History of YA - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 begins with the lines that it is “important to know the history of their own fields for 3 reasons. First, they ought to know not merely where they are, but also how they got there… Second, for anyone who cares about the mores and morals of our time reflected in adolescent books, there is a fascination in knowing how they came to be… Third and this may be difficult to believe for those who have not dipped into books out of the past, many of the older books are surprisingly fun to read.”     The authors have spelled out how they feel about the history of YA literature.  It is important for us as teachers to know it and to carry it on into the future for our students.  They then break the history down into year spans and give examples of how history shaped YA literature.

1800-1900 – “Young people were reminded that they were merely small adults who soon must face the wrath of God.”  Louisa May Alcott and Horatio Alger, Jr. were published during this time and were at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Alcott focused on happy families and Alger was stuck on broken homes.  Other books aimed at young adults during this time were Ella Enchanted and Othello. Domestic and Dime novels were also popular, though some authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne did not stand behind them.  Mark Twain also published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn in the 1870-1880’s. 

1900-1940 – This was the movement from Romance to Realism in young adult literature.  Some of the books included in English classrooms during this time were Tarzan of the Apes, Pollyanna, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.  This was when the National Council of English Teacher’s was formed.   The books that young adults liked and appreciated (not what they were required to study) during this time were Rebecca of Sunnybrook, and Anne of Green Gables.  They also enjoyed Pollyanna, Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk Tales, By Cheyenne Campfires, The Last of the Chiefs, The Horsemen of the Plaines, and Stover at Yale, among others.

1940-1966 – The US went through many changes during this time, from depression to war to postwar.  There were racial issues left and right, and those often showed up in books.  This was the time when paperbacks became popular, though most thought they were insignificant.  Young adults could easily transport paperbacks, so they caught on with the publishers.  Books became monotonous during this time because of the scarcity of war, and when they were published they focused on the happy things instead of realities.    Hot Rod, Street Rod, Pray Love Remember, Ring Around His Finger, The Coach Nobody Liked, It’s Good to Be Alive, Maggie, Invisible Man, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and jazz Country were among those that young adults chose to read.

All of the information contained within this chapter is necessary for us as future teachers to have because if a student presents one of the novels listed (and trust me, I haven’t hit half of them) in this section, it would be important for us to know something about it.  Young Adult literature had a rocky start, going from the wrath of God to happy to lucky to straight up reality about the world kids live in.  Although some still may claim it isn’t a necessary genre, I think if they understood its past and how it helps the future they may change their tune!

See No, Hear No, Speak No... A Chapter on Censorship

Being a parent and a future educator gives me a unique perspective on censorship; however, simply because I’m a parent does not in any way indicate that I am naïve about the education that children receive outside of a classroom.  In fact, my view on censorship is that it is practically laughable.  While I can without question agree that children should be protected, I do not agree in banning books in an attempt to uphold that protection.  The more censors ban books, the more the books are going to become hot commodities among those the censors swear to protect.

Consider for a moment the following – how often do educators overhear conversations in the hallway of a questionable nature?  Should the teacher or administrator be so simple minded as to assume that all of those conversations stemmed from the reading assigned for homework the night before. I highly doubt it.  All it takes is one older sibling to inform a younger sibling about the art of profanity and suddenly there is a bus full of kids trying on four letter words for size. 

What about the censors themselves?  Have they become so high and mighty to forget and consider the times that they were young adults?  Did they read something in school that they are now advocating the banning of and nearly vomit at the sight of the words or complain because someone was forcing them to read it?  Again, I highly doubt it.  They were more than likely lapping it up like kittens with milk, feeling that they were privileged or special for getting to read something so adult in nature. 

To ban books is just the beginning of a very slippery downhill slope to a world of education that I do not want to fathom.  School classrooms would be allowed to only focus on the books that make it past the censors, school hallways would be void of any conversation, and lunchrooms would be eerily silent because a conversation of any nature has the potential to turn questionable if allowed.  If the censors are determined to preserve purity then they are going to have to do a lot more than ban a few books.  The world that we live in is not picture perfect, but the books that the censors find issue with are generally the ones who help the struggling adolescent struggle a little less. 

Now, I will climb down off of my soap-box and continue with my review of the chapter.  I have to admit that throughout this chapter the authors seemed to have the same viewpoint as me.  They often mentioned some of the same things that I just previously mentioned about the absurdity of some of the censors rationales.  The very last lines of the chapter is one that sums up clearly how the authors feel about censorship, “We believe librarians and English teachers must protect these freedoms [freedom to think and inquire], not merely in abstract, but in the practical, day-by-day world of the school and library.  To protect those freedoms, we must fight censorship, for without them no education worthy of the name is possible.”  I have to admit, I fully agree with them (in case you didn’t get that sense already).

The chapter does a fantastic job of incorporating landmark court cases, including one from Hawkins County, TN, that changed the face of censorship and varied between giving rights to the censors and giving rights to the teachers/librarians.  I thoughrougly enjoyed reading some of the judge’s statements, especially when they hinted it at the nonsense of the censors or school boards.  I was particularly grateful for the inclusion of the “What to Do Before and After the Censors Arrive,” section of the chapter.  I think that having a well thought out plan before something like this occurs in one’s classroom is imperative.  I think the way they broke it down into specific steps is help and beneficial to all of us who are planning on teaching.

I fully agree with one of the statements the authors made in the last part of the text about the fact that generally the naysayer’s just want to be heard, or have a little more explanation.  I think this is a very important point for us to remember.  Often the ones, who bash things, are the ones who don’t understand them, i.e. the women’s group who could not clearly define secular humanism for the member who asked about.  I think by remembering to take time and explain our choices in the classroom will fare much better than arguing back.  Case in point, when I was a junior in high school I read A Prayer for Owen Meany.  The book was fantastic and a wonderful example of overcoming a disability in childhood and adolescence, and showing a true definition of a hero; but, the book is riddled with profane language and more than likely what some would qualify as lewd imagery and is quite blasphemous at one point in the text – and while yes we all felt special being allowed to read such a thing in school, none of us took advantage of this and treated it like children as most censors assume we would.  We looked at the book and explored it for the deeper meaning and the skill of the writing.  I would assume that my 11^th grade AP English teacher was met with some concerns from parents during the time he taught that book, but I would also venture to guess that he answered those concerns with clear, concise and perfectly acceptable reasoning behind his choice. 

Ultimately when considering the chapter on censorship it is important to remember that even though the authors, me, and probably anyone else who reads this chapter feels that censors and censorship is ludicrous, it’s going to occur.  People are going to want to continue to shelter their children from the upsets of growing up in this world for as long as they can, and while I fully support that and believe in protecting my children from as much as possible, I cannot stand behind censors and say pulling classics off a shelf is necessary in that protection.  In order to have a full and well rounded education students should be exposed to the upsets of the world in a controlled environment that gives them somewhere safe to discuss those things and express their feelings.  If I had one word of advice for the parents who are so determined to censor everything except the sunshine and rainbows it’s this – consider how you felt growing up, remember all of the issues you struggled with being called “fat” or “pizza face”.  Now that you’ve considered that, pick up the book and read it with your child and then use it as discussion fodder to help your son or daughter through one of the most difficult rites of passage there is – growing up.

Image taken from Blue Heron Blast, which has a list of books that people attempted to ban from 2000-2009

Chapter One!

Chapter 1 of the textbook, Literature for Today’s Young Adults, is a perfect overview of young adult literature.  The author’s begin by briefly introducing YA literature and explaining its slightly unsettled past.  Before The Outsiders most novels with young protagonists were geared towards adults.  It seems that the authors have a great love for the genre. 

The first chapter gives what the author’s refer to as the “Honor List” of young adult books.  This particular edition’s honor list goes from 1967-1999.  On this list one can find books such The Chocolate War or The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, among others.  The authors are gracious enough to those of us who have encountered YA literature, but never referred to it as such, to give basic characteristics of the best of the best.

According to the text in order to qualify as a YA book, it must fall into the following 7 characteristics:

1. Written from the viewpoint of a young person
2. Very little interaction from the parents
3. Fast-Paced
4. A variety of genres and subjects
5. Multiple ethnic and cultural groups
6. A worthy accomplishment is made or the book is optimistic
7. Deal with emotions that are important to young adults

Now I have to admit that I have to disagree with number 6 only slightly.  Take, for example, The Catcher in the Rye that I just finished reading.  I can honestly find very little optimistic and no accomplishment within the 277 pages of that book.  Holden spends most of his time depressed and running through the gambit of natural teenage emotions (a perfect fit for characteristic 7) and accomplishes nothing, but landing himself in a mental institution at the end! So I’m a little skeptical that all YA novels have to be optimistic or some amazing accomplishment is made.  Nonetheless I very much agree with the others on the list.  As future educators or librarians I think it’s important to notice the characteristics on this list, to be familiar with them and understand them.  With every student that crosses the threshold of our classrooms it is our job to entice them into a love of reading… or at least I think it is.

Speaking of love of reading, chapter 1 also gives a very interesting chart of “Stages of Literary Appreciation.”  The chart serves the purpose of showing people where they are in their love of literature and how they can improve and mature in this arena.  I love to look and think about where my kids are on the chart, of course they’re still on the bottom rung, but I hope that I can successfully instill in them as much of love for books as it seems their father already has for video games.  The chapter ends, with the authors describing each of the rungs of the "literary love ladder."  I like to consider myself at the top of the ladder, hanging out with all the suave people who are aesthetically appreciating literature for more than just its face value.  However, as the authors point out, once you’ve reached a stage of appreciation you never really leave it, you just add it to your collection.  Perhaps that is why I can still enjoy Little Golden Books just as much as I can Twilight any day.

Welcome!

The main purpose of this blog is to write chapter reviews, as well as some book reviews for the Adolescent Literature course I'm taking this summer.  I have a quirky personality and generally have quite a bit to say about things, so do not be surprised if you see the real me shining through my posts. 

I love books and wish that I had more time to read them.  I've developed an unusual habit since beginning my M.Ed. studies that when I read books now, I find myself considering how I would teach the book to a classroom of teenagers.  I'm excited about this class and grateful that it is allowing me the opportunity to read - a perfect excuse to curl up on the couch with a book in hand and claim I'm doing homework!