If you Like the YA Book Shelf Facebook fan page, then you probably noticed a link I posted to a thread on Reddit.com that had me (and many other YA bloggers and readers) up in arms a few days ago. Since the thread in question actually pointed to this guest post by Melanie Fishbane about her literary loves (and by loves we mean the characters she was crushing on) as a tween / young adult, I asked “Who are you literary loves?” The answers and ensuing discussion point to a subject that readers and writers of YA fiction have to deal with far too often, the devaluation of the YA genre in general and adult readers of it in particular.

While it’s possible that many readers of YA novels never see the negative assumptions some adult readers have toward children’s literature, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t there. I’ve been asked countless times why I keep reading teen novels when there are so many great adult books out there or been asked, “Oh, is that a YA novel?” as if YA is a sort of literary pariah when I try to recommend a new title to someone — even those individuals who I KNOW raced through all 7 book in Harry Potter series over the course of a week or two. YA authors have frequently told me they’ve experienced similar issues, including the dreaded question, “When are you going to write a real book?” which always leaves be scratching my head thinking…as opposed to all the fake books that they’ve written and published?!? Or as in last weekend’s situation, “Any juvenile worth his salt will despise “young adult” books and will want to read adult literature, as I did. Why play in a sand lot when you can play on the beach?” As if this wasn’t off-putting enough, another commenter said, “If [YA]‘s your only exposure to “the bigger questions,”…”[then] that seems rather shallow and sad.”

Throughout the conversations I had with these individuals, I tried to move toward something positive rather than what could have become an unfortunate discussion of negativity tossed back and forth. Why? Because despite the opinion of some, I don’t think it’s a “travesty” that someone in their 20s or 30s would choose The Hunger Games as their favorite novel. Because I don’t think it’s a “travesty” that some adults choose to read YA either exclusively or in addition to a range of other literature. So while on the one hand I chose to present these and other similar points, on the other hand, I wanted to dissolve any issues that might have developed do to the conversation. I believe that this balance, delicate as it may be, was achieved.

Stepping back from this situation in particular, however, I’m still concerned by the belief that children’s and YA literature is of a lesser breed than other literary fiction. Many YA writers as diverse as Jackson Pearce, Marina Cohen, Charlotte Gingras, Mitali Perkins, Patrick Ness, Laurie Halse Anderson, and beyond are doing incredible things with voice, narrative structure, gender, and plot to bring other literary, philosophical, cultural elements or current events to bear on their novels. They explore questions as diverse as the nature of privacy, war, one’s influence on others, how myth shapes our lives and sense of self, and how can one cope after a devastating loss, while at the same time, they allow the reader ponder these issues right along with them in a mutually beneficial dialogue. Some of these YA authors even experiment with the way text should look on the page as a means bringing the reader right into the consciousness of the main character. Despite the opinion of some, YA literature and its authors are making valuable contributions to the literary imagination and to believe otherwise is doing it injustice.

Have you ever felt the need to defend YA literature and your decision to read or write as either a teen or an adult? How does it make you feel when your books of choice are deemed unworthy by your friends, family, absolute strangers, or media personalities? Or do you agree that YA literature deserves the disparaging remarks above and others? I want to know what you do when someone forces you to defend YA or why you think it isn’t as valid as reading adult literary fiction. Please click on the blog title to leave a comment below to have your say.