YA Saves

As promised yesterday here is my long rambly type blog post that I have neglected to write for a good few weeks. Now I need something interesting and entertaining to talk about. *ponders*

Oh yes, got it. School starts again tomorrow. Well technically it's not school, its an induction into year 13 which I imagine to be pretty similar to year 12 just y'know harder. I know people generally don't like school but I'm kind of glad to be going back. I guess that shows how much of a nerd I am. But in reality it's more about having something to keep me occupied more than anything. I mean I like having time off but unless I am doing something like hanging out with friends or doing something productive then I tend to get really bored. That's why during the summer holidays I dive headfirst into a book shop and don't re-emerge until September. I know that some of you wont think that reading counts as being productive but to me it does so shhh. So despite school sucking a bit at least it gives me things to do and lets me be with friends which is always awesome.

On a similar note, I posted a link to an article the other day in the Wall Street Journal about Young Adult fiction and as the name suggests this is a genre of literature directed at adolescents and teenagers. When this article was first released most of twitter exploded in rage at the depiction of YA fiction in this article. If you haven't read it yet I'd suggest you go do that HERE!!! The article essentially blames YA fiction for most of the problems faced by teens such as depression, self-harm and a range of others. Now, I'm not saying that teen-fiction isn't graphic in it's depiction of macabre details, for instance I've read books depicting rape, murder, necrophilia and self mutilation but that doesn't mean I'm going to become a psychopathic self-mutilating necrophiliac does it? And book which focus of a teenagers struggle with depression don't make the readers themselves depressed. In fact I think it would be comforting to know that someone else is going through a similar experience even if that person is fictional. The books can even serve as warnings, the Wall Street Journal article made an example of books that didn't have happy endings, saying that they spread bad ideas and thoughts. But surely if someone is going through some problems, then seeing a character who is going through a similar experience end up in such a bad place would show that reader that they have to take a stand and do something to change their circumstances or else they'll end up like the character in their book.

Even for people such as myself who, thankfully haven't had to face such problems, we read these books for the same reason that anybody else reads them. For fun. To delve into another world which you may have never experienced before, to be taken away from your life for a while to see what others go through. Isn't that the whole point of books? Just because the subject matter of the book makes some people uncomfortable, it doesn't mean that it should be banned.

Anyway, rant over. You shall be returned to your regularly scheduled viewing tomorrow.

Good Night xxx