YA novels aren’t given the credit that they deserve. As an English major, I have had the opportunity to read an array of different novels both through my education and through the books I read for pleasure. Within the many genres are Young Adult (YA) novels, and I hold this genre on the same pedestal, as great literature, alike any other type. These novels are at a vantage point in discussing defining themes of feminism and gender, empathy and free speech, and identity and society. YA novels give a platform to start the needed conversations surrounding these topics.
This past semester I had the pleasure of taking Cultural Studies Theory into Practice: Adolescent Identity (ENGL 294) taught by Professor Alice Drysdale. The entirety of the course syllabus contained YA novels: The Hate U Give, Looking for Alaska, Honor Girl, and more. In regard to the three listed, each really opened my eyes and gave a voice to different needed discussions.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Point blank, The Hate U Give is a phenomenal novel to read. I couldn’t put the book down and become absolutely captivated by Starr’s story. The Hate U Give is about a 16 year old girl who is navigating two different worlds: Williamson and Garden Heights. The balance between her two different identities collides when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Throughout the novel, it’s seen how Starr learns that her actions can have a major impact on those around her and what she says and does matters. The novel gives a voice to the strength and power that young individuals around the world have today. Furthermore, it gives a platform to show the horrific results of police brutality. Give The Hate U Give a read, you won’t regret it.
Looking for Alaska By John Green
I first, or more so attempted, reading Looking for Alaska in middle school. At the time, I couldn’t connect with the novel nor get past the beginning pages. However, reading it now as an adult, I have a new appreciation for the book and no longer believe the quick judgment I once made. Looking for Alaska is about Miles’ (aka ‘Pudge’) searching for ‘the Great Perhaps’ as he moves away to boarding school. Prior to his move, life at home was disappointing and uneventful; this completely changed with his arrival at Culver Creek Boarding School. With the influence of Alaska Young, Miles is thrown into the Great Perhaps and nothing for him is ever the same. The novel gives light to the honest and brutal aspects of growing up. Life can take you in different twists and turns and give you no reasoning or answers to events that arise. I recommend giving Looking for Alaska a read and joining Miles on his journey to the Great Perhaps.
Honor Girl By Maggie Thrash
Honor Girl was an exciting read, as it was my first experience with a graphic memoir and same-sex relationship. The typical novels I’m accustomed to reading are fictional novels without graphics. Thus, the book already had piqued my interest with it’s form and continued to keep it with it’s moving story. Honor Girl is about Maggie Thrash’s experience at a summer camp she had gone to every year for the past 15 years. Except this summer, everything changes after an innocent touch, as Maggie is pulled into a gut-wrenching love for an older and female counselor named Erin. However, Camp Bellflower isn’t the place that allows for a girl to fall in love with another girl. Maggie is forced to discover a new part of who she is, in an environment that does everything in its power to keep it hidden. Honor Girl displays the disheartening reality of individuals being pressured into hiding away pieces of themselves and not being given the positive space deserved. Honor Girl is an exceptional read and I would recommend that you add it to your Goodreads ‘to read’ bookshelf.
They didn’t tell you that Young Adult novels are a force to be reckoned with. YA books are taking the initiative to explore the major topics of our era and empower a community of young individuals simultaneously. Conversations are being started as a result of YA novels being created. More authors, and individuals in general, should take a page out of these books and gather the strength and power to advocate for what is just in this world. They didn’t tell you that YA novels have the power to change the world for the greater. Read a YA novel and join the powerful movement!