Week 13 Prompt
As a mom of three, who has been out of high school for 18 years, I do not identify as much with Young Adult and New Adult characters as much as I used to. I still think it is important to make options like Young Adult, New Adult, and Graphic Novels available to adults in public libraries. I have had a great time reading several books about 20-somethings this semester.
It appears that there is a nuanced debate among the literary and library community that talks about whether Young Adult, New Adult, and Graphic Novels should be considered serious fiction and made available to adults. It seems that some in the literary community believe that New Adult is more of a passing trend or marketing gimmick. It could be a compromise to help adults read more Young Adult-style books and allow more sex scenes. I do not think that is a bad thing.
Personally, I have heard of junior high and high school teachers that have dismissed graphic novels, saying they do not count as reading. Reading is reading though.
While New Adult books may have more sexually explicit scenes, they also include topics relevant to the stressors of modern teens and 20-somethings. They include themes like transitioning to adulthood, and that can be complex. Identity, independence, personal growth, and mental health are themes often found in New Adult books. These reflect the real life challenges that are experienced in these years. People who would put down a book for covering the struggles of modern young and new adults, would also put down young people in general.
The fact that New Adult books are growing even when publishers will not take them on, shows that there is room for them and interest in them. “This genre continues to skyrocket in popularity thanks to self-publishing and ebooks” (Cataldi, 2015, para. 4). Authors are using self-publishing to get these books out there when publishers will not take a chance on them, and they are seeing so much popularity that publishers are having to sign some of them. This means that public libraries have a responsibility to meet the demand too for Young Adult, New Adult, and Graphic Novels.
Some of the reluctance to recommend Young Adult, New Adult, and Graphic Novels to adults is that it is hard to classify them. They are written for an age group, but it is hard to keep them in one genre box. When I was writing my New Adult annotations, I had a hard time fitting my New Adult book into one genre.
Librarians can work to make Young Adult, New Adult, and Graphic Novels more accessible to adults by including them in book discussions, doing book displays, and encouraging patrons to request books with holds requests if they do not want to walk into the teen section. Adults can just go to the holds shelf.
The library I work for did a book discussion featuring the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman this spring. I was worried about it being a graphic novel, among other things, but patrons did not question it. Patrons are ready for this, so libraries need to meet the demand.
References
Cataldi, E. (2015). Betwixt and between: New adult fiction. Library Journal. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/betwixt-and-between-new-adult-fiction-collection-development-september-1-2015
Spiegelman, A. (2003). The Complete Maus. Penguin.
I like that you mention adults maybe not wanting to browse in the teen section. The teen section at my library is its own room with a door, so a lot of adults feel like they aren't allowed in there (which is fair, it is supposed to be a dedicated space for teens). I like your work around with the hold shelf as the mediator of sorts!
ReplyDelete" People who would put down a book for covering the struggles of modern young and new adults, would also put down young people in general." Such a good point!! And ugh, I can't believe that you have had teachers putting down graphic novels. I've heard parents make comments before but I wouldn't expect it from teachers.
ReplyDeleteI think when the whole Maus banning was taking off last year around the country, a lot of patrons at my library really took a look at it & recognized the graphic novel as a legitimate form. A lot of people really enjoy it and I think it's sad that it's not viewed favorably by others!
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting conclusion. Thank you for sharing. I agree that by making graphic novels a priority for book banners, they actually added public acceptance of legitimacy to graphic novels.
DeleteYou make a great point about the relevance of the new adult genre because it's not afraid to grapple with some of the messier parts of being an older teen or newly twenty-something. There's still a lot going on at that point in life, but people are expected to just know how to deal with it all because they're "adults."
ReplyDeleteHi Jackie!
ReplyDeleteExcellent observations. I wanted to expand upon the idea of graphic novels as lesser than general fiction in the reading world that you brought up, especially in relation to teachers in your discussion post. I have discovered this sentiment as well, even among other librarians, which has been incredibly disappointing and disheartening. As an avid reader of graphic novels, I think they fill a void in literature that has been sorely needed for a very long time. They present a more accessible path to begin reading again. They are typically rather "low-commitment" as far as how much time they can consume, and they are entertaining, fun, and much more dynamic than traditional literature as they have the added element of illustration. My own parents are teachers and even they were vehemently against the graphic novel trends until I explained their benefits. From what I gather, they and many other teachers hold the importance of child literacy in high esteem (as I think we all do) and they believed graphic novels deterred from this goal by encouraging kids to "return" to picture books instead of challenging themselves to read traditional chapter books. Once I explained that they were still stories that included text and "at least they are reading something", they warmed up to the idea. Adult graphic novels present a more experimental and exploratory proposition. We can now read novels with adult themes and complex concepts, all highlighted by beautiful, award-winning illustrations! What a great time to be a reader!
Olivia, I am glad you got your parents on your side about graphic novels after explaining how they fill a void.
DeleteJackie, you have some wonderful insights! I was particularly interested in how you mentioned some teachers don't consider graphic novels as reading. I have to admit, I was kinda one of those people a couple years ago until I was convinced to read one. I absolutely loved it!! I think for people who are visual learners or have attention difficulties, graphic novels are so accessible. I love how many illustrators are able to convey so much emotion and feeling into the story, infusing it with a depth that you can't necessarily get with a traditional book. I agree that reading is reading, and I love seeing the popularity of graphic novels grow because it's such a special genre that blends writing and art beautifully.
ReplyDeleteGreat response and wonderful discussion in the comments!
ReplyDelete