CCBC-Net Archives
sibert award
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Benita Strnad <bstrnad>
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 09:26:53 -0500
Certainly in the adult literature world the nonfiction book is in a period of supremacy. This last weekend BookTV interviewed literary critic Dale Peck while he was attending Book Expo America. (he is the author of the recently published book of literary criticism "Hatchet Job.") In this interview spoke at great length about the sorry state of fiction writing. Of course this is for the adult world and not children's or young adult lit., but several people have mentioned this recent phenomena in passing. I think it is an important issue. It seems that in the adult literary world nonfiction is clearly on the ascendancy and fiction is in a state of decline. (Expect perhaps for Ophra's Book Club few people talk about fiction.) Children's and Young Adult literature is the exact opposite. In this world fiction reigns supreme and non-fiction is the poor step-child.
When we think of the classic authors of the past most of them are not known because they wrote nonfiction. Perhaps exceptions could be made for Edward Gibbons and "The Rise and Fall of The Roman Empire" or Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" but in general Sir Walter Scott or Charles Dickens are much better known. At least people are more likely to have actually read something by the latter two authors than they have the former.
In many ways I think that non-fiction is more ephemeral than is fiction. What is relevant today is not tomorrow. In historical terms twenty-five years from now is tomorrow. I think that the adult nonfiction book of today is the newspaper of yore. Back in the day people read newspapers by the dozens. Today newspapers are dying on the vine from lack of circulation, but non-ficiton book purchases are up with no signs of slowing.
The situation in children's and young adult literature is almost the reverse of that in adult literature. In the children's and young adult literature good nonfiction is scare. There is no doubt that children's and young adult literature ought to have a strong nonfiction presence, but it is harder to get children interested in reading non-fiction for pleasure. They do not have the peer pressure coming at them that makes them want to read so that they can be informed and able to talk to their peers at parties. They are not likely to sit around the dinner table and talk about the events of the day so there is no need for them to be in?pth informed. Perhaps we as adults should be talking to our young adults like they were adults and forcing them to participate in conversations. If we asked their opinion about events and demanded that they have some kind of historical knowledge about the events then we would be encouraging reading nonfiction books as well as fiction.
As illustration of what I mean I offer the following story. My nephew Robert is 16 and a sophomore in High School. His English class was to have read Eli Weisel's "Night". I have a large family with 37 first cousins who all live in the same home town. At our family Christmas Robert complained that only two people out of the class of 23 had actually read the book. When Robert was asked why he had read the book since nobody else did he replied that he didn't care about what his classmates thought because they weren't likely to discuss the book with him. On-the-other-hand, he knew that if he sat down to talk with his various cousins, Aunts, and Uncles and the subject of WWII or the Holocaust came up that he had better know what he was talking about. Furthermore, if any of his relatives found out the book was assigned then he would be in big trouble if he had not read it! It all came down to the fact that around this boy there is enough pressure from adults to be knowledgeable so that he can be included in discussions about events, ideas, people, places, and things for him to read and do a little studying up in order to fully participate. Expectations from adults are the motivation for him to be informed.
If we expected our children to be informed and talked to them like they were contributing members of society there would be greater emphasis placed on reading nonfiction and there would be more of it published. With more pressure the quality of the books would also rise. (The forumula series non-ficiton book comes to mind here.) Publishers should be scouring the woodwork for writers to do non-fiction and they should be encouraging the writer's they do have to do quality non-ficiton that informs and entertains. Both can be done. "Carver a Life in Poems" is an example.
(Incidentally, Robert got a signed copy of Russell Freedman's "In Defense of Liberty" a couple of years ago, and he has participated in several lively family discussions regarding constitutional rights. I am the proud Auntie who gets to report that he contributed comments of worth and wit. I just purchased Thomas Friedman's "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" for his birthday. He may never read it, but if he chooses to do so he will have the opportunity.)
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 09:26:53 -0500
Certainly in the adult literature world the nonfiction book is in a period of supremacy. This last weekend BookTV interviewed literary critic Dale Peck while he was attending Book Expo America. (he is the author of the recently published book of literary criticism "Hatchet Job.") In this interview spoke at great length about the sorry state of fiction writing. Of course this is for the adult world and not children's or young adult lit., but several people have mentioned this recent phenomena in passing. I think it is an important issue. It seems that in the adult literary world nonfiction is clearly on the ascendancy and fiction is in a state of decline. (Expect perhaps for Ophra's Book Club few people talk about fiction.) Children's and Young Adult literature is the exact opposite. In this world fiction reigns supreme and non-fiction is the poor step-child.
When we think of the classic authors of the past most of them are not known because they wrote nonfiction. Perhaps exceptions could be made for Edward Gibbons and "The Rise and Fall of The Roman Empire" or Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" but in general Sir Walter Scott or Charles Dickens are much better known. At least people are more likely to have actually read something by the latter two authors than they have the former.
In many ways I think that non-fiction is more ephemeral than is fiction. What is relevant today is not tomorrow. In historical terms twenty-five years from now is tomorrow. I think that the adult nonfiction book of today is the newspaper of yore. Back in the day people read newspapers by the dozens. Today newspapers are dying on the vine from lack of circulation, but non-ficiton book purchases are up with no signs of slowing.
The situation in children's and young adult literature is almost the reverse of that in adult literature. In the children's and young adult literature good nonfiction is scare. There is no doubt that children's and young adult literature ought to have a strong nonfiction presence, but it is harder to get children interested in reading non-fiction for pleasure. They do not have the peer pressure coming at them that makes them want to read so that they can be informed and able to talk to their peers at parties. They are not likely to sit around the dinner table and talk about the events of the day so there is no need for them to be in?pth informed. Perhaps we as adults should be talking to our young adults like they were adults and forcing them to participate in conversations. If we asked their opinion about events and demanded that they have some kind of historical knowledge about the events then we would be encouraging reading nonfiction books as well as fiction.
As illustration of what I mean I offer the following story. My nephew Robert is 16 and a sophomore in High School. His English class was to have read Eli Weisel's "Night". I have a large family with 37 first cousins who all live in the same home town. At our family Christmas Robert complained that only two people out of the class of 23 had actually read the book. When Robert was asked why he had read the book since nobody else did he replied that he didn't care about what his classmates thought because they weren't likely to discuss the book with him. On-the-other-hand, he knew that if he sat down to talk with his various cousins, Aunts, and Uncles and the subject of WWII or the Holocaust came up that he had better know what he was talking about. Furthermore, if any of his relatives found out the book was assigned then he would be in big trouble if he had not read it! It all came down to the fact that around this boy there is enough pressure from adults to be knowledgeable so that he can be included in discussions about events, ideas, people, places, and things for him to read and do a little studying up in order to fully participate. Expectations from adults are the motivation for him to be informed.
If we expected our children to be informed and talked to them like they were contributing members of society there would be greater emphasis placed on reading nonfiction and there would be more of it published. With more pressure the quality of the books would also rise. (The forumula series non-ficiton book comes to mind here.) Publishers should be scouring the woodwork for writers to do non-fiction and they should be encouraging the writer's they do have to do quality non-ficiton that informs and entertains. Both can be done. "Carver a Life in Poems" is an example.
(Incidentally, Robert got a signed copy of Russell Freedman's "In Defense of Liberty" a couple of years ago, and he has participated in several lively family discussions regarding constitutional rights. I am the proud Auntie who gets to report that he contributed comments of worth and wit. I just purchased Thomas Friedman's "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" for his birthday. He may never read it, but if he chooses to do so he will have the opportunity.)
-- Benita Strnad Curriculum Materials Librarian McLure Education Library The University of AlabamaReceived on Thu 14 Jul 2005 09:26:53 AM CDT
