From: SueDNimn at aol.com <SueDNimn>
Date: Mon, 5 May 2003 14:22:50 EDT

This is a subject that is very near and dear to my heart on a lot of levels. I suppose first and foremost as a parent of a teenage daughter who reads a ton of books. (I had to laugh at the comment about books being a good discussion piece for parents and teens. I had always planned to read the same books as my children. Then we would sit around and have meaningful discussions about theme and such. Ha! By the time my daughter hit the fifth grade, I couldn't keep up with her reading load any more. Now she goes to the library and checks out stacks of books and just tells me which ones are the good ones.)

Anyway, I think one of the things we have to think about during this discussion is why teens (or anyone) reads. Yes, I suppose there is a factor of kids reading about experiences so that they can glean support. Kids who are dealing with certain issues may search out books that deal with the same subject. But is this the vast majority? I doubt it.

I think kids, like adults, will always read for the entertainment value. Period. Harry Potter. Need I say more?

So why are there so many edgy teen books out and are they a good thing?

I can see the reason authors write edgy teen books. From a marketing perspective it's tempting, and perhaps even more lucrative then the alternative.

I don't write edgy teen books. Although I enjoy one occasionally. I think there's a glut of them, and honestly I get tired of delving into all the depression and angst. Isn't there enough of that on the news? Do I really want to spend hours more wading through it all? Also it seems a bit like a soap opera. Do so many teens really have such awful parents? Are they all really alcoholics having affairs who insist on perfection from their children? I hope not. I hope the world isn't such a depressing place. Most of the teens I know don't read much of that stuff. In fact they don't read much at all, and I have to blame this partially on English teachers (who insist teenagers read books in class they would never chose on their own, and then suck any of the enjoyment out of reading by focusing primarily on symbolism. Ironic, because I know a lot of writers, and very few of them give much thought to symbolism while writing.) I also blame kid's lack of interest in reading on all the edgy, depressing books out there. My daughter avoids most of them. She has transferred over to fantasy books, and I think the reason is that fantasy books still concentrate on plot as opposed to exploring some "issue".

Still, having said all of that, I still see the lure of writing an edgy book.
 When people ask you what your last book is about (and everyone who finds out I'm a writer always asks) it just seems so anticlimactic to say something like: It's about this boy who needs to pull his algebra grade up or he'll get kicked of the baseball team.

They look at me like -- that's it? So?

I always want to tell them, "But it's a funny book. You would like it. Your kids would like it."

How do you convey that to someone in the grocery store check out line?

Now I'm starting to plot my next novel, and I keep thinking, wouldn't it be nice if I could tell people: It's about a girl with an eating disorder. It's about the trauma of divorce. It's about -- but no, I'll write another non edgy humor book that sounds boring when you describe it.

I have one more point to make, but I'm out of time so I'll make it later. I still have three weeks here on the soap box.

Janette Rallison

author of Playing the Field and upcoming All's Fair in Love, War, and High School
Received on Mon 05 May 2003 01:22:50 PM CDT