There are people out there who think it's childish for grown-ups to enjoy YA novels. Sometimes they even write to advice columnists about it. I started reading YA as a child, true. When I was ten or so, I still loved Nancy Drew and Animorphs. But each book took me maybe twenty, twenty-five minutes to read. I needed something more substantial, for the sake of my attention span and my parents' wallets. My dad tried by giving me novels such as Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, but she had this terrible habit of interrupting the awesome vampire action with boring sex. Then I discovered the YA section of the library, starting with WILD MAGIC by Tamora Pierce. I've never outgrown it because there's nothing to outgrow.I like books about teenagers. No, I'm not a teenager. But I like books about gay Chinese dragon tamers*, and I am not gay, nor Chinese, nor a dragon tamer. If the only books I could read were about lower middle class, white, twentysomething technical writers from Texas I would be very bored. YA is just another type of book. Yeah, it's marketed mostly to teens. I love science fiction and that's marketed mostly to men. About the only genre I read actually marketed to me is romance. I can deal. If the person observing me read can't, why should I care?
My policy: read what you like. Read how you like. No shame.
If you like YA, MG, children's books . . . the only childish person is the one concerned about someone else's reading habits.
*I am sadly not referring to an actual book. But I would read that book in a hot minute.
I agree so much! Everyone should read what they like! It shouldn't matter to anyone what other people like to read!
ReplyDeleteIf only, right?
Delete"the only childish person is the one concerned about someone else's reading habits."
ReplyDeleteWell said!
I struggled with years regarding the "read with no shame" thing, not for Children's books or YA - I've never had any problem reading those books - but with Romance. I'm surprised to hear people mention a stigma attached to reading YA, today, I had never noticed, but there's definitely one attached to reading romance, and it's taken me years to just shrug that off.
Oh man, there is a huge stigma with romance too. I think the stigmas are similar - both meet an attitude that only uneducated people who are lacking something in their lives would read them.
DeleteWonderful post. People should definitely read what they want. I read a lot of adult books when I was a teenager and I'm now in my twenties reading a lot more YA. Romance certainly has a stigma; you're right, but I read that too.
ReplyDeleteI go through waves with adult books. Sci fi/fantasy, always. Literary fiction - I have to be in the mood.
DeleteAh man I was all over the gay chinese dragon tamer book, and while my eyes were moving down to the footnote I was wondering if they would be men or women, and decided they would be men, and one was wearing red silk and was hot in a sensitive way and the other was more saturnine and then... sniff.
ReplyDeleteI have never read a book about lower middle class, white, twentysomething technical writers from Texas. Is there one????
Perhaps I should write the gay Chinese dragon tamer book myself, as there is clearly an audience.
DeleteI have yet to find one, but I'd probably read it for curiosity's sake.
I was looking for the title of the gay chinese dragon tamer book too! Scanned to the footnote immediately.
ReplyDelete"Read what you like. Read how you like. No shame." I love that. Have you read The Rights of the Reader? I shared some of those rights with my 4th and 5th graders this week. Same type of idea. Skip to the end? Abandon books? Re-read? We have permission to read what works for us in any way we prefer. :)
I've seen the Rights of the Reader before, but I'd forgotten about them until you mentioned it.
Deleteabsolutely!
ReplyDeleteand am sure a book with that title would be very successful, lol
Seems like!
DeleteQuote: "I've never outgrown it because there's nothing to outgrow. [...] If the only books I could read were about lower middle class, white, twentysomething technical writers from Texas I would be very bored. [...] the only childish person is the one concerned about someone else's reading habits."
ReplyDeleteLOL! And I'm even more mature than you - in age, that is. Definitely left my twenties behind me...a long time ago. But the kind of entertainment YA provides appeals to me, because it gives me escapism, magic (not literally, because I'm not into fantasy, unless it's a Charmed episode on TV...) and strong emotions. I'm a bit picky, because romance must be marginal for me to like a book, and same goes for TV series. I like out-of-the-ordinary things, dead people who are still alive in another plane of existence, imaginative sci-fi and improbable time-travel. Adult books don't seem to go all the way with those that often...also, there's sex, family, mortgages, you name it. I don't need to read about details from my everyday life. I need to fly...In short, I like what I like. Just like you. Just like everyone else.
Also, the kid inside never really dies...
Oh, man, that's the thing I hate worst about literary fiction sometimes. All the characters super concerned with bills and everything. It's realistic but it brings me down.
DeleteYou started to read it when you were younger - that's it, really, why should someone give up books they enjoy just because they're no longer in the age group. I'm going to have to read the Tumblr even if it makes me mad - I know people think YA isn't mature enough, but never having encountered that viewpoint personally I'm always interested in learning where it comes from. Very good point about not being Chinese or gay either. Yes, it's nice to be able to relate to characters, but they don't have to be exactly the same as you for you to be able to relate.
ReplyDeleteYep. I think everyone should have the opportunity to read about people like them, but that doesn't mean everyone should only read books about people who are like them.
DeletePREACH!
ReplyDelete(i am in the exact same boat)(which of course you know)
Also, I find that I'm mildly ashamed to admit that I've never read a Tamora Pierce book. Is it safe to say I'll love them? Should I start with WILD MAGIC?
DeleteIt's very safe to say! You can start with WILD MAGIC, but I'd start with either ALANNA: The First Adventure or SANDRY'S BOOK.
DeleteBrava-great post! I hate when other people try to police your reading (especially when a lot of those people don't read anything at all.) YA has meant so much to me especially the community of people I've met online because of it!
ReplyDeleteThat's about what my mom always says. If they aren't reading, they definitely can't judge.
DeleteDamn, I was so excited to find that gay Chinese dragon tamer book! TEASE.
ReplyDeleteWendy @ The Midnight Garden
You know it.
Delete