Young Adult Fiction

[cshiredhands]

Is anyone but me bothered by the fact that young adult fiction seems to be the trend of popular literature? Harry Potter, Hunger Games, etc...are good as far as they go, but they are definitely written for young people. I know adults that rave about them like they are Hemingway or Vonnegut!. Do adults still read adult books?

[Fran]

Is anyone but me bothered by the fact that young adult fiction seems to be the trend of popular literature? Harry Potter, Hunger Games, etc...are good as far as they go, but they are definitely written for young people. I know adults that rave about them like they are Hemingway or Vonnegut!. Do adults still read adult books?

The ones who post here certainly do

[Ant]

Well I haven't read any Harry Potter books or Hunger Games, but not because I think they are for young people, they are just not my genre of reading material, if they were I would certainly read them.......there is too much snobbery about what we "should" be reading. I think my intellect probably copes better with kids books anyway, if it takes your fancy, read it.
(Ant aged 51)

[Lolla]

there is too much snobbery about what we "should" be reading.

Agree 100%

I only read the last Harry Potter book, because I couldn't wait to see how the story ended. It was a good read and I enjoyed it. If a story grabs me, it grabs me. I don't care what age group it's suppose to target. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I still enjoy some animated movies as well.

[A24]

Well I haven't read any Harry Potter books or Hunger Games, but not because I think they are for young people, they are just not my genre of reading material, if they were I would certainly read them.......there is too much snobbery about what we "should" be reading. I think my intellect probably copes better with kids books anyway, if it takes your fancy, read it.
(Ant aged 51)

Amen!

[Bighuey]

I think if a person likes it, it dosent matter what age group it is.Im 74 and I still read the Tom Corbett Space Cadet books that I read as a young teenager. A few years ago I even read The Wizard of OZ and got a kick out of it.

[cshiredhands]

Well I haven't read any Harry Potter books or Hunger Games, but not because I think they are for young people, they are just not my genre of reading material, if they were I would certainly read them.......there is too much snobbery about what we "should" be reading. I think my intellect probably copes better with kids books anyway, if it takes your fancy, read it.
(Ant aged 51)

That was kind of my point. I don't disagree with reading anything that takes your fancy, but this fascination with youth fiction seems to be part of the dumbing down of everything. I doesn't take as much effort to read young adult, so it's the easy way out. I prefer reading stuff that makes me think, and sometimes makes me stop and think.

[Ant]

Fair point but I wouldn't like to say "dumbing down", there has always been fiction for young adults and times change.......I try and move with them, reading and the reading matter is an individual choice and I would certainly prefer youngsters to be rading something like H.Potter than spending hours on end in front of a games console.
As a youngster I read books like Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island but tastes have changed somewhat, just like in fashion, the music industry and hair styles, I try to stay pretty much in fashion for my age group, as for music I do like some newer stuff though would draw the line at "smack my bitch up" (The Prodigy) and as for hair styles, well that is getting more and more difficult the older I get.

[vinodkumaryadav11]

Yaaa. From my point of view, everyone likes reading fiction books. Really age doesn't matter....

[cshiredhands]

[quote="Ant"]Fair point but I wouldn't like to say "dumbing down", there has always been fiction for young adults and times change.......

It's not the kids I'm worried about. It's the adults that don't go beyond youth fiction. If it's not easy, it's not read.

[Tink21]

Fair point but I wouldn't like to say "dumbing down", there has always been fiction for young adults and times change.......

It's not the kids I'm worried about. It's the adults that don't go beyond youth fiction. If it's not easy, it's not read.

I couldn't have said it better. What's popular today isn't a challenge; it's entertainment. If people have to work to be entertained they're just not interested.

However, the subject of young adult fiction novels is something relevant to all readers. The post-war world of the Hunger Games hits close to home with all of the violence that is going on currently. The tumultuous friendships and relationships, the desire to improve ourselves and the world, these are things that people of all ages are drawn to. So while the writing may not be challenging it speaks to the reader.

[Cj-Ca-Ej]

Fair point but I wouldn't like to say "dumbing down", there has always been fiction for young adults and times change.......

It's not the kids I'm worried about. It's the adults that don't go beyond youth fiction. If it's not easy, it's not read.

I personally would have to disagree. I'm 25 years old and have never been interested in reading until a couple of months ago when I started the hunger games. I've read a few books here and there but it was the Hunger Games that sparked my new found love of reading. After finishing HG I read another YA book and then moved on. I just finished The second book of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's certainly not the most difficult book however it is not YA either.

[llsmith242]

Wow! It's crazy because I had the same exact experience! I started out reading a few historical romance novels, but when I got into the series for Hunger Games and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo my interest in reading really went to another level. I think genre is simply based on personal preference rather than reading difficulty because as a fellow reader mentioned earlier age doesn't have as much to do with it as does the content and one's interest.

Fair point but I wouldn't like to say "dumbing down", there has always been fiction for young adults and times change.......

It's not the kids I'm worried about. It's the adults that don't go beyond youth fiction. If it's not easy, it's not read.

I personally would have to disagree. I'm 25 years old and have never been interested in reading until a couple of months ago when I started the hunger games. I've read a few books here and there but it was the Hunger Games that sparked my new found love of reading. After finishing HG I read another YA book and then moved on. I just finished The second book of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's certainly not the most difficult book however it is not YA either.

[CharlesBryant]

You have "The Hunger Games","Harry Potter","Twilight",and "Kid" which were made into very big and popular books quickly, and one of the main reasons would be because they are young adult novels and have things in them that are very interesting,that attract teens (the biggest audience now),and leads to adult attraction.For example,with "The Hunger Games",it's the tragidies and danger that attract people to it,with "Harry Potter",it's the fantasy,with "Twilight",it's the romance,and with "Kid" it's the humor and action.

[Athena]

I'm also a bit worried about this trend. Most of the blogs I find or people who do videos about books on YouTube, are reading YA (only), usually the paranormal kind. I've read some YA books and they were good, but there's so much more out there. YA isn't my favourite genre and while those books I read are good, I'd love to see more content about other genres.