The Darker Themes

    Dre Ferreira                                                                                                                                      810


     YA books with suicidal and "dark" themes/content shouldn't be banned or limited from schools, classrooms or libraries. Students should be given the freedom to read what they want and what interests them.

     In a sense YA Fiction could be very good and helpful for a young person (12-17) to read because in these books are situations that some of these kids may be going through, they can look to these books for comfort or as an escape or just simply a way to feel to good and know that other people (even fictional) are going through the same thing and can come out better. Sherman Alexi author of "Why the Best Books are Written in Blood", a rebuttal article to Megan Cox Gurdon's says "Does Ms. Gurdon believe that a sexually explicit YA novel might somehow traumatize a teen mother" By saying this Alexi is trying get across that many YA novels are made for comfort and to help others and give them the confidence to push on and "explicit" detail is added for a more realistic story (since a huge aspect of YA Fiction is the realistic side).

     Along side this children in YA novels do many bad things from thievery to murder. However it isn't likely that a child who simply wishes to read the book is going to go out and do the bad/dark things they read about. William Potter quotes Adams, a librarian, in his article "Teen Plots are Getting Darker and Starker" saying "I think sometimes adults shortchange teens and their ability to grasp complex material and make deeper connections. They're not going to go out and do the dark things they're reading about". This just basically means that teens are able to understand the material and understand that to a degree most of the stuff and actives in a certain novel are wrong and shouldn't actually be attempted.

     Although many authors and reviewers such as Megan Cox Gurdon feel it (YA Fiction) should be banned or limited because it my scar a young reader this is not and rarely ever is the case. YA Fiction in many lights teaches children and teens about the world around them and that their are people with bigger more serious problems than what shoes to buy. Many YA books go into the things that parents want to hide from their kids about the world for as long as they can, however they know they can't for long. For many children who may not go through problems at home or get bullied, this may be a large eye opener. Or for some kids and teens they just seek to learn more about a topic head to YA Fiction because of the "realistic" aspect to it and getting you to believe and connect with the character.

     To conclude I believe YA Fiction shouldn't be banned nor limited from students access. These books for many teens are eye-openers to the world around them and all in all may just be comforting to others facing difficult times. YA Fiction may be already and getting darker but so is the world and just one type of book may not be the biggest  problem.