Week 13 Prompt Response
First and foremost, there's a reader for every book, and a book for every reader! No one should ever be saying that someone is "too old" to read a certain book or that certain books aren't meant for certain people. It may not be something that you want to read, but it's not your place to yuck someone's yum!
Now that we have that out of the way, young adult/new adult and graphic novels can be great entry points to reading, or to reinvigorating an adult's love of reading. With accessible, fast-paced stories that still have big things to say these "genres" can truly be for everyone, and shouldn't be forgotten in the adult readers' advisory landscape. I, for one, rediscovered my love of reading after years of scholarly burnout through Sarah J. Maas's infamous NA modern classic, A Court of Thorns and Roses. I can also see graphic novels being a wonderful way for adults who loved comics as a child or love certain TV shows, movies and video games to discover a new medium to love. Parents that bring their children in to the library and pass an eye-catching display of adult graphic novels may find something to love when they thought they were just here for their children.
As Brookover, et al. (2014) said "The lines between intended and actual audience are growing more blurred, which is vexing for some and exciting for others" (p. 41). A great example of these blurred lines comes in romance. Romance is a popular genre of YA and NA, and readers who want a sweet romance but not a lot of explicit sex and also aren't looking for Amish romance may find many options within what they're looking for in the YA section.
NA books are also a nice transition for twenty-somethings that feel like they can't identify with teen protagonists anymore, but aren't interested in reading their mothers' favorite bodice rippers (yet). "Some New Adult authors and fans argue that 'coming of age,'...is properly a twenty-something experience. They argue for two phases of coming of age: the emotional preparation for the journey being represented in YA, then the journey itself show-cased in NA" (p. 43). Twenty-somethings are also just trying to figure things out, so having dedicated books that highlight that experience only makes it easier to find valid representation for this age group, and more great stories for others to read as well.
All that to say, read whatever you want! There's always going to be stigma on certain genres, but librarians need to distance themselves from the biases and prepare for whatever books our patrons want from us without making them feel silly in any way.
I love to see that we're on the same page when it comes to "read what makes you happy/there's a book for everyone"! I also appreciate your point about graphic novels being a good entry point for reading. Someone who may not consider themselves a "reader" just might be more easily convinced to try GN, find that they enjoy them, and then want to give a novel a go!
ReplyDeleteAnd side note...I literally just finished reading A Court of Mist and Fury for the first time a couple days ago and....my goodness *fans face* it was AWESOME! lol
Hahaha chapter 55!!! Just wait until A Court of Silver Flamesš¤£
DeleteI liked how you phrased the NA genre filling a niche and finding "valid representation for this age group." When you look at some of the adult fiction out there, it doesn't accurately describe the wants and needs of twentysomethings. In my blog post I mentioned something about adult fiction having characters who are settled into a career/mortgage/marriage/kids. And in your early twenties, that just isn't relatable. But neither is YA, when it is describing high school drama and experiences.
ReplyDeleteYes! There's some YA that I adore, but a lot of the time it feels weird to be reading about teenagers.
DeleteFabulous use of quotes from the reading! You hit the part about genres that identify an age being hard to classify and the part about there being two phases in coming of age. I think "Read whatever you want" is also a very accessible approach to readers advisory.
ReplyDeleteReading after scholarly burnout is so real! I stopped reading for fun after receiving my BA in English Literature. Don't get me wrong, I have an appreciation for the classics and everything I studied, but I had lost sight of the joys of reading. What got me out of that slump was graphic novels and romance novels! I've heard a lot of people rediscovered their love of reading again through Mass's ACOTAR series which is a beautiful thing for a series to do.
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly with you when you said "there's a reader for every book," because there really is. If there wasn't a market for young adult, new adult, or graphic novels, then there wouldn't be new ones constantly coming out. It's supply and demand at it's finest. There is a clear demand for these materials. I absolutely adore young adult and graphic novels. When "new adult" came out, I was already about twenty-five and thought I had passed that confusing time in my life - man was I wrong. Having worked in bot ha bookstore and a library, I know first hand that there are a lot of adults that come in looking for these genres. Just the other day, I had an older gentleman (in his 60s) check out The Walking Dead graphic novels because they're his favorite.
ReplyDeleteHi Abigail, I am still struggling with rediscovering reading after scholarly burnout. After I finished my MA in English, I worked part-time at my local library in the children's department. I spent so much of that year reading children's books and discovering my love for children's and YA lit. Now that I'm working full-time in public services, I'm burnt out again. Hopefully, this summer when I have more free time I can spend some time with Sarah J. Maas! I've never read anything by her...I think it's finally time :)
ReplyDeletePreach! Excellent response!
ReplyDeleteAbigail,
ReplyDelete100% agreed that people should read whatever they want, particularly once they reach a stage in life where no one is demanding that they read a specific book in order to complete an assignment. The number of library patrons whose minds have been completely blown when I suggest that they can start a book and not finish if they don't like it is astounding. "You're not sure whether you'll like it? Just take it home and read a few pages. If you don't like it, it was free and you can bring it back."