The Book Blogger Buzz Tour is coming here!
I am so excited to share this post with you as part of the Book Blogger Buzz Tour, organized by Rachel from Parajunkee. All month-long, a group of book bloggers are uniting together to talk books, blogging and everything in between. All sorts of book bloggers, all kinds of topics! We don’t discriminate. And we want you to join the discussions!
Today I have the honor of welcoming Kaitlin from Reading is My Treasure to talk about the importance of YA and how it has affected her as a reader. Certainly, anyone who reads YA will appreciate what she has to say.
PLUS: Stick around after the post to enter to win a Kindle Fire HD!
…So, without further adieu!
and to Jenna for hosting me on her blog!
how YA has affected my life
I can write this post in so many ways. I can list specific books and what lessons they have taught me. I can list out what YA in general has taught me. I can take a fun route and add gifs and funny examples. There’s so many directions to take and, to be honest, it’s been a little tough to settle on which one to go with. Then I thought of how I always think of this topic whenever I come across YA bashing. So, in a way, this post is my response to that Slate article that angered so many people.
Adults should be ashamed to read YA. YA books (or those ones with this print size or whatever a classmate of mine said to me) don’t have any depth, so they can be read will fast without missing anything. Books like this are so predictable and they’re all the same. You should grow up and read other books (says the freshman who was reading an MG series). They’re easy reads. They’re just fiction books about sparkly vampires or cancer for teenagers to read and you can’t possibly learn from them as much as from reading adult books and the esteemed classics.
*rolls eyes*
I’ve heard all of that in the past year aside from the last statement, but I bet there’s someone somewhere who thinks of YA that way. Reading and hearing people talk about YA books in this way… it’s insulting. There’s just so much more to the category than a lot of people think. Reading these books has been one of the most positive influences in my life and it has helped me learn so much about people, life, love, history, society–everything.
For the sake of keeping this post on the shorter side, here are three ways YA has affected my life:
YA is relatable.
Characters in YA go through pretty much the same things that everyone goes through growing up. Sure, the situations aren’t the same (especially not in high fantasy or dystopia), but the struggles they have with friends, family, and, in particular, themselves are ones that we can relate to, whether we’re teenagers or adults. From watching so many characters grow and develop through experiences that I can relate to–pushing past boundaries, making tough decisions, drifting apart from friends–I have learned how I can grow myself. Also, from reading YA, I have learned that I am not alone in these struggles.
YA reflects society and behavior.
I read a lot of “issue” books, which are usually focused on serious issues or controversial topics in our society, and I absolutely love to read them. I find the most meaningful messages inside them. I feel like they’ve helped me gain a better understanding of why people act the way they do and how societal pressures affect their decisions. Characters do all sorts of things that we don’t think is right, but I can usually see (at least a little) why they do the wrong thing.
YA dystopias, also, has taught me about society. For me, the genre focuses in on certain weaknesses of our society and asks “what if” questions concerning those faults. In every dystopian (and ustopian) world, I can see remnants of the one we live in now and I gain a better understanding of the state of our society.
YA teaches me to be a better person.
I believe reading so many stories where the characters struggle with right and wrong has enhanced my own sense of right and wrong. Many YA protagonists seem to make a lot of good life decisions in their story. (Why wouldn’t they? Who wants to read a book where the protagonist makes nothing but bad life decisions?) This has had nothing but a positive influence on my life.
It’s quite upsetting to see and hear people bashing these books because, as you can tell, they have affected my life in a big way. They cheapen the value of the stories in YA by saying they’re just for children or don’t have any depth. They don’t see how positive influence it can have on both teen and adult readers and they don’t see how much YA can teach us.
What do you think? Have you learned anything from reading YA? Has it affected you in a positive way?
About Kaitlin
I'm an 18 high school student. I'm not much of a fangirl, though I can have the occasional fangirlish moment while I'm reading. I don't like having my picture taken or posted as my profile picture. My favorite color is purple. My passion for reading began in sixth grade. I don't watch a lot of tv or movies, but I do love Supernatural, Les Miserables, Remember Me, Forrest Gump, and many others. I like to make lists, but I often times abandon them. I'm not very good at introductions, so it's a good thing I like to make lists.
The following giveaway is open internationally. Void where prohibited.
Follow the Tour:
07/01/14 ……………………………………………………..
Mama Kitty Reviews appearing on Me & Reading
Topic: Reading for Enjoyment vs. Reading for Reviewing – the difference in the reading for enjoyment and the toll that reading review copies had done to our hobby.
07/02/14 ……………………………………………………..
Me & Reading appearing on Contagious Reads
Topic: Why are you a reader?
07/03/14 ……………………………………………………..
Raw Books Online appearing on Deliciously Wicked Books
Topic: What I look for in the book blogs I follow
07/04/14 ……………………………………………………..
Reading is my Treasure appearing on Jenna Does Books
Topic: What YA has taught me / how it has affected my life
07/07/14 ……………………………………………………..
Chapter Break appearing on Reading with ABC
Topic: Ten reasons you CAN’T read and you are dying on the inside.
07/08/14 ……………………………………………………..
Parajunkee appearing on Midnyte Reader
Topic: Are you creative or just depressed? A mental survival guide for bloggers.
07/09/14 ……………………………………………………..
Contagious Reads appearing on Reading Black & White
Topic: Organization tips and tricks
07/10/14 ……………………………………………………..
Second Run Reviews appearing on Bibliognome
Topic: Books you feel need more attention. A top ten list. Tell why you think they need to be read by everyone.
07/11/14 ……………………………………………………..
Fiktshun appearing on Once Upon a Twilight
Topic: Rant: Things you wish others would stop “judging” other book bloggers on
07/14/14 ……………………………………………………..
Bibliognome appearing on Chapter Break
Topic: You’ve been asked to write a short story starring a gnome character, what would the gnome be named and how would the story go?
07/15/14 ……………………………………………………..
Gwynn White appearing on Reading is my Treasure
Topic: What last books in a trilogy or series do you wish you had never read? Why?
07/16/14 ……………………………………………………..
Reading with ABC appearing on Ali’s Bookshelf Reviews
Topic: Your Favorite Blogger Moment. Recount it.
07/17/14 ……………………………………………………..
Reading Black & White appearing on My Midnight Fantasies
Topic: What are those wonderful things you see in other blogger’s reviews and think are wonderful? Or what do you like to see in other blogger’s reviews?
07/18/14 ……………………………………………………..
Ali’s Bookshelf Reviews appearing on Second Run Reviews
Topic: Your Biggest Blogger Fail. Recount it.
07/21/14 ……………………………………………………..
Southern Belle appearing on Mama Kitty Reviews
Topic: Are you an organized or disorganized blogger and how do you blog day to day?
07/22/14 ……………………………………………………..
Deliciously Wicked Books appearing on Stephanie’s Book Reports
Topic: After Fifty Shades. What’s the next big thing?
07/23/14 ……………………………………………………..
Stephanie’s Book Reports appearing on Raw Books Online
Topic: What trends do you hope are popular next in Romance/Erotica?
07/24/14 ……………………………………………………..
Janelle Reads appearing on Parajunkee
Topic: What trends do you want to see next in book blogging?
07/25/14 ……………………………………………………..
Midnyte Reader appearing on Harlequin Junkie
Topic: Audiobooks vs. …regular books?
07/28/14 ……………………………………………………..
Jenna Does Books appearing on Fiktshun
Topic: Hardcover vs. Paperback
07/29/14 ……………………………………………………..
Once Upon a Twilight appearing on Gwynn White
Topic: Rant: Things you wish other book bloggers would stop doing
07/30/14 ……………………………………………………..
My Midnight Fantasies appearing on Southern Belle
Topic: My favorite animals to read about in fiction – or my favorite paranormal shifter characters and why.
07/31/14 ……………………………………………………..
Harlequin Junkie appearing on Janelle Reads
Topic: Dealing with your first negative review from an author you’ve enjoyed connecting with on social networks.
