Monday Morning Blahg: YA Too Dark?

Many of you have probably already seen the Wall Street Journal article about the darkness in YA literature.  I hate to give this article any more attention, but the article irked me royal.  The writer of the article talks about how all the books are dark and gruesome, full of violence, abuse, self mutilation, profanity, addiction, yadda yadda yadda.

You know what I was reading when I was thirteen?  Stephen King.  Firestarter, Dead Zone, The Stand, Cujo.  Full of foul language and sex and violence.  Was this my only option?  No, but it's what I liked reading.

Teens are reading.  Isn't that a good thing?  These days, teens are reading topics that interest them, topics they can relate to, topics that deal with the problems they deal with.  The author mentions a few books that she says, "don't end well."  Life is not all butterflies and rainbows.  Teens these days face some really horrific realities-homophobia, depression, violence, suicide.  Most of these books they're reading do offer hope in the end.  It's not all gloom and doom.  And many teens feel these books help them deal.  If you don't believe me, check out Twitter #yasaves. 

And yes, the fantasy books are full of the same stuff the realistic books are: violence, death, profanity.  Again, this is not anything they're not exposed to in their every day life, but also offers a form of escape into a world other than they're own.

I wonder if the adults that have a problem with YA let their kids play violent video games, or watch movies or TV shows full of sex and violence. Kids are exposed to this kind of stuff every day, whether through media or reality.  Why should we shield them from their own actualities?

I've spoken my peace.

Dedication To My Mother

My mother is one of the most beautiful people in the world. Everyone says that, right? Yeah, but I'm serious. She's beat adversity and come a long way to become the person she is.

She was born in Oklahoma, the daughter of an unwed teenager, and though her mother told her who her father was, she was never sure, nor did she ever have a relationship with the man.

She grew up in an abusive household, mostly raising her three younger brothers. Four kids, three different fathers.

She married young, more than likely to escape, and ended up having to escape that as well, which I thank her for. For if she hadn't, she would not have met my dad. I do thank her though for the daughter she brought from that marriage, who I have never thought of as a half sister.

After divorcing, she still watched out for her brothers, raised her daughter, and worked hard to survive.

She met my father waiting tables at the New Yorker.

There are so many things about my mother that I love. I always loved her warm hugs. She was and still is a great consoler whenever I am physically or emotionally hurt. She has such a generous heart, she gives until there is nothing left, to whoever needs it. She is a great philanthropist, having always donated her time and money to charity.

So Happy Mother's Day Mom I hope that I have turned out to be half the mom you have proven to be.

To all the moms out there, have a joyous weekend, you deserve it. Motherhood, although one of the most rewarding, is of course, one of the most difficult jobs out there.