Is the topic of suicide too dark for Young Adult Literature?
Below is an article from the New York Times that claims young adult literature focuses on too dark of themes which is damaging to the teens that read this literature. Some quotes from this link can also be found below!
New York Times - Darkness Too Visible
"If books show us the world, teen fiction can be like a hall of fun-house mirrors, constantly reflecting back hideously distorted portrayals of what life is. There are of course exceptions, but a careless young reader—or one who seeks out depravity—will find himself surrounded by images not of joy or beauty but of damage, brutality and losses of the most horrendous kinds."
"No family is obliged to acquiesce when publishers use the vehicle of fundamental free-expression principles to try to bulldoze coarseness or misery into their children's lives."
Jay Asher, Author of Thirteen Reasons Why, Responds!
Below is a quote of Asher responding to the New York Times article, "Darkness Too Visible".
How do you feel about the word “dark”?
"I always have a hard time finding the right word to describe the mood of the book. It basically deals with this uncomfortable subject matter. It’s hard for anyone to bring up, even outside of fiction. But that’s why it needs to be talked about. I think that’s why teens read a lot of these things: because it isn’t talked about openly. Or if it is, it’s talked about in clichéd ways, like that article. You have to talk about these things openly and honestly and not just the clichés and the knee-jerk reaction.... I think as an adult, our initial reaction when we find out that teens are reading a book about suicide or one dealing with drugs or eating disorders — you get that initial concern. But these books are written for teens, from the teen perspective. That’s what a lot of these articles are missing.
..But for writers, it’s not that. It’s that we see the positive things that come about because of these books. That’s what a lot of adults don’t understand. They don’t understand the power of books dealing with these subjects. To them it’s just scary. It’s scary to know that teens are being drawn to these books"
Read Full Interview HERE
Below is an article from the New York Times that claims young adult literature focuses on too dark of themes which is damaging to the teens that read this literature. Some quotes from this link can also be found below!
New York Times - Darkness Too Visible
"If books show us the world, teen fiction can be like a hall of fun-house mirrors, constantly reflecting back hideously distorted portrayals of what life is. There are of course exceptions, but a careless young reader—or one who seeks out depravity—will find himself surrounded by images not of joy or beauty but of damage, brutality and losses of the most horrendous kinds."
"No family is obliged to acquiesce when publishers use the vehicle of fundamental free-expression principles to try to bulldoze coarseness or misery into their children's lives."
Jay Asher, Author of Thirteen Reasons Why, Responds!
Below is a quote of Asher responding to the New York Times article, "Darkness Too Visible".
How do you feel about the word “dark”?
"I always have a hard time finding the right word to describe the mood of the book. It basically deals with this uncomfortable subject matter. It’s hard for anyone to bring up, even outside of fiction. But that’s why it needs to be talked about. I think that’s why teens read a lot of these things: because it isn’t talked about openly. Or if it is, it’s talked about in clichéd ways, like that article. You have to talk about these things openly and honestly and not just the clichés and the knee-jerk reaction.... I think as an adult, our initial reaction when we find out that teens are reading a book about suicide or one dealing with drugs or eating disorders — you get that initial concern. But these books are written for teens, from the teen perspective. That’s what a lot of these articles are missing.
..But for writers, it’s not that. It’s that we see the positive things that come about because of these books. That’s what a lot of adults don’t understand. They don’t understand the power of books dealing with these subjects. To them it’s just scary. It’s scary to know that teens are being drawn to these books"
Read Full Interview HERE