There comes a time in everyone’s life when change is required.
We’re no longer allowed to go in our pants, even if it’s more convenient and the toilet is waaaaay over there. We can’t have imaginary friends anymore, because then people think we’re crazy. We’re told we should stop believing in silly things and come to grips with “reality” (which is probably the silliest thing I’ve ever seen anyway, but that’s a different matter).
And at some point during this metamorphosis, we’re thrust from early readers to mid-grade, to young adult, and out the other side into the harrowing, vast world of adult books.
And then we’re told never to look back. Why? Because someone said so. Because you’re an adult, so you shouldn’t like kid things (which, by the way, is an argument that has never stopped me from playing with my daughter’s toys, because have you seen the fun things kids have today?!)
It’s gotten to the point where there’s become a stigma around reading young adult if you’re over the age of, like, 20. Heaven forbid you even think about touching a mid-grade book. Have you no dignity? But here’s the thing: books exist for enjoyment. Sometimes also for enrichment. If you’re getting that from YA, regardless of your age, why not read it? Here are a few reasons why adults do (and should) continue to read YA.
YA books are fantastic reads.
Just because they’re meant for a younger audience, doesn’t detract from the fact that these are good books. They’re professionally written and edited and often have plots that delve into societal and personal issues. You know, the stuff that adults try to pretend like they don’t care about since being of age, but deep down, we all do. They speak to things that we still struggle about, the insecurities and struggles that are rampant at that age but that never quite leave us, no matter how old we get. They’re often easy to relate to, don’t require a dictionary to understand, and tackle fundamental issues that transcend age.
Adults write YA books.
Whenever you’re trying to write something, it’s always good to know the market. YA is no exception. If you’re a YA author, it helps to know what the common tropes are (whether to use them or avoid them), what sorts of books are becoming popular (be it #ownvoices or otherwise), and how books similar to your own are performing in the market and what their fatal flaws might be. Call it research. Research is good, right?
What’s more, a lot of authors enjoy writing YA books and look forward to influencing the next generation. Blasphemy, right? So knowing what kids are reading or looking for is doubly important, or even just knowing how they want to present the ideas they think are important for their work in a manner that works for the genre.
YA tends to be shorter, so you can read more.
Life is short, and for a bookworm, there’s no way to cram all the books into one life. And for some reason, no one’s discovered the Elixir of Life yet or the Fountain of Youth. Those slackers. Not that it’s a competition (oh, it totally is), but who can deny that tingly, accomplished feeling you get when you finish a really good book and get to pick out the next one? Plus, there’s a fantastic illusion that you’re making headway on your to-be-read pile (even though you’re really not, because I bet you just added two more books to your list for the one you just finished. Yeah, I see you there.)
Some people just read at that level.
Not everyone can read Chaucer (or even wants to). If your reading level is right on par with YA, then you get out there and read the crap out of it. No shame. There are so many benefits you get from reading that it’d be a crime to let a little social stigma stop you just because you think you can’t (or shouldn’t) read YA. The honest truth is that a staggering amount of people graduate high school with a not great reading level, which can make reading certain genres time consuming, taxing, and, frankly, not all that much fun. If YA is right up your alley level-wise, then read it! The real kicker? You’ll probably also improve your reading ability just by “practicing,” so the benefit is two-fold.
It’s emotional (in the best and worst ways).
While we might not be hormone-addled teens anymore, it doesn’t mean those pesky emotions fled our body. Not everyone, but a lot of people still like just the pure feels of YA, which is what the genre is good at because it’s what kids relate to. Whether it’s drama or the innocent teen romance or even the bloodier, grittier aspects of life, YA is great at bringing out the feels. So grab a box of Kleenex (or two or three) and dig in.
Because you want to.
In the end, if you like YA, read it! Why wouldn’t you? It’d be like me not eating bacon. Sure, I know it’s a heart attack waiting to happen, but what is a life without bacon (unless you can’t have bacon for religious/personal reasons…in which case, carry on). You know best what you actually like, so why not do something you enjoy? Don’t accept someone telling you that you can’t or shouldn’t. Of course you can, and you should.
I read it because I relate to it. Maybe that makes me immature, I’m not sure. But a lot of Adult fiction involve children (which I don’t have or enjoy reading about), too much explicit sex (which I don’t like to read about in so much detail), or simply printed in that stupid 4×7 format with tiny print that I absolutely HAAAAAATE. I like fantasy, and Adult fantasy tend to be 600 page doorstoppers which make me cringe (and again with the horrible tiny book size!!!), which gets a giant nope from me.
I’m pretty sure all your reasons are my reasons, as well. xD (Should I be considered that you’re in my brain?) I’m not a big fan of reading about sex. I’m not even a fan of romance, though I don’t mind romance in some other genre, as long as the romance isn’t the entirety of the plot. I tend not to like sci-fi, and I don’t like a lot of high fantasy. So that really doesn’t leave me a lot of options. YA is not, by any means, the only thing I read, but I do love it.
Kid toys are seriously the best. I can’t wait for my son to be older and to get him some of the toys I’ve seen just so I can play with them…ahum with him with them I mean.
As for the reading level, some people can read chaucer and still prefer YA. I read young adult fantasy. I read adult fantasy, and sometimes classics or graphic novels. Sometimes I’m in a long mood of ya because sometimes that can be easier to pick up. And then there are books like those written by Rachel Hartman that are considered YA (Tess of the Road) and seriously, reading level wise that really doesn’t differ that much from an adult fantasy except it is a bit shorter.
I am not ashamed to admit that I have bought my daughter toys just because they looked fun to me. And they were. (Hey, who doesn’t like Hot Wheels tracks and such? Never too old!)
I definitely agree. I have no problem at all reading classics, but I still love YA. Just because you can read something more difficult doesn’t mean you always want to. Man, I haven’t read Tess of the Road yet. Couldn’t snag an ARC. Was it really good?
(Right?) I totally also do not buy my son so many plushies because I think all those plushies are super cute.
I loved Tess of the Road! It is very different from her Seraphina duology but still very good.
See, I never read Seraphina, either, but the people I talked to, they basically either liked Seraphina or they liked Tess of the Road. It seemed to be very polarizing. I’ll have to check it out when my library gets it in. 🙂
I do suggest having read the Seraphina duology before reading Tess of the Road as it does bank on knowing things from there I feel.
I think a lot of people are dissapointed with Tess of the Road because the dragon aspect isn’t as big as they expected and the story is very different from Seraphina. I initially had a hard time the first few chapters as well until I put it down and reset my expectations. It is also a harder read emotionally as you discover what happened with Tess.
Oh, that’s good to know, thanks! I’ll start with that, then. It’ll fill in the gaps while I wait for my library to get it in anyway. 🙂
I totally agree with everything in this post. I read quite a bit of YA and I am an adult. I think a lot of YA writers know and expect their books will be read by adults. Great post!
I think so, too. I certainly write thinking that adults might read it, and I would think most writers would hope their work would transcend audiences.
I love YA and don’t think I’ll ever outgrow reading it. Honestly, most adult fiction is just romance and the same exact tropes. Occasionally, I’ll enjoy a historical fiction adult book but I really struggle to read and enjoy adult fiction.
I’m definitely noticing a pattern in my book club, where we read only adult fiction. Aside from the book that I chose and one other, it’s been a bunch of duds that I either struggled to get through or just gave up, despite them being really popular adult fiction authors. Most were because of the horrible cliches/tropes that I just couldn’t deal with. Not that there’s not a slew of adult fiction that I do enjoy, but for whatever reason, I find I’m much more picky about the adult fiction I like than the YA, and the new YA coming out just feels so much more unique, even when employing tropes. Although, I’m biased, so…
Yesss I agree with all of this! I think it’s ridiculous that people get hounded for reading YA. Like it’s a “suggested age range” not a law, for crying out loud people. I also get mad when people on twitter say that adults should not talk about YA and only let teens give opinions…and this is ridiculous! It’s such segregation and we don’t need it?! Let’s just all enjoy the kind of books we want and need and fulfil us. :’)
To be fair, all of my life I’ve never read a book when I was in the suggested age range, so why would I listen to it now? Pffft.
I agree that that’s ridiculous. Besides, what do teens eventually grow into? Adults, of course. So when they turn 20, do their opinions magically stop mattering? And who exactly is the role model for these teens? Yup, adults. Teens having opinions is important, but it’s also important for them to see other people, regardless of age, having opinions to let them know it’s totally okay to do so. 😉
This is so, so true! I mean- I am absolutely of the mind that if you enjoy something and it doesn’t hurt anyone, you do you! And this is that, certainly. I like the angst in YA, honestly. The strong emotions. I am just an emotional person by nature, and I generally loathe books where the characters just stuff down all their feelings. Just because I am an adult doesn’t mean I have turned into some kind of robot! Also, I am going through a lot of life changes, and while they may not be the SAME as those of a YA-aged character, the feelings are similar! Honestly, I could go on and on, you did such a great job of listing the reasons, and I agree with ALL of them!
Ha, I’m the same way as you! I love the emotion. I mean, not always. I like having some other books in the meantime (I’m reading a comedy now), but YA books tend to strike right at the vulnerable feels. I’m not very emotional either, like you, but I find investing in a character’s drama is very cathartic, in a way, without being overly depressing or draining like real-life drama. And no one does angst or drama like YA. 😉 Thanks, I’m glad you liked the list!
I actually posted this week about why I read YA, and it started as a way to connect to my teen. We would read the same books and discuss them. Now, she is grown and I still read them, mostly because I want to , but also because I love keeping in touch with that youthful side of myself. I think it’s a good way to keep my finger on the pulse of what issues our teens are facing these days too.
That’s a great point! I know my mother kept reading YA for my sake and now for my sister (aside from the fact that she loves it, of course). That’s the reason I’ve actually started reading mid-grade, for my own daughter, and I’ve found some books I really like there, too. I love your reasons. I hadn’t thought of those. 🙂
I’m a YA librarian and I started reading YA so that I could recommend books to my teen patrons and I grew to really enjoy YA. That’s all I read. I used to work at the adult reference desk and every day adult patrons would ask if I read the newest James Patterson or some other popular adult author and I proudly said, “I read teen fiction.”
Ha, I feel that way sometimes with my book club. Most of them read either adult romance or Christian literature almost exclusively, so they’ll talk about the latest book from such-and-such an author I’ve never heard of, and I’m just sitting there like … So, um, has anyone read The Cruel Prince yet? No? Just me? Cool. xD
I think that’s so awesome that you enjoy YA, though, and I’m sure the kids appreciated it. 🙂 I always appreciated adults who could recommend good YA when I was that age, and back then (you know, all those eons ago), it was sometimes hard to find a person like that.
LOL.
The silly thing about the stigma against reading YA is that YA is a marketing label. You can find books like Harry Potter in MG, YA, and even the adult section–because a bunch of ages read and enjoy it. Very often “YA” just means “teens may enjoy this” not “It’s written at a juvenile level and only adults of little brain would dare read it.”
I totally agree! It’s a good tool as a parent or a teen to know what books are geared towards you instead of slogging through a bunch of older books to find one for your level, but it’s not an exclusive thing, where once you hit a certain age, you have to hand in your YA card. xD
Wait, I need a YA card?! Why did no one tell me?! Lol.
*gasps* No one told you?! Oh, man. They’re probably coming for you already. *tsks* Well, it’s a shame. I really liked you. But owning YA without having your YA card?! *rambles about the End of Times*
[…] week’s topic is the popularity of YA, but I actually did a similar post about why adults do (and should) read YA a couple years ago, and I didn’t think I had anything much to add. So I decided to tackle a […]