Week 13 Prompt

Reflections on Young Adult, New Adult, Graphic novels

I want to start with a little personal background. My father was a reading educator (he taught teachers how to teach reading). So reading was a serious topic when I was a kid (and yes, I was an avid reader, like most of you!). I remember my dad saying many times that to get kids to read you have to stop caring so much about WHAT they read. If it's interesting to them, let them read it. So I am in favor of supporting graphic novels and whatever people need to find their interest in reading. I would hope that in time they would move to more complex literature and grow in their thinking as well as their ability to read. But all of these three types of literature can be more complex if the writer chooses to make them so.

Thus, I believe that a library should definitly offer YA, NA, and graphic novels in its collection. I think it does get complicated to figure out where to house NA works, but as long as they are in the catalog the patron should be able to find them. We had a patron in the teen area yesterday looking for a Sarah J. Maas book that we have shelved in the adult section. We looked it up and told her where it was and all was well.

Having said that, this topic has caused me to reflect - what did I read when I was a young adult and a "new adult?" Well, frankly, in college I read the textbooks and assigned materials during the school year - there was no time for fiction unless I was taking a literature class! But in the summers? I had "graduated" to Agatha Christie from my childhood reading of Walter Farley's Black Stallion books, moving through some fun historical fiction like John Jakes' Kent Family Chronicles in high school. Maybe those were my YA books? I did love Christie's Tommy and Tuppence, and even though they were of a different period, I could relate to their effort to find their independent way after the war. I guess I'm wondering if there were NA books back when I was a new adult, but they just weren't marketed that way? I did read a few romances but I wasn't that interested in them. They seemed to have a very repeated plot that didn't grab me (I know, mysteries have pretty similar plots - someone dies, someone figures out who the killer was, and there may be romance along the way). The new adults I know often read fantasy. They love relationships and don't mind a little romance and even some sex, but I think it's the appeal factors that matter.

I personally would like to see less of an emphasis on sexual interactions in NA and YA books, but especially in YA books. But that's not something a library should control. We did have a patron who wanted to get a book for her daughter that one of the librarians knew was a pretty "steamy" book, and the librarian did mention that to the mother, in case she was unaware. I have had conversations with parents about the fact that the YA literature is fairly broad in terms of what is covered and the challenges the parents have in reading in front of their children if they want to make sure a book is appropriate for them. I remember the point when I had to give up on that and trust that my children would make good choices because they were becoming adults. It's a challenge all parents have to face.

I have read a few graphic novels and I struggle with that genre personally. I've spoken to some younger patrons - really asking them to help me learn how to read the genre. Of course, most younger patrons don't want to be caught dead explaining these to an old librarian lady, so it's an uphill battle (lol). But I find that I don't follow what the author is trying to explain through the pictures. I need the words to understand. Yes, I need the novelization of the graphic novel! Anyway, I still think these are important books to include in the collection for a number of reasons. Most importantly, they are one way people can express themselves and find their own stories (as readers and as writers), and this is true for all ages. But for younger readers these books can help bridge the gap into bigger books, and I think that is also important. 

As a librarian, I think we need to have all of these book types in our libraries. But as a human (OK, yeah, I've been a teacher) I also want to help readers move into more complex reading and thinking. I think that could be done by creating displays that are directed at new adults that include popular NA titles but also more general fiction titles that share appeal factors. I think whenever we can help readers expand their reading horizon that's a good thing for them.