In a couple of recent essays (this one and this one too ), Meghan Cox Groudon made some very condemning remarks about the seemingly rising trend of dark young adult literature, that is to say, young adult novels depicting brutal and horrible things like rape, murder, self-mutilation, and all kinds of other unspeakable things. Groudon argues that the constant delving into the darkness that current young adult fiction portrays both normalizes the behavior and in fact encourages it She writes in one of her essays:
"Yet it is also possible—indeed, likely—that books focusing on pathologies help normalize them and, in the case of self-harm, may even spread their plausibility and likelihood to young people who might otherwise never have imagined such extreme measures. Self-destructive adolescent behaviors are observably infectious and have periods of vogue. That is not to discount the real suffering that some young people endure; it is an argument for taking care."
Perhaps the biggest thing I can say to counter Groudon's argument was very well phrased by Child Psychologist Ilsa Bick in her essay response to Ms. Groudon (which you can find here ).
"Where Ms. Cox Gurdon errs, however, is in believing that a work of fiction “normalizes” such behavior. Believe me when I say that I have yet to meet one kid who turned to a book for pointers or said something like, well, you know, Sylvia Plath did it . . . Really, kids aren’t psychological lemmings."
Yes, copycat behavior is a scary phenomenon, and does occur often, but, as Dr. Bick so eloquently states, kids do still have the ability to depict between works of fiction and acceptable behavior in real life.
Many people claim that art reflects life. For the sake of argument, we're going to say that literature counts as a form of art. (If you happen to disagree, well, you'll just have to roll your eyes at everything I'm about to say.) Could it be then that the rise of dark literature is merely a reflection of dark tendencies in our society. Growing up is tough. Probably a lot tougher than it was even 20 years ago. Ms. Groudon responded to critics of her first essay by saying that while some children truly do live in hell, they comprise the minority.
Let's look at the facts really quickly:
- According to CNN Health, approximately 20% of kids lived below the poverty line in 2010.
- A British Journal in 2002 reported that 15-16% of teen girls self-injure. More recent estimates in the US have that percentage as high as 25%.
- Every year, about 850,000 teens in the United States experience unexpected pregnancies.
- Teenage depression is a growing epidemic, with some psychologists saying that as many as 20% of teens will experience some form of depression during their teenage years
- It's very hard to pin down statistics on sexual abuse and rape, because it is such an unreported phenomenon, but the numbers are significantly higher than people like to think about.
So, Mrs. Groudon, I respectfully disagree. A lot of kids have problems. And even if they aren't having problem, teenagers overreact. Hormones are going crazy all over the place, and everything is confusing for them. Even something like a simple rejection from a crush can feel like the end of the world. And, more importantly, a lot of teens are convinced that adults don't understand them. Who does that leave them to turn to when they need an outlet, or need help dealing with anything that comes up?
Books can be an outlet for these troubled kids. Reading as someone goes through hell (either literally or figuratively in some of these young adult books) serves as a reminder to kids. They are not alone. Other people are going through problems just as bad as, if not worse than, some of the issues they themselves are dealing with. This can act as a bright light in what feels like a very dark tunnel.
I'm speaking with a little bit of experience here. I'm arguably still a young adult, though no longer a teenager. Life hasn't always been easy for me, and I've had quite a few rough patches that were really draining and difficult. I wasn't always sure I would get through them. In some of the more difficult times, particularly a time where I was being teased and bullied very heavily, I felt a bit like everyone had given up on me, and that I was on my own. I don't need to tell anyone how miserable that feeling can be. Books really helped me through all of that. I would throw myself into a good book, both as a way to forget about and escape from everything that was going on around me, and also as a way to remind myself that it was temporary. I know we tell kids that bullies are really just insecure about themselves, and everything else, but, honestly, to a kid, that's a cold sort of comfort. It doesn't make it any easier.
And I'll admit that a portion of teens and young adults aren't having issues and troubles. But, chances are, they know someone who is. I think it's also feasible that well written YA literature can serve as a REMINDER that PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING IN THIS WORLD. And that you shouldn't always take everything for granted. Very few books that depict rape or murder depict it in a way that says 'this is an acceptable behavior and you should feel free to go ahead and do it.' How, then, will that desensitize kids to it, when the authors outright explain (through their characters) that what happened was terrible and atrocious?
Darkness in children's literature is not a new phenomenon. Most people forget that Grimm's original versions of the fairy tales were much more brutal and gruesome. Greek mythology (almost always popular with children, and recently revitalized in Rick Riordan's novels) has countless stories involving rape, incest, murder, bestiality...the list goes on and on. It's only been in the last century or so that adults have felt a need to shelter kids from every potentially upsetting aspect of life. I'm sorry, but that's not realistic, and can in fact set up kids for disaster later in life, when they're thrown out into the so-called 'real world' with the expectation that everyone is happy and wonderful.
Furthermore, several popular adult books cover similar things. Books from authors like Agatha Christie have been around since the 1920s, and almost always include at least one murder. Harlequinn romance novels depict illicit sex scenes between various characters. What makes such portrayals fine for adults but not young adults/teens, who are probably already reading these things in the adult books? And, books that kids read in school, the "classics" aren't much better. Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, Adventures of Huck Finn, Beloved? All dark, all upsetting.
I'm not trying to imply that all dark and disturbing YA novels are okay for all kids. On the contrary, I've made the same argument with violent video games. I'll never forget a time I went into a Game Stop. A kid, about 11 years old, handed his mom a game rated M, and told her to buy it for him. She was in line right in front of me. Another man, older, started talking to her about the game. She knew absolutely nothing about it! It was a violent, first person shooter. The gentleman in line informed her that it was a pretty good game, and most likely okay for a younger kid. The mom in this case was making a mistake. She should know what type of games her kids play, and make sure they're age appropriate before she buys it....
Along a similar line of reason: should a ten year old be reading Lord of the Flies? Probably not. But a 15 year old? Why not? When my brother was in High School, he had to read Night by Elie Wiesel. I was 9 or 10 at the time, and I wanted to read it. My mom said no. She didn't let me read it until I was 13. And, in retrospect, I'm glad she did. That book would have been quite a bit much for a 9 year old. Parents should know what their kids are reading, and can even use such books as ways to foray into conversations. Parents like to think that they know everything their kid is thinking and doing, but, let's be honest here, they don't always. If they see their kids or teens reading books that might send up a red flag or raise concern, use that to start a dialogue, so they can get a better look into their kid's head.
Let's face it. Teenagers are not the most open of individuals. And if books can help them, either through the content of the book itself, or by what the book can inspire to happen, shouldn't we take advantage of that?
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