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(This is the text of an article published on LinkedIn on 7 March 2020. You can find the original article here.)

Light in the Darkness: Finding Insight in Young Adult Literature


Sex and Violence in Books for Young Adults? Maybe.


O
n a quiet afternoon, it’s not uncommon to hear my daughter say, “Can we watch some murder?” Some of our favorite entertainment involves serial killers, either the police chasing them or teenagers running away from them. But whether that kind of content is good for young people has been the subject of debates ranging from classrooms and libraries to newspaper editorial pages and the halls of congress.

A 2011 Wall Street Journal column by author Megan Cox Gurdon caused a kerfuffle in the young adult publishing community when she railed against what she called “darkness too visible” in young adult fiction. In response, Maureen Johnson, author of books for young adults, argued that this kind of concern “grossly underestimate[s] the teenage reader's capabilities.”

Sex and Violence? Maybe


Do portrayals of sex and violence belong in books for young people? At the risk of sounding weaselly, I say, “It depends.” On what? On the tone, the context, and the purpose. If these depictions are included purely for shock value, just to stir up a little buzz of publicity and out-gruesome the competition, they’re likely to do the kind of harm that Gurdon warns about. On the other hand, we don’t cheer on the hero if we never see the dragon.

Little Monsters


(Book Cover from kara-thomas.com)
As an example of how violence or the possibility of violence can teach lessons about life, consider the young adult thriller Little Monsters by Kara Thomas.

Seventeen-year-old Kacey is caught between competing loyalties and warring priorities. After being raised by an unstable single mother, she’s come to live with her father and his new family, including a stepbrother and a half-sister she now adores.

She’s also made friends. Jade and Bailey had been a sufficient-unto-themselves twosome for years, but when Kacey moved to town, they let her in, giving her acceptance and an intensive kind of friendship. Kacey values their relationship enough to break family rules and join in their late-night adventures, so when Bailey disappears, Kacey can’t tell everything she knows. Most importantly, she can’t admit she snuck out of the house in the middle of the night and took her thirteen-year-old sister along.

The story deals with ghosts, mass murder, potential kidnapping, drugs, underage drinking, drunk driving, betrayal, and revenge, with a suggestion of not-technically-incest thrown in. But it also shows a young woman fighting to let herself love and be loved after a lifetime of self-protection. Kacey wants to help the police find her missing friend, but she's certain that if her step-mother discovers she put her little sister in a scary situation, resulting in trauma and nightmares, she’ll lose her place in this new family. She doesn't dare tell the truth because can’t imagine that a parent’s love is stronger than a child’s mistake.

On the other hand, Kacey clings to her new friends, even when the evidence mounts that they haven’t been telling her the whole truth. Kacey isn’t the only one holding back information about Bailey’s disappearance, but Kacey needs her friends—and the acceptance they represent—as much as she needs her new family. Which is more important? How can she decide who to trust and what to value most?

Wear Your Safety Harness and Enjoy the Ride


A book about a missing, possibly murdered, teenager may not be right for every young person, and good parents care about what their children read. At the same time, a fictional world can be a safe place for a teenager to explore choices and consequences too dangerous for real life.

By watching Kacey struggle with questions of loyalty and honesty and seeing the results of her decisions, a young reader can gain a deeper perspective on her own life and choices. Readers who slip into Kacey's life for a little while may ask themselves what they would do in this situation. They can question Kacey's decisions and imagine their own. By role-playing their way through someone else's life-or-death dilemma, they'll be better prepared for their own, hopefully less extreme, problems.

Some children may be too sheltered or sensitive to read a book that deals with these themes, and there are certainly books available for young people that are brighter and gentler. But for a child who’s seen her share of serial killers, Little Monsters and books like it provoke reflection and growth while also offering the little thrill of danger that makes roller coasters and horror movies so much fun. Parents can read along as well and might find they enjoy the experience, too.

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