As a 32 year old currently very pregnant adult I'm probably not the perfect person to say whether or not teens should be having sex but as a YA author I'm constantly thinking about it (boy did that come off wrong). What I mean is, do teen characters have to have sex to be realistic in YA literature? It's hard to say but I like to lean towards no and here is why.
Sex in YA books is not akin to Erotica. People aren't reading YA for the sex. They are reading YA for the story, the nostalgia, and the reliability. YA authors don't go into sexual detail because said detail has a certain pedo feel to it! It is typically a glossed over paragraph or even just one line at the end of a chapter ala Maggie Stievfater's "Shiver". So does the sex really need to happen? In my opinion when you have young characters have sex without repercussion or follow up discussion its like saying sex for teenagers is as frequent and easy as getting Netflix without paying for it. To me that is not realistic. I remember my own teenage years and though I wasn't cool enough to be in a crowd where sex was common I do remember talking about it a lot and I definitely remember it being a big deal when someone had it. It seems to me that YA books don't talk about sex unless it is related to rape, characters have it, but they don't talk about it and I think it would be a positive change to see a little more of that. My characters never have sex, not in my first book and not in the two I am working on now. Why? Because they don't have to have sex to make you believe their relationship is going somewhere and quite frankly I think teen fear of sex is more realistic than the act itself. So, how am I going to be a helper and not a contributor to the problem? As a writer I am going to challenge myself to avoid mating my characters for the sake of the easy romantic climax (not the sexy kind) but I'm also gonna challenge myself to make sure my characters talk about it when it's relevant, something I avoided doing in Delinquent. I'm interested to hear what you think? YA sex: Yes, No? Go!
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1. The Awakening: Confession, I read the Awakening EVERY year. It never stops shaking me. Edna Pontellier falls in love with a man on the island she visits with her husband and children. They don't kiss, they don't cross the line, they just orbit around one another until he leaves suddenly, presumably to save her from herself. Edna enters a deep depression, realizing wife and mother are not terms that define her. The further she awakens the more clear it becomes that she cannot return to her former life, not for her husband, not for the children, not for herself. There is no saving her.
2. The Likeness: This deeply sad book was nearly a DNF (did not finish) for me. A detective discovers she bears a striking resemblance to the murder victim in her most recent case. In order to delve deep into the psyche of those around the victim the police do not announce the murder. Instead they plant the detective in the murdered girl's household where she is tasked with investigating the four roommates, consequently the last four people to have seen the victim alive. Detective Maddox finds herself intrigued by the housemates, make it difficult for her to see them as suspects. This one was hard for me to finish because the deeper it got the more attached to the characters I became. I knew one of the roommates had to have been the culprit but I didn't want to see them go to jail and I didn't want to see Cassie give up the close relationships she developed while living in the house. Though Tana French always writes things that leave me thinking long after the last page, this is one in particular has been difficult to let go of. 3. Frostfire: Amanda Hocking is officially my indie publishing idol. This is the girl that lent credibility to self-publishing. Her books pretty much rule and on top of that...they sell, which can't be said for most indie books. In fact they sold so well that she now has a publishing contract. When I bought Frostfire for our library I didn't know the history behind the author. I had read a good review and I had a co-worker desperate to read it (perks of knowing a purchasing librarian). I am so glad to have taken a chance on it. Frostfire has it all, fantastic settings, a convincing world of the fae, young love, and quick paced storytelling. I'm pretty psyched about completing the series. Hey you! Random girl on the internet, why should I listen to you when it comes to books? I can make my own decisions!
You can totally make your own decisions. Don't be so feisty! I'm just trying to establish a little credibility here. So why should you listen to me? When I'm not on the internet writing and answering my own questions, I'm working as a Youth Services Librarian and part of that job entails reading hundreds of book reviews to determine what books will be a good fit for our library. It also means I get to spend my days talking to people about books they love, hate, want to burn etc. Your bio says you review for School Library Journal. Is that not enough for you? Well...it's really kind of not. SLJ is awesome. They send you free copies of up and coming authors and sometimes you score an advanced readers copy from a super celebrity author like Veronica Roth or Maggie Stievfater but.....you don't get to pick what you read and that can be a bummer! I'm starting this review site because I want to review books that peak my interest. I want CHOICE! Are you only gonna post reviews? That can be kind of a snore. Nope. I am also going to write snarky entries like this one whenever the mood strikes. Will you take review requests from Indie Authors? Why yes...why yes I will! But, I am also going to review whatever I am reading at the moment whether that be a traditionally published giant like Jane Eyre or a fun find through Amazon Prime. If you want to send me a book to review check out the submissions tab. Don't you secretly want to be an author yourself? Pretty much...which is why reading, reviewing and conversing with literary fans like yourself is a great way to learn what people like to read! Follow this blog please! |
AuthorWith my Masters in Library Science I review for School Library Journal, Indie Authors and local publications. Archives
August 2017
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