potter books neatly stacked between a skinny Macbook and a Starbucks mug, I thought I’d break out of my Nerdcave and see what all the fuss was about. .
I started with the preconceived idea that YA was just another trend, followed by naive teenagers with a particular taste for silliness. I ended up with the confirmed idea that literature was NOW just another fad followed by lazy adults who enjoy being stupid.
To start at the beginning, what the heck is a Yong Adult? Even to that rather simple question, there is no set answer. According to book publishers, a young adult is anyone between the ages of 12 and 18. Funny, I think of 12-year-olds as “older kids.” However, I’ve heard of writers and readers saying that YA is aimed at people 18-25 or even 15-30. I guess it’s only after 30 that you’re finally considered a “proper adult” or something. .
I don’t want to sound picky or anything, but according to almost all dictionaries, between the ages of 13 and 19 you are a teenager. That’s right, not a “young adult,” not an “almost grown up,” but a rebellious acne-prone teen.
So why don’t publishers simply call literature aimed at this 16-year-old age group “teenage literature”? Probably because they realized that “adult adults” also read it and that they would be embarrassed to go to the children’s section to buy their books. Understandable; It takes a lot of courage to flip through the Twilight books without pretending it’s for a little niece when you’re over 12, I’m not sure I have the balls to do it.
So… this little clarification leads us to the big question: “Why the hell do adults read books written for people so much younger than they are?”
I don’t like the answer I found but for me it is the most obvious. I think people read YA for the simple reason that those books are written with a plot not too difficult to follow, characters not too complex in a style not too complicated to understand. Am I saying YA readers are stupid? No. That readers are ALREADY lazy? Yes. On an intellectual level to be exact. It’s the problem of our generation, people are so used to having everything pre-chewed, ready to order so they don’t have to make any effort, like thinking (oh my head hurts!), reflecting on their reading habits .
‘Why exhaust myself using my brain reading a book written in subtle prose with an intricate plot and well-developed characters? It might make me think, let’s read Divergent, Maze Runner, whatever… ‘Okay, that’s harsh and generalizing, but that’s how the masses think and not just with literature.
I understand to some degree that real teens enjoy YA, after all, they are the target niche. The teenage years suck, they’re a period of doubt, and it’s legitimate to enjoy reading about young characters going through their existential puberty crisis when you’re going through the same thing. YA authors understand that they perfectly and mercilessly fill the book market with the so-called “real issues” of YA literature. (Oh! I have cancer, so do you, let’s get together!) Why not? Teenagers have to vent their hypersensitive hormones from time to time.
What I don’t condone, though, is “adult adults” reading YA. You have no excuse to identify with the characters, (or else please explain to me how a 28-year-old woman can identify with a prepubescent schoolgirl…). You also have no excuse that “adult literature” is complex for you, you are fucking adults!! Neither young adults, nor older adults, nor part-time adults. Just fucking mature, mature adults. Now may be the time to behave like one and stop hiding your ignorance behind “young adult” bullshit.
It’s time to grow up, to challenge your mind, to read something a little more substantial than sentimental teen romances. It’s time to open books that you find hard to read, with plots you find hard to follow, or writing styles you wouldn’t have gone to in the first place. This is how you will develop the ability to judge and think for yourself. It is your duty as an adult to educate yourself, sharpen your mind and challenge your brain.
I’m sorry to tell you this, but you can’t be an eternal child, as cool as that sounds to you. As an adult, you now have rights and obligations towards society, so don’t screw it up. I worry about being around people who lack curiosity to discover new things and who prefer to swallow the crap they are forced to eat. I am convinced that the world today would not be a disaster if people had read less John Green and more George Orwell. I’m not saying that the two are incompatible, it’s like a diet: eat (read) what you want, but eat (read) a little of everything and, from time to time, enjoy junk food (books). This is how you stay healthy (smart).
I’m going to stop my rant here and just say that (good) teen literature, Young Adult or whatever you call it, is fine for teens who can still enjoy a few more years of bleary-eyed stories without thinking too much about anything. apart from themselves. But you ‘grown-ups’ who swear that ‘the fault in our stars’ isn’t just ‘Twilight on chemo’, I think you’re just trying to bury your head in the sand and pretend you’re still a carefree youth (YOLO !), unconcerned with matters that really matter. Okay, apparently ignorance is bliss.
With all that being said, I’m going back to my Nerdcave to play all my ‘age 3+’ video games.