Street Lit

I think the street lit genre is probably one of the best ways to counter the issues we've been discussing about the white-washed publishing industry in YA lit. Since I've been researching and writing for my seminar next week on realistic fiction, this addresses a whole other segment of YAs whose stories are often ignored by novelists. Unfortunately, the experiences of youth who live in impoverished ghettos where drugs, violence, unplanned pregnancies, and gangs are a reality. Much like problem novels and realistic fiction, street lit can be an outlet for urban youth to deal with the horrifying problems they face in their communities. This not only draws in a relatively un-tapped or reluctant reader base, but serves as bibliotherapy, which I'll talk about more next week. 

I imagine that street lit is not without its critics. While some may find it to be a source of inspiration to avoid negative life situations, others may see it as an acceptance of problems in ghetto communities. I would fall towards the former, but parents or educators may see it as problematic and challenge the literature -- especially if they have no experience with the kind of life the average urban lit reader lives. 

Reading Chapter One of The Fault in Our Stars

Be still my heart. John Green's new book is due out January 2012. Here is the man himself reading the first chapter of the novel. I absolutely love the title. So jazzed for this.

Photo Essays and Non-Fiction

Historically, children's non-fiction literature has been sparse in terms of illustrations, presumably under the assumption that visual stimulation is counterproductive to the learning process. I kind of linked the explosion of illustrations in children's or YA nonfiction because of the re-discovery of childhood post Second World War in the 1950s. After some depression of this type of publishing during the Vietnam War (Thanks, President Nixon!) the 1970s and 1980s mark the first exhibits of photo essays. Cart mentions the Eyewitness series, which I always loved when I was young. They are not text-heavy at all, and the visuals are great. While I think there should be some kind of preparation for YAs for post-secondary non-fiction, the kinds of illustrations of pictures I recall from my history textbooks made the entire process less overwhelming. Cart makes a point to mention that not all YA non-fiction has to be curriculum-based textbooks. YALSA's award for best non-fiction could point to an increased interest in non-fiction. I wonder if illustrated e-book biographies on interesting people, historical or otherwise, would be an effective way to increase non-fiction for YAs. As a historian, I found it kind of discouraging that there is still such a stigma attached to the alleged boringness of history, but changes in approaching its study (i.e. through less dense text and pages heavily illustrated) could alleviate that issue.

Anatomy of a Boyfriend

For this week I read Anatomy of a Boyfriend for our topic on sex in YA lit. I think this novel had a lot of potential to be more interesting, but it really fell flat for me. At the beginning of the novel, Dom is an over-achieving pre-med student, but becomes entirely consumed with Wes and their slowly evolving relationship. Although I didn't have a problem with Snadowsky's writing style, Dom becomes so obsessive in this relationship, it is exhaustingly cliche. Although relatable, in terms of being young and new in a relationship, she becomes so profoundly one-track minded it is exhausting.

I felt that after Dom and Wes have sex, she becomes so much more...irritating. Again, the obsessive tendencies are tiresome, but are again, can be somewhat relatable -- but no one really wants to talk to (or read about for some 250 pages) "that girl." Just saying. What I found somewhat jarring was that while they used protection, they completely neglected discussions about the Pill or anything of that nature, which considering Dom's control-freakish nature would have made more sense to me at least.

Literacies across Media

I don't think I was very surprised with Margaret Mackey's findings in this chapter, although the link she drew between interest and accessibility was interesting. I have to admit that I had particularly enjoyed the responses to Anne of Green Gables. Having never gotten in to it myself, to this day, because of language (and, I'm sorry, lameness), their thoughts resonated with me. Perhaps that is a signal to librarians to be aware of these types of barriers for the average young reader. I also found it very interesting how she observes that there is a link between familiarity and an increased chance of enjoying the novel or game. I actually saw a comic based things customers say in a comic book store, and remember reading one mother saying her child experienced less anxiety reading if he knew the movie and/or how it ended already.

Her observations on fluency and ability to decode a text as important were also interesting. I feel most people prefer not to struggle with reading words on a page or mastering the commands of a video game. Still, I found her ideas about different types of literacy, or what I came to think of it as understanding concepts through different media (i.e. book, film, CD-ROM)

Book Trailer: Scott Pilgrim - Precious Little Life

Below is the link to mine and Ira's book trailer for the first novel of the Scott Pilgrim series.

Ch-ch-check it out,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6U91beN0Iw

Review: "Story of a Girl" by Sara Zarr

Sara Zarr’s 2007 novel, Story of a Girl is a classic story of the consequences of teenage lust, gossip, and social isolation.  Deanna wrestles with her tarnished reputation after her father catches her having sex while stoned with a high school senior, Tommy, when she was just 13. Even three years after this mortifying incident, Deanna, now 16, finds herself socially ostracized and labeled as a slut – especially by her father. While she still has two friends left, Jason (with whom she is slightly in love) and his girlfriend, Lee, she continues to struggle with feelings of isolation. Deanna is forced to deal with her past when she takes a job at a local pizza place where Tommy happens to work. While her family appears to unravel in many ways, Deanna ultimately sets herself free by accepting her actions, forgiving Tommy, and reaching out to repair her relationship with her father.

While the novel may appear slightly formulaic at first glance in terms of plot, there are some notable points of interest that make Story of a Girl an interesting and enjoyable read. For one, Deanna seems to articulate the experience of any girl who has had nasty rumours spread about her through a first-person narrative with her sarcasm and occasional wit. Zarr also uses flashbacks to Deanna’s childhood, where she reminisces about her innocence and her positive, close relationship with her parents, effectively juxtaposing her current situation. Feelings of guilt and a real yearning for her childhood are certainly relatable for most teens struggling with growing up or coming to terms with past lapses in judgment. The journal she keeps effectively shows a progression of her escaping intense self-loathing, and finding closure. Another important theme of the novel is that of double standards of sexuality for boys and girls. While Deanna is judged as being promiscuous, Tommy is seen as masculine and suffers no consequences for his sexual escapades.

Since this novel is character-driven, the plot tends to drag. However, through these moments, the reader gains valuable information on the development of the major characters. Considering the subject matter (and taking into account the gendered differences described above), this novel would appeal primarily to girls. Still, the prose is excellent and makes for a very enjoyable read.

Rating: 4Q 4P S