In Which I Rant

I was innocently scrolling through my Twitter feed when I saw a link to an interview with Chloe Grace Moretz, who is playing Mia in an adaptation of Gayle Foreman’s book If I Stay. Obviously, I had to read this article because I cannot wait for this movie to come out this summer as this book is one of my favorites. As I’m reading the article, I found myself getting angrier and angrier to the point that I actually began seeing red. I can’t even compose a coherent sentence on the first try right now because I’m seething over comments Moretz made about Young Adult literature.

Some special tidbits from the article.

 

“Forman’s novel might occupy a certain part of the bookstore, but Moretz doesn’t love the “young adult” designation. She thinks it diminishes the book’s value” (Bahr, 2014).

And here’s a gem from Miss Moretz herself:

“What’s interesting about Gayle’s novel is that it’s not really that YA. It deals with issues that are much bigger…it’s much darker than I think most YA is,” says Moretz. “I want people to walk in and feel like they actually felt something, and learned something, and realized something different about life that’s more than just, ‘Oh, I saw this love triangle and it’s super sad because she chose the guy I didn’t like. And then the movie was over.’ And you’re like, ‘Okay, that’s pathetic.’ You want to watch something that actually means something and makes you feel and makes you want to be involved. That’s what I wanted to make and that’s what I strive to make” (Bahr, 2014).

Let’s see if I can rant without completely losing my mind.

Ummmm….. WHAT??

First of all: Gayle Foreman’s novel is absolutely YA. The protagonist, Mia, is a teenager dealing with teen issues, A.K.A. high school, college applications, a boyfriend, best friends, etc. While, yes, this novel does have a darker premise (Mia’s in a coma after a horrific car crash that killed her parents and brother, and now must choose whether to stay alive or let go to be with her family), it does not make it better than other Young Adult novels.

And now I shall acknowledge the extremely ignorant comment disguised as an eloquent critique. Young Adult literature does not diminish any book’s value. EVER. This makes me question whether Miss Moretz reads at all. Did you even read If I Stay before you found out it was being adapted into a movie, Chloe?? Did you? Do you even read at all? Young Adult literature does involve romance and some love triangles, but you would be a moron to believe that is all those books are limited to. YA tackles friendships, family, drugs, sex, love, high school, college, politics, religion, along with any and all issues that are related to those mentioned.

So many authors do a fantastic job creating characters with layers upon layers that readers need to peel back throughout the course of reading the book in order to understand the characters they are reading about. My latest author obsession, Melina Marchetta, writes characters with so many levels that I find myself falling in love with each one repeatedly as I’m reading. Just because the protagonists are teenagers and the book is about their adolescent lives, does this mean the writing, characters, and story are not as developed and fleshed out as “adult literature”?

Fantasy, science fiction, dystopian novels, paranormal romance. Books in all of these genres should not be dimissed simply because they are geared towards young adults. Most books address similar themes and issues discussed above, but they set them in imagined worlds (which take a level of genius to create that I can’t even fatham) or futuristic settings that allow readers to immerse themselves into different scenarios. Again, these writing styles do not take away from the books’ value.

I don’t think I can write (rant) anymore without sounding like a maniac.

Here’s the link to the whole article: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/03/28/chloe-grace-moretz-if-i-stay/

You are dismissed, Chloe Grace Moretz. DISMISSED.

Some Favorite Contemporary YA Reads

How to Love by Katie Cotugno

Told from Reena’s perspective, this book flips from the past to the present and portrays a different way of looking at teenage pregnancy and learning to fall in love again. Side note: I had the pleasure of meeting Katie Cotugno on the Story Crush tour a few weeks ago and she was just lovely.

 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

College, boys, new roommates, new friends and homesickness are all explored in Rowell’s contemporary novel about Cath- a homebody and hermit who struggles to adapt to her new college life. I’ve already discussed how this book hit close to home for me, and there are definitely more YA’s out there who will relate to Cath’s story.

 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I won’t lie to you all: I put off reading this book because of the title. I thought it was cheesy and making it painfully obvious that it was YA contemporary/chick lit. I was so wrong. Perkins’ novel follows Anna, a senior in high school who is forced to attend boarding school in Paris and spends the year getting to know herself and discovering what makes a true friend. Plus, her relationship with Étienne is developed perfectly.

 

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

This was my first Lauren Oliver book and it certainly got me hooked on her writing (however, not a huge fan of the Delirium series). The narrator, Samantha Kingston, is one of the most dis-likeable protagonists I’ve ever encountered. She’s entitled, mean and a bully. The book follows Samantha as she re-lives her last day over and over until she can get it right. One of the most powerful contemporary character ARCs I’ve read in a while.

 

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

I’ll be honest, I had a difficult time choosing just one of Dessen’s books to discuss, so I went with two- and even that was a challenge. This one follows Macy the summer before her senior year of high school as she comes to terms with her father’s death while dealing with a distant mother and sister. She ends of ditching her library job in favor of the Wish Catering Crew and Wes- one of my favorite Dessen boys ever.

 

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Skipping to the next row, this Dessen book is another one of my favorites. Auden spends the summer with her father and his second wife and their newborn. One of Dessen’s more peculiar protagonists, Auden is obviously socially awkward, and long with finding her place in her father’s new family, Auden navigates new friendships with girls her own age and tentatively begins a romance with Eli (swoon city).

 

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

I’ve already detailed my unadulterated love for this book. Friendship, loss, love, school and war are all explored in Marchetta’s heartbreaking prose. And if you don’t fall in love with Jonah, Santangelo and/or Jude, there is something wrong with you. That is all.

 

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger

Told through e-mails, journal entries, text messages, instant messages, and passed notes, this book follows T.C. Keller, his best friend Augie, and Alejandra- the love of his life- as they make their way through high school in Boston. Kluger captures every character’s voice perfectly and will make you love all of them. It’s told through alternating points of view, but you definitely will not love one story more than another as each one is solid gold.

 

If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

If you’re looking for a book to give you all the feelings, you can stop because this is it. The protagonist, Mia, tells two stories: her relationship with her boyfriend Adam, and the events that occur right after a tragic car accident that ended the lives of her parents and younger brother, and left her in a coma. As Mia watches her extended family gather in her hospital room, Mia reflects on her life with her family and Adam, while grappling with the choice of either staying alive or joining her parents and brother. Foreman’s writing will make you want to climb inside the book. Literally. Where She Went is the sequel to this book, and follows Adam two years after the events of this book…. just as good.

 

Just One Day by Gayle Foreman

Allyson Healey is another character to whom I can relate. She’s been sheltered her whole life (some of that is self-imposed) and finds herself yearning to break free of the mold she and her parents have constructed for her. She finally manges that while on a final school trip in Europe where she meets Willem and goes off for an adventure in Paris. However, the story does not end the way Allyson would’ve liked, and once she’s back home, she finds that her journey towards self-discovery has only just begun. I read this book while on a flight home from Italy and it only made me want to turn the plane around and head back to Europe. Allyson’s character development is great and you’ll find yourself with a HUGE case of wanderlust once you’ve finished. I have not yet read the sequel Just One Year, but I have it sitting on my nightstand just waiting to be opened.

 

What are some of your favorite contemporary YA book?