I looked through the YA section of Waterstones, trying to find a book for my 13-year-old sister. They all looked like things I didn't want her to read.
Parents do need to pay attention to what their children read - and whether that's to remove certain books from them till they're old enough to handle them, or to read them with them so they can discuss the issues, it's up to parents to decide what's right for their children.
Re the number of depressing books out there: most bloggers/tweeters mentioned the fact that the article was incredibly selective and just ignored whole swathes of YA literature out there. Think Harry Potter as an example.
Parents do need to pay attention to what their children read - and whether that's to remove certain books from them till they're old enough to handle them, or to read them with them so they can discuss the issues, it's up to parents to decide what's right for their children.
Re the number of depressing books out there: most bloggers/tweeters mentioned the fact that the article was incredibly selective and just ignored whole swathes of YA literature out there. Think Harry Potter as an example.
*MySmiley*
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
This WSJ article has kicked up a huge fuss on the internet - YA is "too dark".
- 05/06/2011 03:46:50 PM
2114 Views
There's only one thing about this literature that disturbs me
- 05/06/2011 05:39:35 PM
1097 Views
This is a thought out, finely articulated response.
- 05/06/2011 06:47:13 PM
1096 Views
If it were just vampires that would be just fine
- 05/06/2011 08:03:02 PM
877 Views
People have been complaining about this since the novel was invented
- 05/06/2011 11:02:58 PM
944 Views
Apparently the article did paint far too bleak a picture,
- 06/06/2011 12:39:46 PM
1035 Views
Why waste time with "YA literature" at all?
- 06/06/2011 02:14:03 PM
814 Views
Re: Why waste time with "YA literature" at all?
- 06/06/2011 02:28:42 PM
769 Views
I think that's a post factum justification, not a reason.
- 06/06/2011 05:08:09 PM
969 Views
Maybe. It's hard to separate, I think.
- 07/06/2011 01:06:29 PM
1001 Views
One certainly has to choose the real literature to present, certainly.
- 07/06/2011 02:27:00 PM
1042 Views
Very good post.
- 06/06/2011 08:52:22 PM
852 Views
You seem to be the only one who thinks so. 
*NM*
- 07/06/2011 01:17:18 AM
304 Views
*NM*
- 07/06/2011 01:17:18 AM
304 Views
I don't think it's a bad post... I just think that the "despair" is a teen fad, and not as bad as
- 07/06/2011 03:19:03 AM
1095 Views
Suicide rates have gone up significantly
- 07/06/2011 02:42:55 PM
763 Views
Heh.
- 08/06/2011 07:24:44 PM
1071 Views
you are having trouble finding cultural ideas that turned bad?
- 08/06/2011 11:56:23 PM
995 Views
The classic problem of the overprotective parent- underestimating your kids
- 09/06/2011 05:33:54 AM
937 Views
the classic problem of people who have no idea what they are talking about
- 09/06/2011 04:16:25 PM
875 Views
Are you really equating reading about trauma with trauma? They are not the same. *NM*
- 09/06/2011 07:10:34 PM
322 Views
I'm sure the percentage of good books must be higher than they make it sound,
- 05/06/2011 05:53:21 PM
1129 Views
I'd say books offer a fundamentally different experience than movies
- 05/06/2011 06:53:55 PM
1089 Views
I'm not sure that makes a difference here.
- 06/06/2011 04:47:05 AM
1068 Views
Because thinking makes you LESS susceptible to these things you're afraid of
- 06/06/2011 05:27:26 PM
1095 Views
I don't completely agree with that.
- 06/06/2011 07:26:21 PM
1055 Views
I feel like I just can't relate to parents determined to shelter their kids from everything
- 06/06/2011 10:21:44 PM
1026 Views
Your response is about where I sit.
- 06/06/2011 12:30:04 PM
928 Views
To think the content described is acceptable, when they ban "Huck Finn" for using 'nigger'. 
*NM*
- 05/06/2011 09:45:15 PM
328 Views
*NM*
- 05/06/2011 09:45:15 PM
328 Views
CNN: "On a website, a person named 'Macharius' used the 'N-word'".
- 06/06/2011 01:58:35 AM
808 Views
Parents have the right and resonsibility to know what their children are reading
- 06/06/2011 03:41:22 AM
838 Views
Re: Parents have the right and resonsibility to know what their children are reading
- 06/06/2011 12:40:24 PM
976 Views
I'd argue if you're old enough to be interested in the subject matter, you're old enough to read it
- 06/06/2011 05:32:33 PM
1101 Views
Depends on the subject matter.
- 07/06/2011 01:07:57 PM
851 Views
Basically? Yes.
- 07/06/2011 06:42:04 PM
1096 Views
why do think there is value in letting them read whatever they want?
- 07/06/2011 06:52:20 PM
769 Views
Don't be an idiot.
- 09/06/2011 05:25:26 AM
955 Views
Well, I wrote a long piece related to this
- 06/06/2011 05:21:06 AM
1050 Views
Great post. She really tries to muddy the waters relating to censorship and parenting.
- 06/06/2011 08:05:21 AM
917 Views
She kind of conflates some issues that are quite different, if you ask me.
- 06/06/2011 08:47:33 PM
986 Views
Wait wait wait wait wait... NYT reviewed Game of Thrones? I must read this
- 07/06/2011 03:20:08 AM
853 Views
Having now read one of the books mentioned, Cheryl Rainfield's Scars...
- 08/06/2011 02:18:23 AM
1098 Views