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Controversial Issues In Young Adult Books

908 Words4 Pages

Everyone has a book they love. Books are loved for different reasons—whether it is the style, characters, or moral. In recent years, one genre of fiction has received quite a bump in the public eye. Of course, the young adult genre has always been around, but it has a different connotation today. Most young adult books published in recent years slip under the radar of what is considered “good.” Books taking place during, arguably, the most turbulent time in someone’s life seem to be easy writing fodder. There is so much that can be wrote about in a million different ways. Complex issues can be handled in ways many young people can easily understand. Morals or themes can be deep but not overly heavy. Controversial ideas can be explored in fun ways but still hold a strong meaning that is not sugarcoated. So why are we not able to name many young adult …show more content…

Throw in a dozen “real world issues” with bland characters and there is a best seller. Books that chose to cover deep or troubling issues are often seen as a sacred text for daring to go further than boring and clichéd themes like follow your heart or never give up. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher received a ton of praise after the Netflix adaptation of it came out. People loved how it took the time to discuss teen suicide, but many hated how the aftermath of the suicide was recklessly handled. TV shows such as the CW’s Riverdale are notorious for being overly melodramatic and pointlessly complicated simply for the sake of drama. Books hiding under the cover of discussing “real world issues” that do not actually offer any comment on the issues are huge sellers because they tease at the idea of having a strong meaning. People love to identify with worst-case scenarios but hate to actually live them. As a result, books like the ones mentioned above are easy sellers, and thus, publishers love to push

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