From: Monica R. Edinger <edinger>
Date: Mon, 05 May 2003 09:27:21 -0400

I like Jane Buchanan's idea, that edgier YA books provide windows into other ways of being. I would suspect that many kids read these books just to peek into worlds they are not part of and have no intention of being part of. World, however, that they know exist. I can remember the high school cliques of my time: those who did heavy drugs (one classmate died of a drug overdose the year after we graduated), those who drank, those who slept around. I wasn't part of any of them (being too new to the school, too shy, and too scared), but I'm sure I would have gulped up books about kids who were. In particular, I remember being told that a neighbor had gotten pregnant and then had an abortion. An abortion! She was so popular and I used to peek at her in awe as I passed her now and then on the street. What, I wondered, was her world like? . What could it possibly be like to become pregnant and then have an abortion? Did her parents even know? Her world was light years away from mine, but I'm sure I would have snapped up any book that gave me insight into it. So, while some may see these edgier books as cautionary tales, I think many kids read them to learn about paths down which they have no interest in venturing.

Monica

Monica Edinger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Mon 05 May 2003 08:27:21 AM CDT