I just want to put this here so that I don't forget.
In my YA course, the professor Dr. Catharine Bomhold made two points that finally gave me the language I needed to explain how I view YA.
The first, when arguing about LITTLE WOMEN not being a young adult book (a hill on which she says she is willing to die) Dr. Bomhold said that it isn't YA simply because young adults did not exist at that time in American history - or really anywhere. You went directly from childhood to adulthood, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Brilliant and consice.
The other point was explaining the difference between the Lamberts and duJardins and grittier books like THE OUTSIDERS. The point is that the "malt-shop books" were written by adults showing what a "perfect teen life" would be as opposed to showing what actual teen life was like - as teenaged Susie Hinton was able to do.
I coined the phrase - "Suggest, rather than reflected" teen life. I really think it is going to catch on.
It may seem that this theory doesn't leave room for more nuanced books like Cleary's FIFTEEN or the Betsy Tacy high school books, but I do think that, while they are much more emotionally rich, they are still constrained by their time. That bleaker honesty simply wasn't allowed. It was fine for Holden Caufield to struggle with mental illness as a teenager, as long his story wasn't marketed at teenagers. Yes, Jane could have her sad night watching the fog come over the bridge and Betsy could repent after Margarets eyelashes burned off, but ultimately, there was a happy ending.
Even Tony, the Dally of the Lovelace stories, runs away, but writes to tell that everything has turned out FINE.
There is more here, but I don't have time, but I want to revisit this.
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