CCBC-Net Archives

edgy YA

From: Jane Buchanan <jbuchanan>
Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 09:19:01 -0400

On Wednesday, May 21, 2003 BudNotBuddy at aol.com wrote:


Do you have specific examples of this in YA literature, Richie? I was just thinking that books written for young adults aren't actually *about* the sex. The sex is usually part of a larger picture. There's a context. I can't think of a YA book I've read that glorifies sex--or consumerism for that matter. That's why I'm thinking there's less concern about kids being driven to wild sexual behavior as the result of reading these books. Often they're asking kids to examine this behavior and think about what they're doing, it seems to me.

In fact, my 19-year-old daughter was just telling me yesterday that one of the things she dislikes about a lot of adult books is that the sex seems to be just thrown in there, without advancing the plot, and is very explicit--unnecessarily so, she feels. In YA books, she said, if it's there it's there for a reason and is less graphic as a rule.

Have others read YA books in which this isn't the case?

Jane

Jane Buchanan http://www.janebuchanan.com

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Received on Wed 21 May 2003 08:19:01 AM CDT