It's Still Okay to Like YA!

As you may recall, I began this blog saying IT'S OKAY TO LIKE YA. As teen's you may be turned off by reading. This may because you haven't been exposed to good literature, your bogged down by the "classics", or to be quite frank, too lazy to pick up a book.

My hope's after reading this blog is that you no longer feel this way about literature. I hope this blog has opened your eyes to wonderful world of YA lit. There are so so so many quality YA books out there for teen readers to enjoy.

Over the past few months, I have exposed you to a number of quality YA lit works, like Looking for Alaska, We Were Here, and a number of Sarah Dessen books, just to name a few. I hope that you have or will give these books a look.

There are so many different themes that YA lit covers, that it would be hard for someone to be totally disengaged from the whole genre. There is romance, dystopian, Gay/Lesbian, and suicide stories just to name a few.

The purpose of this blog was to show you, a teen reader, the wonders of YA Lit. And for you to see there is nothing to be ashamed about if you pick up one of these reads. I hope this blog has given you a few good titles that you want to check out. Happy Reading!

The American Dream

Over the past few months I have read a multitude of different YA titles. And most of them I have really enjoyed and some not so much. But one idea that really stuck out to me was this notion of the American Dream. According the Dictionary.com, the American Dream is the ideals of freedom, equaility, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to ever American.

I'm sure that in high school you'll hear of this term somewhere along the way. Maybe the term popped up when you are reading The Great Gatsby or Death a Salesman, or another book published in the earlier part of the twentieth century. But maybe you haven't really thought about how it still relates to novels written now, especially YA novels.

I have read three books where I feel that this theme of the American Dream was prevalent.

This first is We Were Here by Matt de la Pena. It is about an American boy of Mexican descent who was sent to a group home after committing a crime. He and two other boys run away from their group home in hopes to make it Mexico. But along the way the boys have to figure out what it is they are really running from….the group home or their problems?

The second book is The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. It is about a young Indian boy from the Spokane Indian Reservation who leaves the rez to attend and all white rural high school where he has the ability to receive a proper education. Initially, the people of the rez see him as abandoning his Indian culture. And the people at his new school think he is the weird Indian boy at first.

The final book is If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson. Is about a Black boy and a white girl who go to school in New York City where they meet and fall in love. However, they are faced of overcoming the stereotypes that go along with a bi-racial relationship. Is their love for each other enough to carry each other through this?

So you may be asking, what does this have to do with the American Dream? Well each novel portrays to life of a person or a couple who have to prove other people wrong and beat the odds, while still trying to identify with the part of them that is "American."

Miguel's, from We Were Here, American Dream is for other people to see him as a person who deserves to be recognized for not for what he did but for who he is. He did not want to only be known as some screw up who did something terrible. He was a real person who just made a mistake. He was looking for the same opportunity and equality that everybody else in this country has.

Junior, from The Absolutuely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, was also looking for the same opportunity. Where he was living on the rez was a dead end. If he stayed there for the rest of his life he would have probably turned out like most other Indians there, drunk with no money. However, he wanted something different for his life. He wanted a chance to actually become someone or something. But as he tried to achieve this he struggled with overcoming the stereotypical images of being Indian.

Ellie and Jeremiah, from If You Come Softly, have a much different situation but still they are fighting for opportunity and equality in their story. Being a part of a bi-racial relationship they are constantly looked at and judged. Even some members of their own families do not accept their relationship, just because one is white and one is black. Their American Dream would be able to live together without the prejudice that constantly surrounds them.

In each of these books the idea of the American Dream is present. Even though the stories are much different than those written in the earlier part of the twentieth century the ideals are still the same. Freedom, opportunity, and equality.

Up For A Few Laughs?

After reading a lot of heavy material over the past few weeks, I was delighted to read the upbeat and cheerful novel, My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger.

The novel follows the lives of three completely different teens, who are writing in a diary to a person of their choice. T.C. Keller is a boy who is completely obsessed with the Boston Red Sox, his relationship with his dad, and the new girl at school Ale. He is writing his journal for class to his dead mom.

Augie is T.C.'s best friend or "brother" as they like to call each other. He writes his journal to famous women of theater like Liza Minnelli, because he is absolutely obsessed with all things drama related. He also finds himself questioning his sexuality when he starts to get feelings for Andy Wexler, a boy in his class.

Ale is the new girl at school. Her parents recently moved to America from Mexico when her father resigned from being the Mexican ambassador. Her dream in life includes becoming a dancer, however her parents want her to pursue a life of politics. Ale writes her journal to Jacqueline Kennedy, well at least at first.

The story follows the lives of the three characters throughout one crucial year of high school.

I really liked the format of this story. There were a lot of different types of formats involved in this book that added to its character. There were journal entries, memos, and even text message correspondence. I liked this a lot because you saw how the different charcters interacted with each other.

As fun and funny this book was it had an underlying depth to it. It told the story of a boy trying to get over his mom's death, a teen boy trying to find his sexual identity, and a girl figuring out what is more important, pleasing her parents or herself.

This funny, light hearted, novel is a gem in the "Ya Litosphere." So check it out!!