Young Adult Literature: Random Musings, Inspirations and Dreams - A Reflection on the Genre

All my life I've wanted to be a young adult fantasy literature writer. I don't remember which Young Adult literature book changed my life but I do remember many that at some point in my life have offered guidance, advice or inspiration to me. The genre is especially dear to me, since it's one catered to audiences often ignored, underestimated and with just as many problems as adults. 

Whenever I write fiction I tend to go out. Parks, malls, coffee shops and the occasional restaurants often provide me inspiration but when I really need to connect with my fiction I turn to libraries. No matter where I sit, I think of the Young Adult section and things just seem to flow together in harmony, almost as if the words suddenly decided to dance unto the paper or screen. 

Unique Love Stories: Finding the Needle in the Haystack in YA Literature by Miss Jay Gray

   Let’s be honest, the Young Adult genre is saturated with love stories. From books like the Twilight series, to even books that are not romantic stories like the Hunger Games series – they all include, at the very least, hints of romance and, most frequently, the dreaded love triangle. One could argue that the entire YA genre itself is saturated, since most novels seems to be following in the footsteps of the more ‘original’ and ‘popular’ novels in the genre. But every once in a while, one finds a treasure amongst the mounds of copycats – a needle in the haystack. Rainbow Rowell is one of those hidden gems.

   Not since J.K. Rowling have I found such a wonderful and entertaining writer. I discovered Rowell when her YA novel, Eleanor & Park, was chosen as the best YA read of 2013 on the reading site Goodreads. At first I was hesitant because the summary sounded quite general – like any other YA romance novel, awkward girl meets the guy of her dreams. As I started reading, though, I quickly realized I was in for a very different kind of romantic story.

First of all, the novel takes place in the 80s, a completely different setting from the present and future worlds typical to the YA genre. Second, and most important, our main girl Eleanor is not your typical love-struck Mary-Sue; she is an overweight girl trying to get through high school while at the same time living through a lot of serious – very serious – problems at home. Park comes into her life at just the right moment and their relationship doesn’t develop overnight, there is a slow buildup of emotions that makes the reader fall in love with these two strange characters and their odd relationship.

   Moments after finishing Eleanor & Park, I knew I had to have another hit of Rowell’s marvelous writing and amazing characters, so I quickly turned to her other YA novel Fangirl, of which I had heard amazing things as well. I did not disappoint. If I thought Eleanor & Park was a unique love story, then Fangirl was one step ahead, because it didn’t feel like I was reading a love story at all. Partly because it was so well done and mostly because I was too busy wondering how Rowell had managed to write a novel about my fanfic-writing, yaoi-loving, Harry Potter-fanatic self. Cather’s love story is not only about a boy (whose name I won’t give away for the sake of SPOILERS), but also about the books series she loves and her twin sister. Like Eleanor, Cather also has many serious problems at home, but through her various love stories she is able to find herself as a person and her place as a writer.

    Rainbow Rowell has truly been an amazing discovery. Not since Suzanne Collins released The Hunger Games back in 2008 have I been this excited about an upcoming YA author. So I encourage you all to discover the magic within the pages of her books – the needle in the YA romance haystack has been found.

Miss Jay Gray

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Miss Jay Gray is one of our experts in Young Adult literature. Not only does she specializes in this genre, but she's also an avid fan of everything anime, gaming, and cosplay. Her love for this type of literature has given her an opportunity to study it from an academic perspective. Expect great things form Miss Jay Gray, because here, at PT, we'll be looking forward to more collaborations with her.

Comic Book Thursdays: Close Minded Adults, Open Minded Teens

 

Astonishing X-Men 51, variant cover

When I was a teenager, I bought tons of comics. Teen Titans and Young Justice immediately come to mind and even X-Men occasionally graced my shelves as well though I never got into it. Most of these stories were watered down versions of the regular, more adult titles and some were downright silly but occasionally they touched on serious issues. It was the 90’s after all and even though some subjects weren’t taboo, it still shocked people when things like drugs were in teen oriented stories.

  Considering how politically correct the world is nowadays, it’s strange that teen oriented storylines touch on issues adults avoid. Even more intriguing, is how open minded teenagers are to these sorts of issues.

  Let’s take an overused (and by overused, I mean everyone has posted some opinion on it) hot topic right now. Homosexuality in comics isn’t new, yet every time a character comes out; it’s cause for a moral panic. In 2006, Batwoman was announced to be a lesbian and people went ballistic. As a subtle joke, both her identities shared a name with a female Batman character designed to dispel gay rumors in the 50’s. Before the book was even out; people criticized it on every level. The same thing happened with Northstar and Kyle's wedding issue of the X-Men. People actually objected over the marriage and sexual preferences of fictional characters, citing them as immoral.

A Very Brief History of Young Adult Literature

Young Adult literature is becoming more and more prominent these days. You can't go to a bookstore, movie theater or even the internet without hearing about the latest young adult book in some way or another. Many people dismiss it as a new thing to market to impressionable teens or that it surged about with Harry Potter. Truth is, this genre has existed for quite some time.

And by quite some time, I mean more than a few centuries back.