Darkness In YA: It All Comes Down To A Choice (Part 2)

So far this week we've had two awesome viewpoints on the "darkness in YA debate." Now it's my turn. 

Like Amparo said, "dark" is a very subjective term. There has been so much talk about '"dark" books, but I wanted to look back to a "dark" book from 1950, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis: 

"At the time it was fashionable for children’s stories to be realistic: fantasy and fairy tales were seen as indulgent, appropriate only for very young readers, and potentially harmful to older children, even hindering their ability to relate to everyday life. Some reviewers thought the tale overtly moralistic, or the Christian elements over-stated — attempts to indoctrinate children. Others were concerned that the many violent incidents might frighten children." Gene Veith (2008)

I can imagine many reacted in the same way to this book in 1950 as they may with one of the modern "dark" books. Today this book is a classic. I don't hear many people debating its so-called 'moralistic' tone. As a child, I wasn't told by my parents not to read it. It wasn't as much of an issue. And I never heard about anyone knocking themselves unconscious trying to walk through their wardrobe into Narnia either. Things change. Times change. The line moves all the time. 

"We used to believe the Sun revolved around the Earth. We don't anymore. Let's look at each book. Let's look at each kid, each situation, and see where the line should be." Lauren Myracle 

Do I believe YA fiction is too dark? No. I believe there are a wealth of stories out there, dark or not, that are waiting to be read/told. We all know there are teens who don't drink, do drugs, have sex etc. Some teens don't want/feel the need to read "dark/issue" related books. What the WSJ article seemed to forget is that there are books out there for them. Authors like Sarah Dessen, Ally Carter, Mandy Hubbard, Maureen Johnson, Sara Shephard, Lisi Harrison, and Louise Rennison have written/write books that aren't "dark." 

But we can't forget there are those who don't have an easy time. There needs to be books that address the issues they face. Even just books that show teens a different side of life to theirs. Because, even if they aren't going through cutting/sex/abuse/eating disorders etc., someone they know may be. And the book can serve as an education, warning, create empathy... the list goes on. 

So where does it leave us? It all comes down to choice. Not every YA will reads/wants to read the happy, light-hearted books anymore than they will the "dark," issue-driven ones. But to say all YA books are too "dark" is ignoring the rich world of YA fiction. In the end there should always be a choice to read the books we want to read. To write the books we want to write. Times change. But, in the end, the freedom to choose is forever.

Links: npr interview with Meghan Cox Gurdon and author Lauren Myracle. Scott Westerfield wrote a fantastic post on the subject, Think About The Parents. npr.com has an post talking the subject:Seeing Teenagers As We Wish They Were