tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post4555128820262363010..comments2024-03-28T16:51:25.965+01:00Comments on Offbeat YA: Tell Me Something Tuesday: How Do You Feel about the Whole Mean Girl/Boy Theme?Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-50979718088732563432018-04-02T15:24:58.349+02:002018-04-02T15:24:58.349+02:00I'm sure bullying is still a real thing, and I...I'm sure bullying is still a real thing, and I do think it should be addressed in books. It's just that most characters nowadays seem so unreal. As you said...mean just because.Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-20152783325548036352018-04-02T05:53:52.391+02:002018-04-02T05:53:52.391+02:00Most people seem to say that the extreme cliques y...Most people seem to say that the extreme cliques you see in books don't really exist in schools. But I have heard a lot about bullying, so unfortunately meanness is real. I agree that I'm over the trope of mean girls who are mean for no other reason than ... just because. I want some depth!<br /><br />Nicole @ <a href="http://feedyourfictionaddiction.com" rel="nofollow">Feed Your Fiction Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addictionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08637114079800138680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-74830923016992130512018-03-29T14:52:51.459+02:002018-03-29T14:52:51.459+02:00It's lazy to use the trope as it is...and, as ...It's lazy to use the trope as it is...and, as Heidi above pointed out, potentially dangerous...there's more to it than a personal preference (like, I want to read about bullying or I don't). Sadly, backstories and redemptions are quite rare in YA novels that deal with bullies. Let's hope things change for the better, also thanks to our little blogger voices united...Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-69790269539520113972018-03-29T14:46:28.271+02:002018-03-29T14:46:28.271+02:00It's unfortunate at best that it's used th...It's unfortunate at best that it's used that way in this day and age. I wonder when the authors who still do will get the message...Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-2453891285857824872018-03-29T14:15:03.460+02:002018-03-29T14:15:03.460+02:00That was an interesting read! I personally have no...That was an interesting read! I personally have nothing against this trope if the characters have a valid backstory or some kind of justification for why they are the way they are, but yes, I do agree that it has all gotten so unnecessarily romanticized and I don't really have the patience for such characters anymore unless they are REALLY well-written and have some kind of redemption.Ruzaika @ Wordy & Whimsicalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03622559256241751912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-48810006337109398612018-03-28T23:24:29.967+02:002018-03-28T23:24:29.967+02:00Thank your insight. I totally agree. I canβt stand...Thank your insight. I totally agree. I canβt stand using the mean theme just for kicks. It is unnecessary and I think harmful to younger readers. Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05984216720423826256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-67851076830959951672018-03-28T21:11:01.168+02:002018-03-28T21:11:01.168+02:00I think one of the reasons Ren Suma does it well i...I think one of the reasons Ren Suma does it well is because she doesn't put her characters in high school. I mean, they are HS age, but we don't usually see them interact in that context, which rules out a lot of unnecessary drama (lunch table segregation, slut-shaming, making fun of fashion sense...).<br /><br />And thank you for the insight into your high school. Also, I'm going to Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-388831739543255492018-03-28T21:02:30.366+02:002018-03-28T21:02:30.366+02:00Ha! You might say I read selected YA. I do tolerat...Ha! You might say I read selected YA. I do tolerate the bully/clique thing in Christopher Pike's books because I'm a fan of his, and besides, most of his high-school novels are set in the '80s/'90s...but with new books, we should get something meatier to sink our teeth in...<br /><br />Welcome to the new meme "Tell It with a David" πππ.Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-52796838478870929062018-03-28T20:57:37.581+02:002018-03-28T20:57:37.581+02:00So glad I'm not alone in this. I was in high s...So glad I'm not alone in this. I was in high school a lifetime ago, so I sometimes wonder if the US version of it I see in books nowadays is somehow accurate, and just "slightly" exaggerated...I hope the call for more realistic and nuanced books about bullying will finally reach authors. Those books ARE needed - just in a different way.Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-5623502342778407642018-03-28T18:55:51.313+02:002018-03-28T18:55:51.313+02:00I can go either way on this trope. I have a fondne...I can go either way on this trope. I have a fondness for mean girl stories, but they have to be done well (e.g., Nova Ren Suma is AWESOME at this). I think my favorite toxic girl friendship story is Whores on the Hill by Colleen Curran. It's my shout from the rooftops book that no one's ever heard of. Beautifully written, tragic, destructive, and so underrated.<br /><br />As far as my Carriehttp://brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-52176486786920054932018-03-28T18:20:23.280+02:002018-03-28T18:20:23.280+02:00Quote: "I don't care to read it unless th...Quote: "I don't care to read it unless the book has something important to say about it or it's done well".<br />THAT. Of course what I meant wasn't "gah, bullying shouldn't have a place in books". But the bullying I usually see in YA novels sounds...artificial. And just there for conflict's sake. And since you read many more books than me, it sounds like IRoberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-91876366113032944162018-03-28T18:14:00.315+02:002018-03-28T18:14:00.315+02:00I went and had a look at the book you mentioned, a...I went and had a look at the book you mentioned, and really? is there a "Bully Romance Books" list on GR? Talk about skewed perspective...<br /><br />Bully books have only one reason to exist IMO: to teach something. If they don't...NOPE. Glad to hear I'm not alone with this way of thinking LOL.Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-60316827329540563442018-03-28T14:14:54.394+02:002018-03-28T14:14:54.394+02:00I don't read enough YA to come across this pro...I don't read enough YA to come across this problem much. I'm not ungrateful for it either. π<br />There really is a David for everything. π Be still, my dark and twisty heart...Heather Taskerhttps://heathertasker.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-14760087140874036492018-03-28T11:01:45.685+02:002018-03-28T11:01:45.685+02:00It's not a trope I'm a fan of either. I te...It's not a trope I'm a fan of either. I tend to stay away from most books in which the protag is in high school because of the mean girl, the cliques, and all the other tropes. Although I think part of the reason they annoy me is because my high school wasn't bad when it came to cliques, and even though I know some are (and actually, my middle school was), it just feels so cliche whenKit @ Metaphors and Moonlighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10113986982046115579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-7803004140034841312018-03-27T22:20:46.451+02:002018-03-27T22:20:46.451+02:00I wouldn't mind it if there was some complexit...I wouldn't mind it if there was some complexity to it and bullying is a real thing but just generic mean girl/boys - not interested. <br /><br />"cliques and slut-shaming and dress-coding" <- this is basically all there ever is to it and it's very cliche and one dimensional. And a lot of the time it's swept under the rug by the time the book ends. <br /><br />For me Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-71698536543303156082018-03-27T22:06:20.905+02:002018-03-27T22:06:20.905+02:00Hmm, I'm kind of over the trope at this point,...Hmm, I'm kind of over the trope at this point, to be honest. But I also believe that if it is done well then it's acceptable. That said, the fact that mean characters - boys especially - got freaking romanticized... yikes. IDK if you heard about it, but there's a book called "Bully". It received many a positive review, so I picked it up a few years ago, and wowowowow, it wasVeronika @ Wordy and Whimsicalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06813427718618609226noreply@blogger.com