Sunday, August 9, 2009

The Sunday Salon: Who put the "Adult" in Young Adult?

It was brought to my attention by The Story Siren that some teens--or one, anyway--resent the fact that adults are reviewing "their" books. I believe "Lena's" exact words were, "You old bloggers need to give up and let the real teen voices be heard. How can you have the same views as a teen when you are not one."

As an Old Blogger who regularly reviews Young Adult books, I thought I'd take a moment to explain why. But first, allow me to share a little secret of the publishing world.

Don't tell Lena, but YA books are (with a few exceptions) actually written by adults. They're also agented, edited, published, and printed by adults.

Even after that process is finished, "real teens" won't get much of a chance to read the books unless they're first bought by adults. I'm talking about the librarians and bookstore owners, many of whom love YA lit too, which is why you can find a variety of books there instead of just the old standbys that are sure to sell. These folks base their purchasing decisions on the ARCs they receive and the buzz created by the publisher's publicity department (made up of, believe it or not, more adults!) which also decides whether and which bloggers to send ARCs to. Believe me, Lena and friends: you only stand to benefit when we treat "your" books with the respect they deserve rather than passing them over as kid stuff.

So, why do I read and review YA lit, more than two decades after graduating from high school?
  • Because the authors are my cohorts and I find it inspiring to see what they're doing. If my book is ever published, I'll be pretty bummed if other adults don't bother reading it.
  • Is writing with younger people in mind incompatible with writing a beautiful and engaging book? Of course not. Literature is literature. If I suspect a book of being fluffy or trashy, I'm not likely to read it--but there are as many of those to avoid in the adult genres as in the YA category.
  • Adolescence is a crucial and fascinating stage of life--teens are an archetype of our power as humans to transform. I don't want to be sixteen again, but the challenges people face at that age still have relevance to me as an adult. My response to them is different than it would be if I were younger, but no less legitimate.
  • I think it's worth sharing an adult perspective on what's being marketed to our kids. I don't hear teens complaining that certain themes in a currently popular vampire series are a disastrous blow to girls' self esteem. Does that mean it shouldn't be said? (I'd say it's an argument for the fact that it needs to be said).

I do take teens' reactions into account when I review a YA book. When I reviewed The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, I wasn't sure whether teens would appreciate the novel's voice, so I checked teen reviews and incorporated that into my review. Later, I blogged about a teen/adult discussion of that and other YA books at my library's Mock Printz Award workshop.

I encourage all teens who love books to make their voices heard. I love reading the reviews written by eloquent teens like Steph, Ari, Vanessa, and others, but there are many other ways for teens to make their opinions known. Talk with librarians and bookstore owners (some bookstores offer free ARCs in exchange for teen input on which books to buy), twitter or email publishers and authors, leave comments on their facebook pages and on book review blogs.

But don't get mad at the ex-teens of the world for "stealing" your books. Consider them a gift, from the many people who put so much heart and soul into making them happen, to you. Enjoy.

26 comments:

  1. Fantastic explanation as to why adults are as deserving of YA as teens are. :-)

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  2. As always, Ali, you say it all and you say it perfectly.

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  3. From one "Old Blogger" to another, very well said! Great post!

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  4. Sounds to me like a few (or at least one) teens got intimidated by the reviews by adults (because they're afraid their writing might not be as good, or that they wouldn't be able to write a good review) and are lashing out like teens sometimes do. Without realizing they're only making themselves look childish.

    I can understand it really. You see someone write well (or do anything well) and you are worried that anything you write or do will just look stupid in comparison so you lash out before someone can mock you.

    I only hope Lena didn't use her real name/email address so that when she realizes how immature she was she won't be embarrassed having her name still out their for all to see.

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  5. There should have been a SOME in there some where - as in "SOME teens" - in no way was I meaning to say that all teens lash out or would be that immature. I definitely know there are some cool teens - some of whom are writing their own reviews!

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  6. Nicely done, and I like that you can include links to teen YA bloggers.

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  7. I about choked on my dinner reading the first paragraph. You old bloggers. I know my students think I'm old, even if I don't. I could almost hear one of them making that comment. Sheesh.

    Your response back is brilliant. (And I'll keep the secret about the publishing world safe. *wink*)

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  8. Great response, Ali.

    If I had received the email, I would have deleted and not have given it much thought because of the tone and behavior of the writer, not her age.

    My children tell me regularly that I'm old. Frankly, I don't take that as an insult. I like that I'm old. Even happier I'm not a teen at this time and I enjoy the relationships I have with teens who don't mind that I'm old. lol

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  9. I respect and care about the opinion of adult bloggers. As a teen blogger, I'm often to curious to read what adults think about teen books. I like your reviews Ali, and many other adult blogger's as well (the Brain Lair, susan's, Doret's and so many others).
    excellent post. I didn't know that some bookstores offered free ARCS sometimes in exchange for teen input. Interesting. I learn something new from adult and teen bloggers everyday!

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  10. Oh and adult bloggers can be intimidating like JenR said because your reviews are so articulate and thoughtful. Pressure! But they are just something to aspire to, to be able to write that well.
    Thanks for the shoutout! :)

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  11. I'm wondering if more adults don't read YA books than YAs. (so then it's not really stealing....)

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  12. Your blog entry made me chuckle. Didn't know some young adults took issue with non-young adults reviewing YA Fiction.

    :-)

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  13. Ari,

    I read all your reviews and I'm intimidated. Your reviews flow. You bring an energy and perspective to your reviews I wish I had.

    And I'm not gushing over you because you like me. :0

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  14. Well said, Ali. :)

    I thought "real teens" was funny.

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  15. One of the more puzzling incidents to happen recently in the book blogging world...It is because there are so many adults in the process that teens have great books to read.

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  16. As somebody involved in a teen book review blog, it doesn't make any sense. A review is a review and if it's good, it gives more popularity to a book that could've been ignored. If it's bad, it'll save other readers the time and money they might've spent on that book. As in many things, age shouldn't matter here.

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  17. Lovely explanation. Books are meant to be shared.

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  18. Here's the real issue: Teens have far too much purchasing power in today's culture. Their money, their opinion and their goodwill is so highly sought after by commerce that as a demographic they've developed an inflated opinion of themselves.

    Not true of all teens, of course, but it's a very messed up world when the teen dollar trumps the adult's.

    Btw, I have an award for you. :)

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  19. Great post. I would love to see tons of teen bloggers reviewing all the YA and adult fiction.

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  20. Well-said! Thank you for such a great post and I hope it's taken in the same spirit with which it was written. Brava!

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  21. A most excellent rebuttal...well said!

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  22. Sheesh, Ali...you just rock! I loved reading the reasons why you read YA, and I couldn't agree with you more. My "almost teen" loves that I read YA...she'll often put the ones she really loved on my nightstand for me. And they can lead to some pretty awesome discussions. And I love seeing our differing perspectives.

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  23. I found it a bit sad the way the teen said it...and your repartee was exceptional!!

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  24. That was an exceptional post - it is realistic and truthful and speaking from a place of kindness and experience. :)

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  25. I was overwhelmed into speechlessness by all the kind words on this post. Thank you, all. Thank you.

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