Poetry and Teens

I love that poetry for adults breaks boundaries in its appeal to teens. It was great to hear e. e. cummings read last night in a booktalk. I had considered an Emily Dickinson collection for mine and I think it could have worked just as well as my final choice. Poetry is mostly timeless because there are almost no language or vocabulary barriers; and since it can be interpreted in so many ways it allows for an individual connection. That is EXACTLY what teens are looking to do when they read so poetry can serve as a great choice for reluctant readers all the way through literary buffs.

The connection to music is also a crucial element of what makes poetry so powerful to teens. They all have their favorite music and the majority of it has lyrics so they are exposed to poetry whenever they listen to the radio or their Ipod. I love that Sandy read a poem written by a classic poet and a song by Beyonce to illustrate the connection. Next time I have a group visiting the branch I'm stealing his idea and reading lyrics to their favorite music!

Reading Manga is hard!!!

I read Deathnote Vol. 1, Boredom today and I was amazed how long it took. Reading the book "backwards" (for me) wasn't so bad but reading the panels from right to left was difficult, especially since the thought and speech bubbles had traditional english text reading left to right. I would imagine if the text read in the same direction of the panels, it might flow better but having them be counter to each other made it a bit slow going at first. The story was interesting, albeit melodramatic but I think that is an element of the genre. It ended on a cliffhanger and I might just pick up the second one for my next trip to the beach.

One of the teens I interviewed reads almost strictly manga and nothing else and I would imagine she can breeze through them very fast now. She reads at least one a day and she does her own manga! I asked to see and she pulled out a composition notebook with carefully drawn out and colored panels. She began with a cast of characters and their descriptions (vampire status, vitals, etc.) then began the narrative. It was almost closing so I didn't have time to get through too much but after asking the teen librarian about her, I discovered this notebook is only one of many! It's amazing to see the effects of this medium on its followers....she has a really solid grasp of the literary and artistic devices that manga employs and has produced original works that follow the rubric. Too bad she can't get credit in school since she has obviously put a lot of time, thought and effort into her work. I'm hoping to see the other notebooks.

It's Complicated

This book is slightly too big for my bag so I have to carry it under my arm. Having it out in the open has revealed it's magnetism. The photos are so arresting people are drawn to them whenever I have it out in public. On the subway home from class on Wednesday there were several people reading over my shoulder as I went through the photos and interviews again. When the train got to my stop I moved towards the doors still reading and when I glanced back I saw several people staring at what I was reading. I almost laughed out loud, but it was very powerful to see what effect the images have on people. This book should be on display in every teen space in every library!

The publishing divide

I find it perplexing that the American publishing industry has such a strict divide between YA and adult literature. In a pure capitalist sense this is not productive because by publishing a work in one or the other, you can alienate a group that might buy the book. I'm sure there are plenty of teens browsing the adult fiction in bookstores and some adults browsing the YA but they might sell more books if the divide weren't there to begin with. In a library, there are often titles that make it into multiple sections because they would appeal to multiple audiences. Catalogers make those choices to maximize circulation, so why don't booksellers follow suit? I understand that there are content issues regarding appropriateness, but instead of watering down the YA books that are being put on the shelf, why not make parents responsible as they are in a library setting? In an ideal world all content would be available for all people and it would be parents' jobs to regulate what their children are exposed to rather than the industry doing the parenting. I realize this might be an unrealistic goal, but it has a lot of potential to increase profits.

I love Lady Gaga

She is crazy and kind of silly but her music is completely infectious and I recently witnessed a facebook debate between former high school classmates of mine which of her songs is the best. She seems to have a wide appeal and I think her popularity among teens seems obvious. I knew about her from go fug yourself since she is frequently featured for her crazy style choices and even has her own archive but after hearing some of the music, I admit that I'm kind of hooked. The first time I heard that song about riding the disco stick I burst out laughing yet the beat and production was great. Hooray for Lady Gaga!

Hooray for Little Brother!

I am so relieved to be reading this book after all of the books from this past week. I'm only about a third of the way through it right now, but it's flying. I can already recognize the appeal of this book and I would imagine that techno savvy kids would go nuts for it. I think it could have a much wider appeal since it is really a story of teenage empowerment who's main characters fight an unjust adult system. It's very remenicent of 1984 or Brave New World except it's very up to date and is written for a younger crowd. This would be a great book to pair with one of those at school since those titles are often included in high school English curriculums. It might make reading a classic more palatable if it could be connected to a book that is relatable.

My only concern is how soon will this book's language seem dated? I think there's some vagueries in techno speak but brands and specific devices are referenced which I believe is problematic since they may become obsolete in a few years. It will be interesting to see how long this book lasts and remains relevant.

I missed the angst

I am always amazed at most people's attitudes towards their teen years. I remember the hormones and feeling like every problem that arose was the biggest ANYONE had EVER had, but for the most part I felt accepted, confident and well liked. I recognize that this is an unusual position to be in since most teens do not feel that way and I remember middle school being the worst 3 years of my life, but high school was fun. I had smart and fairly responsible friends, school and achievement were important to me and my parents supported me almost unconditionally. I knew people at school who seemed eternally miserable but I think I chalked it up to a bad home situation or simply seeking attention for their own personal miseries. I never realized that a huge percentage of teens feel that way all or most of the time until I got to college and heard people recall their high school experiences.

My school was public but had an entrance exam that weeded out a lot of the bad element in Providence where I grew up. Sports were mostly sidelined for academic achievement groups like debate, math team and science olympiad. There were a couple of popular cliques but most of the school fell into social groups that were somewhat self contained and very diverse. The animosity between groups wasn't as prevalent as in most of the teen movies I've seen or accounts from peers. I think this experience left me lacking in the angst that so many adolescents seem to have coursing through their veins. This by extension is probably the reason teens seem so foreign to me. I want to figure out how to change that.

Teens and Classic Literature

I have some inherent issues with the idea that we should be selling teens on what's new and "hot" while ignoring a canon of wonderful literature old and new. I realize that this is what many of them are looking for and I would never presume to push Catcher in the Rye on a teen that was looking for something like Gossip Girl but I think ignoring the material and only acknowledging it as school assignments is not giving credit to a number of writers that have created works with lasting themes. I know that Forever by Judy Blume is never on the shelf at my branch and that most copies are often checked out. I recently revisited the book because it was a favorite of mine during my own teen years and when I reread it, I felt that it had largely retained much of it's significance and the voice of the protagonist is not dated.

There are a number of well written books coming out every year in increasing numbers. There are also a number of "classics" that were written in a timeless way that many teens can still relate to. I think many of them would be open to these titles if we as librarians encourage the right teens to read them. There will always be teens that are not at the right reading level or interest level for them, but it's our job to recognize that. If we are supposed to treat them as adults why do they need an "opener" book to get them to trust us enough to recommend well written award winner or classic? I would argue that we could earn their trust more effectively by recommending the right book regardless of publication date or literary value. I have seen voracious readers come in looking for new material. What a perfect opportunity for us as professionals to expose them to great literature.

Long live Holden Caulfield!