*Disclaimer: This blog post is entirely my unprofessional opinion. I will be giving reasons as to why I love YA as a librarian and literature major.*
“Why do you love Young Adult books so much? Aren’t they for, like, angsty teens?”
I get asked this a lot as someone who would much rather browse the “teen” section of the library or bookstore than the “adult” section. Yes, I am aware that I am in my 20s. No, I do not care and will not let my age keep me from reading what I think is the greatest genre of literature.
“Why?”
Mainly for two reasons:
- YA discusses and presents issues that other genres tend to neglect.
Authors of YA are not afraid to create characters who need help, whether it be mentally, emotionally, or physically. Everyone needs a little help every now and then, so these YA characters are relatable for everyone. My favorite YA novels are ones that have characters who struggle with a mental illness because I deal with anxiety and depression on a daily basis. There are some authors who I think write the symptoms and thoughts of someone with a mental illness better than others, but at least authors are trying to present these characters so that readers can relate.
Every character in YA deals with their struggles in different ways. I have yet to read two YA novels with characters that struggle with the exact same thing in the exact same way. This is because every person deals with situations in different ways. Characters in YA are real. They feel real pain, love, and anger just like anyone in their mindset or situation would. You won’t get that kind of realness or relatability from any other genre.
2. The YA Genre adapts and grows with its audience.
A YA novel published in the 90s will contain different situations and characters with different struggles than a book published in the last 2 or 3 years will have. This is because authors and publishers of YA actually pay attention and listen to their audience in order to keep YA characters and books relatable. Even if an author follows the most basic of YA templates, the novel will still be more original than most adult novels.
Don’t get me wrong- I am not a hater of all adult fiction. I have read some wonderful, earth-shattering novels from the adult genre. However, I think that the majority of authors get stuck on this idea that all adult novels need to contain love and sex in order to be recognized. This just isn’t true. If writers started making their characters more realistic in terms of struggles (and appearance, for that matter)then adult fiction could be completely revamped. Will that happen, though? I sincerely doubt it.
“It’s still written for teens, though.”
YA is written for anyone who enjoys more realistic stories and wants to really feel something. There are Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels within the genre, of course, like The Hunger Games series or the Arc of a Scythe series, but even these sub-genres of YA contain more realistic plot aspects and characters than other genres.
There is not an age limit on literature, save for the more sexual or darker adult novels. A person should read whatever they are interested in no matter how old they are. Thousands of adults like the Harry Potter series and it is Juvenile Fiction! Next time you go to your local library or bookstore, I recommend you look for a YA book from the list below. Read one and tell me that it didn’t make you feel something real.
My Top YA Recommendations:
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
Until next time- Go read a YA novel!
-Lit Librarian
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