I’m back people! Weeks of radio silence and now, I’ve got a bundle of posts to write and 14 books to read. No, I have no excusable excuse this time. Procrastination, manga and psychology articles got to me. But, I’m back and hopefully, I’m staying for a while!
I saw a couple posts back when I started, on how YA readers are judged and then last week, I heard someone’s experience on how adults get shit for reading YA
So I’m here to rant, with my personal experience(s).
One of them was when I was reading Pushing the Limits and someone noticed. This someone politely interrupted me to ask about the book. And then they (note that this is a senior in high school) said, “I find YA novels to be degrading; the language is so crass and it is all so phoney…” (I tuned out the rest but you get the gist)
Now here’s a person who reads the classics and listens to Eminem (which I respect), telling me that all YA books reflect degrading standards (despite having very little knowledge of the genre) . I don’t get it. She loves getting into debates so she kept pushing me until I said something along the lines of
Even though YA is only just rising around where I live, it has been with me as I grew up. Even though I will be one in less than a year, Adult books are too old for me. You know that stage where you try figuring out who you are and what you want, and then the next stage that transcends into finally having figured it all out? Young Adult books portray that. It’s spring and we all want to read spring, not winter (even though I do like the cold).
So, to all those hating on and pointing out the wrongs of YA,
because if you are against my reading it,
Also, to highlight for anyone who can’t get this point that has been said a gazillion times:
Young Adult books do not mean “for Young Adults” but are about characters of that age group. This does not put an age limit.
On the topic of reading what you please, READ. Yes, I don’t like certain books and I share my negative opinions on a book but that is just a subjective opinion. Read what you please. If you read Sidney Sheldon or Stephen King and someone looks horrified and inquires why you like it, don’t be embarassed. You should actually be proud of what you read. Because at least you read.
So, if someone gives you shit for reading something and it doesn’t stop, throw them a sassy line
or if it’s relentless, go Hermione Granger on them.
That’s about it. I feel much better now 😉
How do you take haters? Has anyone made you feel horrible for reading a specific book? Share your experience! I swear you’ll feel better.
Literary Head 
Sometimes harsh is good! I read YA and adult books. I agree that there isn’t an age limitation for reading YA, and I really hate it when people judge readers. Honestly, people don’t read as much as they used to (outside of book bloggers of course!) so reading of any kind should be a victory for book snobs. I just don’t get why you’d judge someone for enjoying a harmless activity that is mentally stimulating!
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UHHHH this plagues me all the time. I’m one that says, don’t apologize for your opinions! Read what you like and that’s that. That being said, I do feel judgement reading YA in public and it kind of scares me and if I feel like I’ll be too judged I just read my Kindle. Which is sad that I feel that way. I wish everyone could just calm down. Like, they’re not all terrible books! I feel like it’s one or two that bring down the whole genre, and snooty people won’t give the rest of the books a chance 😦 Sigh…. maybe someday.
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You know what I really dislike the most? There is this store where they put the YA books in a section that makes it look like it’s only meant for children. There are these talking dolls and childlike music and it makes me uncomfortable just standing there.. It seems like some stores target it as YA instead of also books suited for adults..
From my surroundings, I never hear something about it. And I would not allow it either, since it’s nobodies business what I read. It shouldn’t matter whether you read comics, adult books, classics or even picture books. Read whatever makes you happy. Read what you enjoy and stop judging each other so much. I hate all that negative talk about YA. Snobs.
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*applauds* I don’t really have anything else to say right now, except PREACH. I mean, nobody’s going to get that if you’re reading Harry Potter, but that’s in children’s/YA. Like, seriously, it’s justified if it’s popular?
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Great message! I’m totally for reading whatever the fuck you want. Sometimes I feel weird about the fact that I read YA books, but I try not to let it get to me too much. YA has so much merit…it’s the stupid people that don’t GET this who are the ones with the problem.
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“Young Adult books do not mean “for Young Adults” but are about the characters of that age group.” YES YES YES YES. I say this ALL the time.
And I really don’t give a shit if someone thinks I should or should not be reading my beloved YA books. Uh, most YA AUTHORS are not young adults, and no one is giving them crap about writing about teenagers, are they? NO.
And the teenage experience is still relatable to most situations that one experiences as an adult, seriously. Bullying at school = bullying in the work place. Mental health issues are relative to people of all ages, as are relationship issues, body image – every single thing that YA books deal with can be related to adults, as well. Which is why they are SO GREAT. Because at 21 I am not thinking about marriage or affairs or children, so adult books hold no interest to me as a person or a reader.
And I can relate to YA characters on a personal level, because I am still going through the tumultuous time of BEING a young adult. But even so, I know I’ll still be reading these novels when I’m 25, and 31, and most likely even 51. They’re the books I LIKE to read, and ain’t nobody gonna tell this girl what to do 😀
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