Too Dark? Or Just Right?

 

Growing up, I have been fortunate enough to read many different types of young adult books. I've read extremely uplifting happy ones, violent and gruesome ones, and everything in-between. My favorite young adult books to read were ones that contained different perspectives and experiences- positive or negative. I enjoyed being able to understand different types of situations through new lenses and unique types of people. I would say the more serious and darker the books were, the more they taught me. Specifically, reading those types of books brought the saying "you never know what someone else is going through" to life. They also taught me empathy. I learned to have empathy for others through comprehending the real hardships many young adults face depicted in the novels. 

In a 2011 journal, Meghan Cox Gurdon argues young adult novels have become too dark, and they "bulldoze coarseness or misery into" (Gurdon 4) children's lives. Additionally, Gurdon suggests dark young adult books can have a detrimental impact on some adolescents, causing more damage than good. Gurdon explains that young adult literature doesn't accurately represent all aspects of life, but rather focuses on the negative and gruesome parts. On the contrary, author Sherman Alexie suggests that many young adults face the negative and gruesome parts of life that are depicted in young adult novels. Alexie explains dark young adult literature allows adolescents to have something to relate to and allows them to persevere through their own challenges. In addition, Alexie mentions how it would be pointless to try and protect adolescents from the world's "darkness" and only write books about joyous things because many of them have already experienced darkness of their own. Conclusively, Alexie states young adult novels give young adults, "weapons-in the form of words"(Alexie 4) that can help them fight their own battles. 

After reading both points of view, I find myself supporting Sherman Alexie's perspective. I would agree that young adult novels deemed dark can provide comfort to adolescents facing similar situations, but I also believe dark young adult literature can provide valuable lessons to others who can't relate. Ultimately, if nothing else, I believe these types of novels can bring awareness to the real hardships teens endure. 

Sources:

Alexie, Sherman. Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood. Speakeasy, 2011

Gurdon, Meghan Cox. Darkness Too Visible. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 2011