*This discussion is put together using my own words and several excerpts from Clara Kensie from an email exchange we had. All of her words are in quotations and full credit goes to her. I also have full permission to use said quotes.
One of the main reasons, the most prominent reasons, I read is for fun. Simple as that. I read books because I like to be entertained and I like how many worlds are available to me through the thousands and thousands of books out in the world. I like the sword fights, the teen angst, the magical spells, the mystery, the bad guys that must be defeated or the end of the world is going to happen. I love all of that because it’s exciting!
However, books also give us the opportunity to understand some of the real life people around us, and to open our eyes to the world’s most evil crimes, circumstances, and experiences. By doing that, they allow us to grow as individuals and understand some of the things that scare us the most.
Why YA Lit is important to a readers growth
While reading Aftermath by Clara Kensie, you’ll read about one of the worst crimes that someone can commit and how one girl not only survives but grows stronger from that crime. “At its core, Aftermath is a story about triumph over tragedy. Readers don’t have to experience the same exact thing [as Charlotte] in order to empathize with her. They can apply her journey from victim to survivor to their own journey, whatever it may be,” Kensie told me during our discussion about this topic.
That empathy that readers can feel for Charlotte, even if they did not experience what she went through, is what reading can do for all of us. Sometimes, reading is more than just entertainment, it offers us life lessons. And those life lessons are just as important in Young Adult Literature as they are in Adult Literature. To me, they can be even more important.
Teens and young adults are still growing and learning how to be in the real world. That’s not to say adults aren’t doing the same, people never stop growing, but as a young person, it’s important to understand and have empathy for others early on, “so they can understand what people in real life may be going through. Beyond readers seeing themselves in a character, YA lit helps them develop empathy toward others,” Kensie added.
Sometimes it seems that YA Lit gets a bad reputation of being light, fluffy, or what was the latest? Glittery. While, yes, a lot of the times that is true, YA Lit offers a lot of young readers a place they can go to to see themselves in something. Maybe to feel like they’re significant. Or maybe a book just really connects with them and they’ll hold onto it forever.
that doesn’t only apply to young readers or specific genres
Aftermath was just that type of book for me. It came into my life around a time that I lost a very close and loved friend. Charlotte, the story, and the Do It Double philosophy of the book were all things that have, and will, stick with me.
An experience like that from a YA book can span across all ages and all YA genres.
Kensie stated, “it doesn’t matter if a book is realistic or fantasy or romance or sci-fi or whatever, one genre is not more important than another…when it comes to helping readers find inner strength or develop empathy, all genres can do that.”
And I couldn’t agree more.
So…
How has YA (or any book) affected your life?
What specific book stands out the most to you?
Why do you think YA Lit is important for a reader’s growth?
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