Sex in YA Novels
Well-known author Cory Doctorow recently wrote a blog (http://www.locusmag.com/Perspectives/2009/11/cory-doctorow-teen-sex.html) in which he discusses the reaction to a sex scene in his YA novel LITTLE BROTHER. (http://www.amazon.com/Little-Brother-Cory-Doctorow/dp/0765319853/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257816774&sr=8-1). The scene, as described by Doctorow, takes place with very little detail, with the action mostly alluded to and not explicitly spelled out. Apparently, there has been some negative reaction to this scene by parents, saying that a sex scene has no place in a book for young teens.
I love reading YA books and once in awhile I find a book with themes or scenes that I question being appropriate for my younger siblings. But then I remember how reading GO ASK ALICE (the true diary of a young drug addict) was instrumental in keeping me away drugs as a kid. I read those graphic accounts of what it was like to be on drugs and live on the streets and I learned from them. I read other books that had themes of violence, drugs and alcohol and sex and I turned out okay.
I read Ellen Hopkins’ books and wonder to myself, “Should my younger sister read about this girl doing drugs/having sex/lying to her parents?” But then I realize, as Doctorow does, that teens are going to do some of these things anyway and reading about them is not likely to make a teen run out and behave badly. In most cases the sex or lying or similar serve a purpose, a lesson that the reader can take away from the story.
What is interesting about Doctorow’s book and the uproar is that it’s the sex the parents are having problems with. As he points out, there are worse things in his book, including torture, but it’s this barely-there sex scene that has people up in arms. What is it about sex that has these parents upset as opposed to other things? Chances are, if your child hasn’t already had sex before reading about it in a book, they have definitely thought about it or seen it on TV.
So what do you think? Does sex have a place in YA novels? Are there other things that maybe shouldn’t be in your child’s pleasure reading? Sound off in the comments!
Nicole
I love reading YA books and once in awhile I find a book with themes or scenes that I question being appropriate for my younger siblings. But then I remember how reading GO ASK ALICE (the true diary of a young drug addict) was instrumental in keeping me away drugs as a kid. I read those graphic accounts of what it was like to be on drugs and live on the streets and I learned from them. I read other books that had themes of violence, drugs and alcohol and sex and I turned out okay.
I read Ellen Hopkins’ books and wonder to myself, “Should my younger sister read about this girl doing drugs/having sex/lying to her parents?” But then I realize, as Doctorow does, that teens are going to do some of these things anyway and reading about them is not likely to make a teen run out and behave badly. In most cases the sex or lying or similar serve a purpose, a lesson that the reader can take away from the story.
What is interesting about Doctorow’s book and the uproar is that it’s the sex the parents are having problems with. As he points out, there are worse things in his book, including torture, but it’s this barely-there sex scene that has people up in arms. What is it about sex that has these parents upset as opposed to other things? Chances are, if your child hasn’t already had sex before reading about it in a book, they have definitely thought about it or seen it on TV.
So what do you think? Does sex have a place in YA novels? Are there other things that maybe shouldn’t be in your child’s pleasure reading? Sound off in the comments!
Nicole
posted at 9:39 AM
5 Comments:
Odd, but I'm more squeamish about the drug usage than the sex.
Go fig.
G.
I think it's crazy how upset people get about these things. I like books that are realistic and people really do these things, so why shouldn't authors write about them? It won't make someone try it just because they read it.
-Lauren
I'm 60. I've learned (almost) everything I know about sex and relationships from books read over the last 50 years. People are fun to practice with, but what we read can certainly help us to be more discerning and educated.
~Molly Swoboda
I thing the way the sex scene and the character involvement in the sex acts will determine the suitability for youth. Kids will have attitudes towards sex and other moral issues shaped by the books they read and the movies they watch. So I say, parents should not shy away from sex in YA novels--yep, either they or at least 1-2 of their friends/acquaintances are sexually active from junior high on--but should monitor the attitudes promoted by how the author handles the sex and violence. Novels teach. What they teach should always be a concern for parents--and I do not believe in censorship, just responsible parenting.
Do teenagers not have sex or something?
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