The Guardian asks the riveting, entirely original, never-before asked question:
“Why are so many adults reading YA and teen fiction?”
And I, alone, have the answer.
Me. The brave one. Who plumbs the depths none would dare.
I have done rigorous scientific testing with beakers.
I have traveled the earth and gone in many caves.
I have fought three bears.
I have consumed exotic poisons.
I have even been a teenager once, maybe, probably, I dunno.
And the answer is —
*reveals envelope*
*opens envelope*
*a smaller version of me climbs out*
*the smaller version of me hands the larger version of me a microphone*
*clears throat into mic*
*taps mic*
The answer is:
Because a lot of YA and teen fiction is really, really good.
*flings microphone in a lake*
Bella Higgin says:
*applauds*
February 24, 2015 — 8:21 AM
Princess of Dragons says:
<3
February 24, 2015 — 8:23 AM
Sheila Stephens says:
Exactly!
February 24, 2015 — 8:23 AM
Corey Furman says:
Well said. Golf clap.
February 24, 2015 — 8:40 AM
A Citizen of the World says:
*high five*
February 24, 2015 — 8:46 AM
Katie Pierson says:
As my 15-year-old would say, “You’re the bomb dot com.” Thanks, Chuck.
February 24, 2015 — 8:50 AM
Jemima Pett says:
Yep!
February 24, 2015 — 8:58 AM
terribleminds says:
There’s of course a *slightly* more complicated answer at work here, and it’s that YA fiction is not governed by a lot of the same tropes and cliches that drive other works and genres of fiction. YA is a little more Wild Westy in terms of what you can get away with, so the stories often feel fresher, more dynamic, more uncertain in the best way possible. Which often leads to the stories being, as noted, really, really good.
February 24, 2015 — 8:59 AM
ChelseaVBC says:
“YA is a little more Wild Westy in terms of what you can get away with, so the stories often feel fresher, more dynamic, more uncertain in the best way possible. Which often leads to the stories being, as noted, really, really good.” <– This. Exactly this.
February 24, 2015 — 12:46 PM
addy says:
hell to the frekin yeah
February 24, 2015 — 9:03 AM
totiltwithwindmills says:
Wonderful answer. Though my favorite response to give people with that question is: ’cause they want to. This works as well, of course.
February 24, 2015 — 9:05 AM
Katie L. Carroll says:
The simple answer is often the right one.
February 24, 2015 — 9:18 AM
D. Villa-Smith says:
And it’s fast-paced, inspiring, interesting, there are no awkward moments, there isn’t a moment that tarry longer than necessary, and there isn’t the constant need for Sexual relationships *26 year old Fantasy Writer, and fan of The Rangers Apprentice, and Redwall*
February 24, 2015 — 9:28 AM
Kay Camden says:
It’s also kind of fun to put yourself in a teenage world again. 🙂
The great thing is I’m now an embittered adult so I can put the book down and yell at the kids on my lawn. Best of both worlds.
Works the other way, too. I read plenty of adult fiction as a young adult, and I loved it.
February 24, 2015 — 9:37 AM
paigevest says:
Ditto. I didn’t read age-appropriate books when I was 14. Why start doing so after 30 years. Bring on the YA books!
February 24, 2015 — 11:44 AM
Xagzan says:
*lake explodes*
February 24, 2015 — 9:44 AM
mangacat201 says:
Duh.
February 24, 2015 — 9:53 AM
R. M. Webb says:
I just generally love what you say and how you say it. You should make a living off making your thoughts into words and selling them…
February 24, 2015 — 10:06 AM
Stephanie Scott says:
May 2015 be the year we stop judging each other’s entertainment choices.
February 24, 2015 — 10:20 AM
paigevest says:
… and stop judging each other’s every choice. 😀
February 24, 2015 — 11:42 AM
Gigilala says:
Exactly! I think I’m going to read the Twilight series a third time.
February 25, 2015 — 9:54 PM
MonaKarel says:
All hail Chuck, the King of the Obvious.
Seriously, a lot of YA is just really well written and not dragged down by the addition of what an author thinks will sell better. Such as clumsy gratuitous sex.
February 24, 2015 — 10:44 AM
kendrahighley says:
::curtsies:: Thank you, sir. YA writers around the world agree. : )
February 24, 2015 — 10:50 AM
Zac says:
But clumsy gratuitous sex is the most common type of sex — therefore, many people convince themselves that they like it.
February 24, 2015 — 10:51 AM
Mike says:
As a recovering audio engineer, I’m upset at your treatment of the microphone. Now I gotta go into the damned lake to get it? Seriously?
February 24, 2015 — 11:01 AM
freetoairphoenix says:
Sorry but I disagree! I entered a local library after a 7 year absence. What I saw was astounding: where non-fiction, classics and instruction used to crowd the aisles, were scads and scads of “YA” titles. “Self Help” “Romance”- all basic JUNK. Nothing that will be treasured years from now. It was all page turners, the sorts of garbage one digs through the “FREE” piles of books in boxes at garage sales. The best sellers are not up in the ranks because of good writing, but the work of good PR people (case in point: Fifty Shades…. )
February 24, 2015 — 11:14 AM
MonaKarel says:
Judgmental much? Don’t forget, in his day Dickens was not considered classic reading.
As much as I do not like Fifty Shades, the success of that book had little to do with good PR and a lot to do with people who liked to read it. To each their own
February 24, 2015 — 12:09 PM
Lisa says:
To make a blanket statement that says YA will never be treasured years from now is very confusing to me. Ever read Catcher in the Rye? Lord of the Flies? Also, I don’t read romance myself, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t people who love it. I couldn’t get through 50 Shades, but obviously many people did.
And I hope to God when I get published my novel is described as a “page-turner”!
February 24, 2015 — 12:28 PM
Leslie says:
Reading is reading, regardless of what the user prefers. Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t make it junk. It comes down to this: Read what you like and let others do the same.
February 24, 2015 — 1:17 PM
Debbie says:
Chuck can I just rant a moment and hope that you will pick this up and take it the next step in your beautiful way of phrasing things? Why did we get to this place where we have YA? and even freaking worse NA? why why why? I’m so turned off by the classifications, what does it matter how “old” the characters are in our story? I’d rather see g, or pg, or r, than have this ageist ratings on them. I can only believe OT for Oldtimer’s is right around the corner. I just want to read a good story. I do want to know if it skews more drama than comedy or serial killer than chick lit, but I don’t need an age classification as well. It frankly turns me off and I’m probably missing some good books because I’m a conscientious objector to NA. thanks. Love your work!
February 24, 2015 — 11:22 AM
Hannah says:
What the heck is “ageist?” YA is just a classification for books written with the young adult reader in mind, but any-freakin’-one can read them regardless of age. Not like anyone’s policing what you can and can’t read at any certain age? (Hell, I read LOTR and Shakespeare in middle school, and not as required reading. And I read /tons/ of YA now even though I’m out of college.)
February 24, 2015 — 4:56 PM
Hannah says:
*at any certain age. (Accidentally made it a question mark for some reason???)
February 24, 2015 — 10:33 PM
Fiona says:
I have a strong preferce for first person present tense, so it’s mostly YA and NA for me. I also love angsty romance, so, again YA and NA.
YA feels fresher to me than NA– no tortured billionaires and only a handful of bad boys.
February 24, 2015 — 11:41 AM
stranger09 says:
Well, for me there are three reasons to read YA:
1. Chuck Wendig wrote it. (obvious answer)
2. Joe Abercrombie wrote it.
3. The main character is a wisecracking, flame-throwing Skeleton Detective.
February 24, 2015 — 11:51 AM
jmartinlibrary says:
Mic drop.
But seriously.
MIC DROP.
February 24, 2015 — 12:01 PM
Jessica Ruprecht says:
Truth. The man speaks truth.
February 24, 2015 — 12:07 PM
Lynne Cantwell says:
freetoairphoenix — YA means Young Adult. Neither self-help nor (thank all the gods!) “Fifty Shades of Ick” falls into that category.
February 24, 2015 — 12:08 PM
Lisa says:
My teens read YA. I (I’m 44, but don’t tell anyone) read YA. My 74 year old mother reads YA. YA rocks.
February 24, 2015 — 12:21 PM
Leslie says:
Yes! Thank you. I still reread The Weetzie Bat series on a regular basis! I wish you had posted this in response to that horrible woman who posted an article shaming adults for reading it (http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2014/06/against_ya_adults_should_be_embarrassed_to_read_children_s_books.html). But I did give her a piece of my mind in your stead.
February 24, 2015 — 1:05 PM
Georgina Howlett (BritishBiblioholic) says:
Funnily, I read that before writing my blog post for the Guardian (what Chuck linked to up above) and it made me so very mad. SO. VERY. MAD. Hahaha.
February 24, 2015 — 7:53 PM
laurenbjorkman says:
I write YA novels because that’s what spins out of my mind. I read MG, YA, literary fiction, women’s fiction, non-fiction, poetry, classics, trash, Mad Magazine, fortune cookie fortunes, blogs particularly Chuck’s), road signs, and (once in a while) the directions that come with new electronic devices, but only if the thing I’m reading holds my attention.
Thanks for stating the obvious and making me laugh at the same time!
February 24, 2015 — 2:15 PM
Phil says:
I do read YA from time to time and I plan to continue. I’m looking for a good story well told and I could care less where it comes from or who it was originally intended for.
I come more from a film background and I see a parallel with YA to the proliferation of superhero movies we’ve seen in recent years. There’s been quite a bit self-flagellation lately in the film industry about making these movies, to the point where James Gunn had a pretty good response to the importance of superhero movies. Superheroes have been around for a long time. My Grandfather read Superman comics and listened to The Shadow serial radio program. My dad read comics. But at a certain point, they were able to put that stuff away and move on to, I don’t know, more adult kinds of interests and pursuits: whiskey and hookers and an existential crisis tossed into the mix. This is something my generation, I’m forty, doesn’t seem willing to do. I’m not putting myself above this. I’m just as guilty I sometimes feel as if I’m chasing some magic I experienced as a kid, like the first time I saw EMPIRE or RAIDERS on the big screen. It’s hard not to the think that in many ways I’m still playing in the same sandbox as the children.
February 24, 2015 — 2:23 PM
Hannah says:
Growing up is overrated, anyway! *is out of college and still collects superhero stuff*
February 24, 2015 — 4:58 PM
Lise says:
I’ve been reading a lot more YA lately, myself. Maybe I’m just sampling the best of the best, but my experience has been to find it a lot more emotionally gripping, overall, than the adult fiction I’m reading. I dunno, maybe I just have the emotional range of a 17-year-old girl 🙂
Relatedly, I’ve heard someone make the observation that YA is where the female protagonists with agency are these days. Maybe that’s why the emotional beats feel more real to me, even though I’m twice the age of the main character.
February 24, 2015 — 2:43 PM
glenavailable says:
Early contender for Chuck’s Top Ten Post’s of 2015 list. Standup comedy without the beer soaked carpet and smoke haze.
February 24, 2015 — 2:55 PM
Wendy says:
Couldn’t agree more.
February 24, 2015 — 2:59 PM
christophergronlund says:
In junior high, I got hooked on John Cheever and John Irving. When it came time to sit down to actually write, my first screenplay, novel, and novella were YA stories. What I’m writing right now could be deemed a YA story. It’s not [too] hard to write well and tell a story for readers of any age.
Good readers and good writers read a bit of everything, and I don’t get the big deal with adults even reading YA fiction exclusively. Being an adult is about doing whatever the hell you want to do when your adult duties are tended to. If that means sitting on my balcony in my underwear after work and eating Lucky Charms for dinner while reading a YA novel, why the hell not?! (The neighbors might disagree, though…)
February 24, 2015 — 3:01 PM
John Hornor Jacobs says:
I agree with Chuck. I have thought about this quite a bit and defended my love of young adult literature often to other writers.
My thoughts: YA literature is really stories of adolescence and adolescence is the point where children make the first movement toward adulthood, discovering their values, their place in the world, their sexuality, and morals (or lack of them). An adolescent’s body is undergoing titanic changes, thrumming with hormones and sexual impulses. In a Kristevan view, adolescence is the final separation of the self from the Other. It is the final process of individuation. It’s messy and painful and bizarre and awkward and glorious. Who the hell wouldn’t want to write about it? Who wouldn’t want to read about it? It’s such fertile soil for stories.
Stories of adolescence lock into common experiences of nearly everyone. But, the reason YA is important for teens is that it often gives them a guide through tempestuous change, and in the case of diverse books, lets them know they aren’t alone in their pain and struggle toward adulthood. YA fiction is important – valid, to be respected – and appeals to so many adults is because it offers them a vista to look back at the choices they made to get to where they are. It allows them to re-evaluate their adulthood. It allows them to correct their course for the future. Adulthood isn’t a constant, it always requires adjustment.
And it’s not all its cracked up to be, anyway.
February 24, 2015 — 3:17 PM
Mark Gardner says:
Hey! I had to purchase a mic recently… Them’s not cheap! Stop flinging them into lakes.
February 24, 2015 — 3:20 PM
Stephanie Karfelt says:
Word.
February 24, 2015 — 3:26 PM
Rachel says:
Totes! 😀
February 24, 2015 — 3:36 PM
RSAGARCIA says:
Nooo….You’re kidding. Really? *Rolls eyes at the Guardian*
February 24, 2015 — 4:34 PM
Georgina Howlett (BritishBiblioholic) says:
Rolling your eyes at my blog? Ouch! Haha.
February 24, 2015 — 7:54 PM
RSAGARCIA says:
Lol. Not at your blog, per se, more at the idea that we need to explain why or remark on it. Adults have always read YA and for various reasons. Chief among them, because they enjoy it. End of story 🙂
March 2, 2015 — 12:00 PM
M T McGuire says:
Mwah hahahahrgh! Love it.
February 24, 2015 — 5:46 PM
lisboeta1 says:
Some of the best books I have read are in the YA or even children’s category, so what’s not to like? Love the post.
February 24, 2015 — 6:43 PM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
Love your writing. And you crack me up. Can you cook? 😉
February 24, 2015 — 7:05 PM
52lettersinthealphabet says:
My life is complete after reading this blog post 🙂
February 24, 2015 — 9:33 PM
Millie Ho says:
True dat.
February 24, 2015 — 10:12 PM
Jamie says:
Yes. Of course I agree. But, I was hoping you would expand upon this a bit more. I mean, I’d like to think the genre is so popular because adults are boring and predictable. The characters in YA novels? They have no pretenses. They have their whole life ahead of them to make mistakes…and to not be concerned that one day they’ll get tired of making mistakes and will settle for mediocrity. They still have a thread of imagination left over from their youth and they still have hope. As an adult? Sure, there are some who still sparkle and shine. There are still those that base jump off a building and cross their fingers that today won’t be their last day. But for the most part, the rest of us have to face reality, grow up, put our heads down and do the work that keeps food on the table and a roof over our head. But that doesn’t mean we can’t look back on that world in awe. So we fawn over YA books that help remind us that we, too, once used to be that alive. And some of us even managed to make a living out of bringing that world back to life. So cheers to anyone who can bring such joy to others.
*clears throat*
*bends down and sets mic gently on the floor trying not to make a loud noise*
February 24, 2015 — 10:15 PM
decayingorbits says:
I think part of the popularity among adults is the desire to read what their kids are reading so they can both keep tabs on what is going into their heads, and have something in common to talk about. Maybe it’s an anomaly, but I don’t know any adults who read YA that don;t have kids who read the same stuff. I recently re-read “A Wrinkle In Time” but otherwise I tend to pass on YA.
February 25, 2015 — 5:50 AM
terribleminds says:
“Maybe it’s an anomaly, but I don’t know any adults who read YA that don;t have kids who read the same stuff.”
That would be very, very anecdotal data and probably not a good way to make a conclusion.
I read YA, and I do not have kids who read YA.
A lot of the readers of YA are not also the parents of teens.
— c.
February 25, 2015 — 6:37 AM
decayingorbits says:
It’s just my experience. I think YA is great for people who want to read it. It doesn’t really float my boat — that being said, there are tons of stories/books out there that aren’t “YA” that are perfectly suitable for YA/Teens and are, in fact, great literature. They may not feature teens as the protagonists, but just as adults enjoy going back in their minds to think of a time in their lives that was much less encumbered by a lot of “adult” bullshit — there are also YA/Teens I suspect who enjoy reading books/stories written from an adult perspective.
I’m not dissing YA — I respect the genre, it’s just not what I enjoy reading.
But I understand that you write in the genre so you are invested in it. That’s cool. The fact that your market goes beyond the under-18 crowd is also cool.
February 25, 2015 — 8:30 PM
MonaKarel says:
I like some YA. Some of it makes me edgy and not in a good way. As though I’m going downhill on an old skateboard.
February 25, 2015 — 8:37 PM
Spofforth says:
“Because a lot of YA and teen fiction is really, really good.” Says it all really.
Hey Chuck, when can I get my mitts on Thunderbird?
February 25, 2015 — 6:05 AM
terribleminds says:
THUNDERBIRD — er, which to be clear is very much not YA! — will be out just on the other side of 2016 to allow the re-releases of the first three book to breathe a little. 🙂
February 25, 2015 — 6:36 AM
Spofforth says:
Thanks Chuck.
February 25, 2015 — 7:22 AM
Wendy Christopher says:
Ah yes, The Guardian, bless their little navel-gazing hearts. 😉 They could write an entire article that ponders every aspect of the question – or they could just do what you do Chuck, and straight-up answer it. That’s why I read you and not them. 🙂
I was a huge Judy Blume fan back in the day (and still do love her books and would happily recommend them to today’s teenagers) but I remember my mum and several of my teachers were NOT happy about it AT ALL so I had to be quite clandestine about reading them. She was considered very subversive back then – but maybe her work would be considered tame compared to what’s on offer now?
February 25, 2015 — 7:15 AM