tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post8360798382359318461..comments2024-03-28T16:51:25.965+01:00Comments on Offbeat YA: Confessions of a Senior Blogger: My Take on Ageism in the Book Blogging CommunityRoberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-47013672715380568462015-09-27T15:31:59.331+02:002015-09-27T15:31:59.331+02:00Quote:
"I firmly believe that anyone has the ...Quote:<br />"I firmly believe that anyone has the right to read YA, but I still think that YA books should stay reflective of the teenage culture."<br />YES.<br />I think it's what caused a bit of a stir lately during the Kids Book Summit - the adult appropriation of YA lit. I understand that, as adults, our reviews do have an impact on book sales or author/publisher decisions (or IRoberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-15683040269629941602015-09-26T21:20:20.851+02:002015-09-26T21:20:20.851+02:00In all of my years of blogging (which would be thr...In all of my years of blogging (which would be three) I have never given my age, or really even an age range to my audience. There have been a few hints here and there that some people might have picked up on, but I like to think that my age is not public knowledge. And I would definitely like to keep it that way due to all of the things you have said in this (very amazing) post. I want to be Tessahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05674560920184099297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-28540601554960709632015-09-06T13:39:58.546+02:002015-09-06T13:39:58.546+02:00Thank you Vera for your long comment - they are my...Thank you Vera for your long comment - they are my favourite kind LOL.<br /><br />First off, you don't have to feel like you're not mature enough to chat with us oldies ;). Though I suppose I don't feel so intimidating, or you wouldn't have commented on here! ;) But in general, it would be wrong if younger bloggers like you felt awkward or not worthy around us older ones. If Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-87967205866340816282015-09-05T17:19:29.477+02:002015-09-05T17:19:29.477+02:00Okay, first off I love your post, Roberta!
My fa...Okay, first off I love your post, Roberta! <br /><br />My favorite thing in this community is that we can talk to other bloggers without feeling the age difference. I think it's amazing that there are book bloggers of all ages around me who I can talk to about a book or anything else and not feel awkward. I have to admit, I still feel a bit strange chatting up bloggers who are more than a fewVeronika @ Wordy and Whimsicalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06813427718618609226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-68390659241795085362015-09-04T15:41:17.689+02:002015-09-04T15:41:17.689+02:00Allison,
it's great that you feel so invested ...Allison,<br />it's great that you feel so invested in this discussion that you found the time to comment again. And you are probably spot on - some authors are writing modern fairytales. Which is not a big fault in itself - especially since there are teens who love them - but I, too, think that even the most fantastic of worlds (and I say "fantastic" in the sense of "totally Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-73846882686128239302015-09-04T02:31:57.102+02:002015-09-04T02:31:57.102+02:00I do have to wonder about the personal past experi...I do have to wonder about the personal past experiences of YA writers. I find it hard to believe that all novelists grew up with a sparkly perfect life. I, for one, was an awkward teenager who experienced a lot of heartache and difficult times. My experiences have always been the inspiration for writing, regardless of the topic or readership group. So when it comes to authors who focus on a Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00578722862554906519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-43918017579886470862015-09-03T20:43:48.590+02:002015-09-03T20:43:48.590+02:00Such a great comment - and I'm so glad Blogger...Such a great comment - and I'm so glad Blogger didn't eat it this time LOL. What can I say? The bit about criticizing kids for being kids was especially spot on. Until we are indeed able to realise we're doing just that and to take a step back, I guess we old girls (and boys) are allowed to read and review YA :).Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-7008470652937665542015-09-03T19:35:55.135+02:002015-09-03T19:35:55.135+02:00I thought a lot about this topic last year (I'...I thought a lot about this topic last year (I'll get to that in a minute) but I hadn't realized that so many younger bloggers feel marginalized in the blogosphere. Maybe because I'm *ahem* an older blogger everyone seems younger to me. <br /><br />I started reading YA several years ago. I was a weird, shy kid and my teenage years were not fun. I never found my experience in a book Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-52682176485824738962015-09-03T17:45:03.379+02:002015-09-03T17:45:03.379+02:00Hey Ruzi! *waves at younger blogger who's not ...Hey Ruzi! *waves at younger blogger who's not feeling awkward around her*<br /><br />First off, I firmly believe that every single reader is "certified" to talk books - no matter how long such person has been blogging about them :).<br /><br />It's funny, if you think of it - nostalgia can strike at any age. But I'm sure we all have other reasons for reading YA as well. For Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-86790327088686933722015-09-03T11:21:16.184+02:002015-09-03T11:21:16.184+02:00Great post, Roberta! It must have really been toug...Great post, Roberta! It must have really been tough sitting and putting your thoughts out about this. I'm 21, and trust me, even I've felt kinda "old" reading YA at times, the nostalgia for the carefree pre-uni teen days and all that jazz. Since I'm still new to the blogosphere I don't think I'm all that certified to talk on this matter, but yeah.The book blogging Ruzaika @ Wordy & Whimsicalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03622559256241751912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-12734203904909645212015-09-03T09:58:40.290+02:002015-09-03T09:58:40.290+02:00I made the link clickable, and added one for the C...I made the link clickable, and added one for the Chuck Wendig's article you quoted in your post. Thank you!<br /><br /><a href="http://thegirlandthebook.com/2014/09/12/lets-talk-about-sex-baby/" rel="nofollow">Allison Rose: Let's Talk About Sex, Baby (2014)</a><br /><br /><a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/06/04/25-things-you-should-know-about-young-adult-fiction/" rel="Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-11197383869114743342015-09-03T09:55:16.545+02:002015-09-03T09:55:16.545+02:00First off, thank you Erin for commenting. It means...First off, thank you Erin for commenting. It means a lot to me :).<br /><br />I can only second what you said. All of it. And I suppose that, if we were talking about adult fiction, everybody would agree with your "better than reality" statement without a second thought. But maybe teen readers (just maybe...I'm trying to get in their shoes now, and it would really help if they wouldRoberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-23803423065577385332015-09-03T08:48:35.157+02:002015-09-03T08:48:35.157+02:00Thank you Allison for joining the conversation - I...Thank you Allison for joining the conversation - I'm honoured to have actual YA authors telling their side of the story!<br /><br />I hear what you say. I really do. And I suppose real teens enjoy fantasy worlds - of all kind - for the very reasons you stated, just like older readers do. On the other hand, teens want to see their everyday truth reflected in the stories they read, or at least Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-74067488630608213982015-09-03T04:26:06.696+02:002015-09-03T04:26:06.696+02:00So well said, Roberta. And you've raised some ...So well said, Roberta. And you've raised some interesting and truly relevant questions. I've jokingly said before that I think YA is less of a genre for actual teens and more of a collective art therapy project for post teens. The truth is, I think it's kinda true. And I'm not sure there's anything wrong with that. As Kelly pointed out, YA typically depicts a romanticized Erin Callahanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18113524758832228089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-38773325692308873052015-09-02T19:48:16.084+02:002015-09-02T19:48:16.084+02:00And for your further reading pleasure, check out m...And for your further reading pleasure, check out my blog post on sex in YA: http://thegirlandthebook.com/2014/09/12/lets-talk-about-sex-baby/#more-400Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00578722862554906519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-49400376810418045012015-09-02T19:47:16.466+02:002015-09-02T19:47:16.466+02:00Great post, Roberta. And to answer your question, ...Great post, Roberta. And to answer your question, as an author I certainly hope I'm doing it right!<br /><br />In many respects, YA is currently treated the same way that classic romance novels have in the past: with the expectation that they're meant to be used for literary escapism, and therefore not expected to fit into a realm of reality. I mean, we KNOW that those tall, dark and Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00578722862554906519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-17119478604929660452015-09-02T18:48:28.425+02:002015-09-02T18:48:28.425+02:00First off, thank you Kelly for stepping in :D.
I&...First off, thank you Kelly for stepping in :D.<br /><br />I've always been a voracious reader, but like you, I only began to read YA in my mature age (I mean around 30). I wasn't aware of the genre as a whole before. But I'm fairly sure I'd have read it anyway, for a number of reasons.<br /><br />I suppose the romanticising part is mostly true...on the other hand, teens seem to Roberta R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-14055856032598384552015-09-02T17:22:11.313+02:002015-09-02T17:22:11.313+02:00Wow Roberta, and thank you so much for sharing fir...Wow Roberta, and thank you so much for sharing firstly, I know how hard it can be putting your personal thoughts and opinions out there.<br /><br />I'm 35 and I read and review young adult. I read simply because I can. There was a time in my life where I fell out of love with reading, I didn't pick up a book for close to 18 years. Even as a teen I didn't bother with anything other Diva Booknerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17808412083567644984noreply@blogger.com