Young Adult Literature, 1980

One of my goals for 1980 is to become better acquainted with Young Adult Literature. This is the level of reading intended primarily for teenagers although we find that it appeals to our older borrowers too. Odd, that there should be this mutual interest by age groups which are far apart. That's one of the aspects which intrigues me.

Last spring the Young Adult consultant at the Southern Adirondack Library System instituted a system-wide survey of the reading preferences of teenagers and then she compiled the results. The first choice of all who participated was Jay Anson's "Amityville Horror." Then followed the works of authors: Paul Zindel, Judy Blume, SE Hinton, Tolkien, Isaac Asimov, John Neufeld, Stephen King, Richard Peck, Lois Duncan, Mary Higgins Clark and Sandra Scoppelttone.

Also included were CD Lewis, Agatha Christie, James Herriott, Erich Segal, John Knowles, Colleen McCullough, Dorothy Sayers, Elizabeth Speare, Harper Lee, John Steinbeck and others.

It is my pet theory that you learn quite a bit about people through their choice of reading matter. You may learn that they're in a rut if they read one type exclusively, like Westerns or Science Fiction. If readers choose Biography, they may either like to know more about the private lives of famous people or to learn about a period of time through the events in a person's life.

There are all sorts of inferences to be found by analyzing readers' choices.

I wonder if I could bridge the gap of age by reading more YA literature. If I knew what teens are reading and why, I might have a better understanding of their thoughts and actions.

In the book, "Books and the Teen Age Reader" by G. Robert Carlsen, the author states that "if books are to have meaning they must have related to the young person's personal and social needs." He lists the basic needs of a teen as:

1. Discovering his/her sex's role in our culture,
2. Developing new relationships with people his/her own age,
   
3. Achieving an easy relationship with members of the opposite sex,
   
4. Accepting his/her physical body
5. Changing his relationships with his parents
6. Working for pay
7. Finding a vocation and
8. Becoming aware of his value patterns.

Books can play an important part in helping teenagers grow up and become mature individuals. This author suggests that the teens' favorite authors, the writers for their generation, are usually experimenters both with literary forms and with basic human concepts.

The choice fo books may permit the adolescent to get rid of antagonism for adults. It may zero in on the specific problem the adolescent is facing. New literary topics include problems involving sex in all its ramifications, family relationships, vocations, etc. Their frankness and open discussion of former taboo subjects are eagerly sought by the teenage reader.

While I might eventually gain a greater understanding of teenagers by reading the books which are important to them, I know I will still be where I am with my priorities. There will still be a space between us.

Margaret Mead speaks of the generation gap in the book "Some Personal Views". She writes: "The generation gap is not something that will go away. It was brought about by changes that altered the life view and the life expectations of a particular generation. But the older members of that generation, many of them now young parents, have moved out into a wider world. They are moving toward responsibility."

So I'll pursue my reading of Young Adult literature with positive thinking. I don't look forward to reading "Amityville Horror" but it must have been chosen first for some reason and that's what I want to find out.