wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Comments

• [1] steve from nyc July 28, 2008 - 08:24AM

  Back in '77, I read On the Road and James Michener's The Drifters at the age of thirteen. I was recovering from a knee operation (way before there was laser surgery) and spent about six months on crutches. I was not able to play sports and my jock friends sort of forgot about me.

  These books absolutely blew my suburban mind. When I turned 18 I travelled across the country on a Trailways-hitchhiking adventure starting out from The Port Authority to Truckee, CA.

  By the time I got off the crutches, I had a whole new set of friends and started playiing in a punk band.

  
  
• [2] Ad from Amsterdam, The Netherlands July 28, 2008 - 10:13AM

  It's been 15 years since I've first read it, and at the time Frank Herbert's Dune-series managed to raise questions and offer ways of viewing people and the world around that still make for an worthwhile read today.

  The Wikipedia article on Mr. Herbert offers a brief overview of the ideas and themes in his works.

  
  
• [3] O from Forest Hills July 28, 2008 - 10:35AM

  I am now 30 years old, but this book helped me in my teens, it was a gift from my dad who did his best to love me despite all his parenting mistakes,

  "Reviving Ophelia, Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls" by Mary Pipher.

  Fathers, love your daughters and don't give up, you are doing a great job.

  
  
• [4] Steve Mark from NYC July 28, 2008 - 10:40AM

  'Catcher in the Rye,' is there any other book for a male adolescent?

  
  
• [5] bridget July 28, 2008 - 10:53AM

  two words: harry potter.

  
  
• [6] O from Forest Hills July 28, 2008 - 10:53AM

  I write too and being published is published, it is honest money and an honest living. I think it is great that Mrs. Rabb was published. It sounds like her book has helped a lot of people.

  
  
• [7] ella from NYC July 28, 2008 - 10:53AM

  I agree that some young adult books are dark and troubling; I don't understand why teachers make their students read them for their English classes. I felt sorry for my nephew whenever he was forced to be exposed to these topics. He would not have chosen those books on his own.

  
  
• [8] Jess from White Plains, NY July 28, 2008 - 10:54AM

  OK, I'll say it: as a lifelong Salinger fan, I find it bewildering that _Cather in the Rye_ is considered "young adult." I read it first when I was 14, and have read it every five years or so since, and only as a 33 year old do I feel like I finally get it.

  Perhaps this is an odd comment on today's "young adults": when I was one, I read modern American classics...I think Judy Blume was one of the few who wrote for "young adults", and her only "guy" book was her worst. I wonder: do we need this genre? Why not stick to Steinbeck, Salinger and the others? Why don't young adults read Chabon, Goodman, Guterson, etc?

  
  
• [9] ian from berlin July 28, 2008 - 10:54AM

  'Catcher in the Rye,' is there any other book for a male adolescent?'

  enders game by orson scott card. i read it at 12 or 13 and found that it hit the spot as a young boy and even still hits the point as an adult.

  
  
• [10] Sarah from Brooklyn, NY July 28, 2008 - 10:54AM

  I read Cures for Heartbreak, when my 17 yr. old brought it home from the library. Wonderful book. I find that many current YA books are high quality literature. I am a 39 year old mother and teacher. Some of them are dark or innapropriate but there are many many that are wonderful. Books about kids going through difficult times are appealing to kids who have experienced traumas and educational for kids who have not. I strongly reccomend that intellegent adults check out the YA section.

  
  
• [11] James from Linden, NJ July 28, 2008 - 10:55AM

  Alice in Wonderland was written for a child, but remains a classic for adults to read as it is full of political satire. All of these labels are meaningless. Good writing is good writing.

  
  
• [12] Liv from Manhattan July 28, 2008 - 10:56AM

  I would also like to throw out To Kill a Mockingbird was considered a kids' book in its day.

  But my true comment is: I am an actor and I teach acting classes. I have an MFA and could teach acting at a univeristy level. However, I live in New York and that's not available to me. So, I teach 10-13 year olds. When I tell other actors there is a little bit of judgement about it which is interesting to me. Also, if you do children's theatre, even if it's well produced with smart, dedicated actors, it's just not considered 'real' work by many. Shame. Not to toss a cliche, but kids are out future.

  
  
• [13] George from Brooklyn July 28, 2008 - 10:56AM

  I read tons of books every year. And one of the best ones I read this past year, was Sherman Alexi's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian". It was indeed a young adult novel, with really great drawings to boot, but it was one of the most affecting, mature, and perfect books I have ever read dealing with adolescence. And even though I'm not a middle schooler any more, it's not hard to get back there.

  
  
• [14] Thom from brooklyn July 28, 2008 - 10:57AM

  when did publishers start to categorize and market book like this? Have the conventions changed over time?

  I wonder which older calssics would, if published today, be published as YA? (Cider With Rosie, Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver's Travels, R. L. Stevenson?)

  
  
• [15] O from Forest Hills July 28, 2008 - 10:57AM

  I like dark books. They are great at any age.

  
  
• [16] Brian July 28, 2008 - 10:57AM

  As a published children's book author, I object to the pejorative comments, and outright dismissal of juvenile literature. A good book depends on strong characters, emotional resonance, a satisfying plot, naturalistic dialogue, a sense of "truth", no matter who the intended audience is. I have no patience for those who put the literary standards for kids books at a lower level than that for adults.

  
  
• [17] Judith Kozloff July 28, 2008 - 10:58AM

  When I couldn't find suitable books for my 11 year old daughter whose reading skills were far ahead of her sophistication I gave her the New Yorker - very successful

  
  
• [18] Toby Gardner from Brooklyn July 28, 2008 - 10:59AM

  Could your guest recommend other YA novels that would give an adult a sense of the richness of this genre? I, like other listeners, have a skewed vision of YA and would love a reintroduction to the field.

  
  
• [19] EL from QUEENS July 28, 2008 - 10:59AM

  When I was 10, I read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. My 5th grade teacher saw me reading and asked "Does your mother know you're reading this book?" "My mother bought me this book." I loved it then and recently re-read it and still love it 45 years later.

  
  
• [20] Sarah from Brooklyn, NY July 28, 2008 - 11:01AM

  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and The Yearling were two books that had a great impact on me during my teen years. But I also read many adult books that my parents had around the house. Any book was fodder for this bookworm.

  
  
• [21] Cory from 19th/20th Century July 28, 2008 - 11:01AM

  This is just another symptom of the pernicious segmentation of literature. Literature should speak to all. Did Homer, Virgil or Tolstoy write for white males? Did the Bronte sisters write chick lit? Did Twain write Huck Finn for young adults? Enough already.

  
  
• [22] Jess from White Plains, NY July 28, 2008 - 11:03AM

  Cory --

  Exactly!

  
  
• [23] Sarah from Brooklyn, NY July 28, 2008 - 11:04AM

  I also read Diary of a Part Time Indian. Wonderful book too. I often borrow YA and even children's novels from the school library where I teach and I have read many that were fantasti

  
  
• [24] Allison from Manhattan July 28, 2008 - 11:14AM

  Let's not forget, here, that "Cures for Heartbreak" is a fantastic novel for any sophisicated reader. The main character is an adolescent, but (and) the themes are universal and the writing is undisputably masterful. Pick up this book immediately!

  
  
• [25] Roy July 28, 2008 - 11:20AM

  The two books I've read were "Catcher in The Rye" by J.D. Salinger and "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton, and they influenced me to become a writer myself (wrote some unproduced screenplays and unpublished short stories and novellas).

  
  
• [26] Sarah from Brooklyn, NY July 28, 2008 - 11:44AM

  Some more books that had an impact on me as a kid. And talk about dark themes. Torey L. Hayden's books about her work with severely disturbed kids propelled me into my career as a special education teacher. Her books are wonderfully written and the characters include kids who suffered severe abuse, a pregnant teen, and kids with severe emotional and physical delays. "One Child", Somebody Else's Kids" and Ghost Girl are three that are still on my shelf, tattered and frequently read. My own teen daughter has begun reading them. Dibs in Search of Self and Children with Emerald Eyes are also books I read as a teen, same theme.

  
  
• [27] Margo Rabb from Austin, Texas July 28, 2008 - 03:03PM

  Toby, thanks for your question. Here are a few of my favorite YA titles that I think have huge adult appeal:

  Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron

  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

  How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

  Before I Die by Jenny Downham

  The Arrival by Shaun Tan

  I'll be posting more recommendations on my website later today:

  http://margorabb.com/blog/

  Thanks for listening!

  Margo Rabb

  
  
• [28] Rachel from Sunnyside, NY July 28, 2008 - 08:40PM

  As a teenager I was scouring the adult literature section for classic books by age 14 because I trusted those books to be fulfilling reads. Had there been a better YA section, I likely would have found books there as well. As an adult, I'm more interested in checking out that section for good literature as well- why not? I enjoy movies made well regardless of the target age group...

  Regarding the roles of adults in teen's reading, adults did guide me- my teachers gave me literature, my dad encouraged me to find classics and drove me to the bookstore. As Rabb points out, young adults should have the choice, as they always have, to choose books. It is the role of adults (teachers, librarians, parents) to discuss powerful subjects and help apply them to real life. Isn't reading about dark subjects better than experiencing first hand?

  I'd also like to comment that Ms Rabb's book had a huge impact on me and I've recommended it to friends (all adults) who struggled with the loss of parents, whether they lost them as a child, a young adult or an older adult, and some who just like a good read.