Some are probably a little too on the Lifetime melodrama side, but overall I think it's important to have books that
- teens relate to, with situations and characters that mirror the challenges they're going through.
- provides a springboard for problem-solving or thinking about how he or she would handle it.
- and aren't so contrived as to insult the teen's intelligence...teaching is fine, writing a good story is fine, but moralising for the sake of doing so isn't.
I used books to escape through most of my adolescence--I'm sure there must have been books for teens dealing with divorce, abuse, sexuality and other issues I was dealing with (or actually, in my case, not) but I didn't have ready access to them and certainly no one ever steered me towards them.
In some ways I envy teens today; on the other hand, they are dealing with some issues that are much more prevalent today than my 80s adolescence. I know one of my biggest challenges was that I was one of the first women in my family who literally could be anything she wanted--I had the grades, I had the brains, and although I'd be in debt up to my ears, I could get financial aid. My aunt--who is probably the relative I'm most like--went to school in the early 70s, graduated with a 4.0 in psychology with a minor in chemistry but they wouldn't accept her into a master's programme because she was already married and would obviously be popping out babies soon (she didn't for several years, thank you). That's just ludicrous.
Know where she works now? In a library. :)
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