Slate article about reading YA

ThisModernLove · June 2014

I'm Facebook friends with a woman that used to be in my book club and posted this article with a paragraph stating that she agreed that adults should be reading more cerebral literature. The article itself really irritates me. I'm all for great and moving literature but art (including writing) at it's core is about escapism, emptions, and life. How someone expresses that or their art type of choice shouldn't be something to be embarrassed about. You can be critical of someone's tastes because they don't match your own but telling someone they should be embarrassed because of their taste crosses the line to me.
Here's the link: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2014/06/against_ya_adults_should_be_embarrassed_to_read_children_s_books.2.html

ThisModernLove · June 2014

I, of course, meant emotions but can't edit on my phone.

julie37619 · June 2014

I have to play devil's advocate and say that I agreed with some of her points. I respect everyone's right to read whatever they want to read, but I do think anyone who pigeon-holes themselves into one genre is missing out on other experiences.

Young_Love · June 2014

Meh.

I refuse to be embarrassed about what I read/watch/enjoy.

I don't think I'm missing out on experiences by forcing myself to read/watch/do things I genuinely don't enjoy. Example: I don't like violence. At all. Everyone tells me I'm MISSING OUT by not watching/reading Game of Thrones. But I HATE VIOLENCE. I can find good writing/entertaining TV elsewhere without watching someone's ENTIRE FACE BE CHEWED OFF or whatever the hell happened last week. I don't find violence entertaining, and I don't see the point in subjecting myself to it just for the sake of being well-rounded according to someone else's arbitrary standards.

I want my entertainment to entertain me. I consider reading entertainment. My spare time is limited. I purposely choose entertainment that I know will entertain me. If someone is judging me for that, that's their problem not mine.

pinkybooklover09 · June 2014

YA isn't just one genre though. That's the generalization that bothers me the most.

I don't give a tiny rat's arse what some random Slate columnist's feelings are about what I choose to read. I'm not going to all of a sudden read a book that doesn't interest me just because someone else thinks I should be more "adult" about my reading choices. I am a firm believer in promoting what you love instead of bashing what you hate.

julie37619 · June 2014

The title is definitely offensive, as is the author's tone. I highly suspect the site and the author of producing linkbait for the sake of driving site traffic. Put a critique of any genre fiction out and you're going to get a reaction (and tons of links and comment pieces) from the bookish internet.

I don't believe in being embarrassed by reading what you like or reading for pleasure. I just think her point that if you read only YA you miss portions of the adult experience as represented in literature is valid. I mean, we don't really need an entire article to tell us that. If all you read is YA you don't get the adult experience. There are genres I don't read, and I'm ok with missing those experiences.

But I think the general freakout on the bookish internet just gives the author and publishers of this kind of article exactly what they want, which is lots of clicks and lots of links.

pinkybooklover09 · June 2014

I think her point was that adults should be embarrassed to read YA. I'm not nor do I have any effs to give about her opinion. I'm too busy reading about swoony boys and escaping my reality.

julie37619 · June 2014

Another top article on Slate right now is "I Caught My Daughter Using a Hand Mixer - On Herself". It's not a site that's above posting whatever it takes to get traffic.

And I don't want everyone to think I'm defending literary elitism or the author's snootiness. I think I'm largely interested in the intense reaction anyone gets from discussing YA. I don't want to tell people what to read and I read plenty of YA myself, but these discussions always seem to cause such an uproar that the reasoning is missed.

And maybe that's a good thing. There are some things that we don't need to know people's reasons for to know we disagree with. I was just interested by some of the aspects this author brought up.

pinkybooklover09 · June 2014

Now I really have to stop myself from reading about the hand mixer thing. I have so many followup questions.

funkypineapple · June 2014

I think part of why there's such an uproar about this is because this isn't the first time that adults reading YA has come under fire. I don't strictly read YA but I'm pretty damn close to it and if you keep hearing "you should be reading this instead" it's hard not to get annoyed about it. YA is NOT what it used to be and this author needs to remove head from ass. Jess is right, why bother doing something you don't enjoy just to please others?

I just don't see why this keeps coming up and why it's such a big deal. The important thing is that people are READING and it shouldn't really matter what they're reading.

#YAYBooks

Passanie · June 2014

julie37619 said:

I don't believe in being embarrassed by reading what you like or reading for pleasure. I just think her point that if you read only YA you miss portions of the adult experience as represented in literature is valid. I mean, we don't really need an entire article to tell us that. If all you read is YA you don't get the adult experience. There are genres I don't read, and I'm ok with missing those experiences.

And that's a valid point that I think most people would agree with. It's just when it's so drenched in condescension nobody is going to hear it. I don't tend to get to ruffled over things like this. I figure she's on par with wine snobs -- something else I don't take seriously. If you have to tell people that you're a grownup, well... how seventh grade of you.

Skeezon · June 2014

This is almost the same as the whole snooty romance article that came out last week. It's someone looking down on and generalizing an entire genre. It's short-sighted and elitist. The fact that these people are judging ANYONE about what individuals enjoy is so sanctimonious. If someone strictly likes to read books about doorknobs, who cares. It's what gives them joy. Don't fuck with people's joy.

booknerd226 · June 2014

Aww I don't like when people bash others for their book choices. There is such a small number of adults who love reading, or read at all, that I honestly don't care if they're reading Junie B. Jones at this point, so long as they are reading and enjoying something. I tend to stick to one genre/author for months before switching to something different, but I'm almost always enjoying what I'm reading and that's what's important to me.

Young_Love · June 2014

pinkybooklover09 said:

I think her point was that adults should be embarrassed to read YA. I'm not nor do I have any effs to give about her opinion. I'm too busy reading about swoony boys and escaping my reality.

Young_Love · June 2014

I LIVE the adult experience, and I find it boring and depressing as hell. I don't need to read about it in my free time.

And I didn't even bother reading this article. It's just trying to get a rise out of people. Aint nobody got time for that.

Passanie · June 2014

Skeezon said:

This is almost the same as the whole snooty romance article that came out last week. It's someone looking down on and generalizing an entire genre. It's short-sighted and elitist. The fact that these people are judging ANYONE about what individuals enjoy is so sanctimonious. If someone strictly likes to read books about doorknobs, who cares. It's what gives them joy. Don't fuck with people's joy.

Side note: I want to put "Don't fuck with people's joy" on a bumper sticker. >:D<

jackiback · June 2014

Young_Love said:
I LIVE the adult experience, and I find it boring and depressing as hell. I don't need to read about it in my free time.&nbsp

Lol, you do realize that adult books aren't just, "I woke up. I went to work. I had a hot pocket for lunch while my coworker told me stories about her baby who looks like an old man. I went home and worked out while I daydreamed about donuts. My husband and I bickered about what show to watch. I went to bed."

I think it's short sighted to pretend like all adult fiction is literary and about deep issues (as the author did- hello, the sensation that was Marley and Me) but think it's also probably unfair to assume that it's all boring and about mundane problems that we deal with in day to day life (hello, insane plot of Gone Girl.).

EliStar · June 2014

I'm not going to open the article because I can see it's going to annoy me and I refuse to start my day that way.

I read a lot of YA, and I also read a lot of adult literature - I'd say about half and half. I don't read either genre because I feel like I should, or to expand my horizons, or because I'd feel like I was missing out on something if I didn't. I read books that I enjoy. Sometimes I read books that I don't enjoy and then I hate myself afterward for wasting my time.

I straight up reject that I'm supposed to feel embarassed about what I like to read, so the author of this article can kiss my ass.

YOLO, pass the butter.

MrsJenE · June 2014

EliStar said:

I'm not going to open the article because I can see it's going to annoy me and I refuse to start my day that way. I read a lot of YA, and I also read a lot of adult literature - I'd say about half and half. I don't read either genre because I feel like I should, or to expand my horizons, or because I'd feel like I was missing out on something if I didn't. I read books that I enjoy. Sometimes I read books that I don't enjoy and then I hate myself afterward for wasting my time. I straight up reject that I'm supposed to feel embarassed about what I like to read, so the author of this article can kiss my ass. YOLO, pass the butter.

And I'm dead.

SnShne322 · June 2014

@skeezon Do you have a link to the article you mentioned?

RevJen · June 2014

I think the bigger issue is that people feel the need to criticize others based on individual choices. When did we all give a shit about how others entertain themselves or raise their kids or whatever prior to the internet?

Skeezon · June 2014

@SnShne322 Here's the article I mentioned that you asked for. It starts off particularly talking about 50SOG, but quickly moves on to diss all romance readers in general. [insert eye roll here]

SnShne322 · June 2014

Skeezon said:

@SnShne322 Here's the article I mentioned that you asked for. It starts off particularly talking about 50SOG, but quickly moves on to diss all romance readers in general. [insert eye roll here]

Am I blind or is the link missing?

Skeezon · June 2014

@SnShne322 You are not blind. I, apparently, am still asleep.

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117814/50-shades-grey-academic-study-feminist-point-view

GilliC · June 2014

Admittedly I just skimmed the article, but I don't get it...

A lot of people read for entertainment. Some people are "serious" about literature, but like every art form, some people are just interested in enjoyment. If you apply the same arguments to films that people do to books, there are plenty of people who are very critical of film and prefer artistic and independent pictures.

However, where are all the articles about how adults shouldn't be watching Disney or Pixar films? There were plenty of adults who adored Up so why aren't they being called out for enjoying a children's movie? Let alone the huge fandom for teen films like Mean Girls.

Just because everyone studies literature at some point in life, and cinema is an elective art, this seems to have skewed some people into holding books to a higher standard than they do almost all other art forms.

ThisModernLove · June 2014

@GilliC that's exactly what I was coming back to post. I think people should be happy reading is happening. It's a personal choice. I read some YA and "fluff" books but I like something with substance too. I hate elitist bullshit and also part of me also hates that I posted the link in the first place to give the author the traffic she wanted. On the plus side, it got some good discussion!

sweetc129 · June 2014

GilliC said:

Admittedly I just skimmed the article, but I don't get it...

A lot of people read for entertainment. Some people are "serious" about literature, but like every art form, some people are just interested in enjoyment. If you apply the same arguments to films that people do to books, there are plenty of people who are very critical of film and prefer artistic and independent pictures.

However, where are all the articles about how adults shouldn't be watching Disney or Pixar films? There were plenty of adults who adored Up so why aren't they being called out for enjoying a children's movie? Let alone the huge fandom for teen films like Mean Girls.

Just because everyone studies literature at some point in life, and cinema is an elective art, this seems to have skewed some people into holding books to a higher standard than they do almost all other art forms.

This!!

I view reading like some people view watching TV. For me personally, reading is for entertainment. When I do watch TV I might be in the mood for a History Channel documentary, a trashy reality television series or a cereal murder mystery show. It's the same w/ books, I read what I'm in the mood for.

Hello, my name is SweetC, I am 34 years old and I love YA novels and Pitch Perfect (it's aca-awesome).

ETA: I've read many books I didn't even know were YA, and were some of the best novels I've ever read.

sfgiantsjo · June 2014

I read whatever I damn well please and this author can take her judgypants and kiss my ass.

SnShne322 · June 2014

I've avoided reading this all day, but I finally did.

Young_Love · June 2014

jackiback said:

I LIVE the adult experience, and I find it boring and depressing as hell. I don't need to read about it in my free time.
Lol, you do realize that adult books aren't just, "I woke up. I went to work. I had a hot pocket for lunch while my coworker told me stories about her baby who looks like an old man. I went home and worked out while I daydreamed about donuts. My husband and I bickered about what show to watch. I went to bed." I think it's short sighted to pretend like all adult fiction is literary and about deep issues (as the author did- hello, the sensation that was Marley and Me) but think it's also probably unfair to assume that it's all boring and about mundane problems that we deal with in day to day life (hello, insane plot of Gone Girl.).

BAHAHAHAHA. Yes, Jacki...I'm not a complete idiot. I know this. But it seems every book about adults I pick up seems to deal w/ depression, infidelity, and basically people being terrible to themselves and each other in one way or another. I like all of my entertainment (movies, TV, books, everything) to be a little more light-hearted and hopeful that I generally find in books about adults, except for chick-lit.

jackiback · June 2014

I'm probably a bad judge of that bc I'm horribly morbid and often intentionally read books (especially memoirs) about husbands that die young, as it is one of my deepest fears. Weirdo. However, certainly there are some happy adult books? I have no idea

While I do tend towards adult books, I also watch Survivor like it is my life, so it all probably evens out in the end.

Slate article about reading YA

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