Sunday, June 12, 2011

Winnie and The YA's

I promised myself I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't jump on the Defend-Realistic-ContemporaryYA bandwagon (as if it really needs defending.) However there have been some folks squawking over the content matter of the books meant to entertain our youth. Not the Itty-Bitty's but the older, on the verge of adulthood crew. How dare we poison their innocence with our tales of sex, drugs and rock and roll? But seeing as how this is my genre of choice these days, I figure I'd toss my couple pennies worth in the ring. And here they are:
Please. Stop.
Since the dawn of time writers have been reporting the so-called dark side of teenage life. And by some stroke of fortune the large majority of kids made it to adulthood with little or no emotional scarring. Is it any wonder? I won't bother to mention Shakespeare, even the Bible where one can find a plethora of stories rated PG or above. (Oops, mentioned it didn't I?)
It's important for books to provide an escape from reality. But it's equally important for all readers to have something to relate to - a touch stone. A "this could be me" moment when their personal circumstance springs forth from the pages and ignites their senses. Let's face it, life at any age comes with trauma, grit, heartache and hopefully enough love and laughter to balance it all out.
Hey, to each his own. If it's too hot in the kitchen you can use your God-given legs to step outside and cool off. Read some Winnie-the-Pooh. It was Winnie that said:
If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”
(Awwe. I love that bear.)

No comments:

Post a Comment