Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers

On the dark side of young adult fiction

This New York Times article by Paolo Bacigalupi says "I suspect that young adults crave stories of broken futures because they themselves are uneasily aware that their world is falling apart. "

I know we have a lot of young readers here. You can read his essay below and see what you think of it. Does that make any sense to you?

If not, what do you think is the appeal of young adult fiction then?

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/12/26/the-dark-side-of-yo...

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Permalink Reply by Callie Leah on January 8, 2011 at 3:40am

Honestly, I totally understand what he's saying, and kind of agree with it to some extent. I really can't stand it when adults pretend that the world is perfect and happy and that everything will always turn out fine for everyone, because I know that they are lying. However, in my own views, I like books to be a bit more cheerful, but just because I know how horrible the real world really is. I know that our economy is falling apart, resources are running out, and our president is literally doing NOTHING to help, so I like to use books to escape all of that. I certainly agree with Mr. Bacigalupi that books shouldn't try to convince us that the world is perfect, and I love to read books that speak truthfully, but every now and then, I like a book that helps escape from that world. (Granted, those books can't really lie to you about the world, since most of the books I read are fantasy with fairy tale creatures in them (: ) I think he's right. Adults have lost control of our world, so why make us believe they haven't?