I often find the need to defend myself when I tell people I write Young Adult fiction. Not that anyone’s ever been openly rude to me–it’s more of a self-imposed inferiority complex. I just feel like some kind of pre-emptive strike is necessary to ensure that new acquaintances understand that I’m a real writer.
I need you to understand that Twilight is not representative of the entire genre, that there is more to YA than the Gossip Girl series, that I keep company with phenomenal writers who in no way resemble Lauren Conrad. Please, I beg you. You must believe me!
Or maybe I should just let the books speak for themselves. Here’s a short list of titles that I feel are superb examples of why Young Adult literature deserves to be taken seriously, and why YA writers are indeed real writers.
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
- Luna, by Julie Ann Peters
- Dream Boy, by Jim Grimsley
- Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson
- King Dork, by Frank Portman
- The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
While I’m at it, I think I’ll throw in another list. Here are some classics that, if published today, would most definitely be categorized as YA:
- The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
- The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
- Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
- The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
- To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Do you have any titles you think should be added to these lists?
I would add Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
Other than that, you’ve put together a beautiful reading list.
I highly recommend Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers. I’m also really looking forward to her next one, Some Girls Are, due out in January.
I’ve always kind of wondered if “White Oleander” could be classified as YA, also “Durable Goods” by Elizabeth Berg.
I’m interested in reading some YA fiction about the online world (but it is really hard to search for this online!). Let me know if you come across anything relevant.
I just finished “Cracked Up” recently and really enjoyed it. Like you guys I’m anxiously awaiting the January’s release of “Some Girls Are”. And I love this post! Like you I often feel the need to defend YA books (usually I can rationalize it with the “I’m a YA Librarian”)