tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post7643579549470516175..comments2024-02-25T06:30:53.030-06:00Comments on Alison Can Read: Death and YA LiteratureAlisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10161357580448621274noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-23554435409812108662012-05-23T11:18:36.793-05:002012-05-23T11:18:36.793-05:00I love that song, and since I first heard it aroun...I love that song, and since I first heard it around the time some of my friends died in a terrible car accident and another of leuchemia, I never saw it as glorifying death, rather a reminder that death happens to young people as well.<br /><br />I just finished reading One Moment Kristina McBride, it's contemporary YA about with how a single moment can lead to a tragedy, and for the most part focuses on the aftermath of a teenager's death. I highly recommend it :)Ivanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-73973769084616590772012-05-14T22:14:00.893-05:002012-05-14T22:14:00.893-05:00Great post. When I was an actual YA- I don't t...Great post. When I was an actual YA- I don't think death was a common feature in the books that were available to me. They were all pretty positive (and boring). I don't think that death is glorified in YA necessarily, it's just more present.~Sara @ Just Another Storyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870692977272702662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-53445617631726533412012-05-13T15:20:43.369-05:002012-05-13T15:20:43.369-05:00Great post! And I love If I Die Young. As you said...Great post! And I love If I Die Young. As you said it's really catchy, and it does NOT make me want to kill myself. :D<br />I usually don't like death in my book, but I just read If I Stay, and it was fantastic.Caycehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17878030813967203887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-36522918733012292142012-05-11T23:24:30.448-05:002012-05-11T23:24:30.448-05:00I actually haven't really paid much attention ...I actually haven't really paid much attention to it in the books I've read. You've mentioned Twilight and I do see what you're saying. I haven't read any contemporary fiction about death unless you count an LDS fiction novel by Jack Wayland and that was at least 20 years ago so I don't remember much.<br /><br />I'll have to pay more attention to it and see what I think about it.Jenni Elysehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08403700912436098391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-47738388179818475992012-05-11T03:17:28.647-05:002012-05-11T03:17:28.647-05:00I grew up reading SF and fantasy, where the death ...I grew up reading SF and fantasy, where the death of a parent is a field promotion to adulthood. First you get orphaned, then you go on adventures! At some point, you say, "My name is Inigo Montoya..."<br /><br />In contemporary YA, I have a pet theory that authors just need a way to raise the dramatic stakes. They don't have dragons, spaceships, time travel, or nifty thought experiments about future societies, so...somebody has to die and then we have to talk about it for 200 pages.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-56097912316001114902012-05-10T15:31:46.279-05:002012-05-10T15:31:46.279-05:00Death and YA certainly isn't an easy topic to ...Death and YA certainly isn't an easy topic to tackle, but you've done an outstanding job, as usual Alison.Missie, The Unread Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10548256640926555361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-89329759199922806842012-05-10T13:18:22.909-05:002012-05-10T13:18:22.909-05:00Gah! I wish I had time to read and comment in dept...Gah! I wish I had time to read and comment in depth--but I'm overwhelmed this week. Will have to bookmark and come back when I have a bit of time. Great topic!Mary @ BookSwarmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04099395167194720599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-50082442040421356722012-05-10T12:16:22.738-05:002012-05-10T12:16:22.738-05:00Your right. There is death in a lot of YA books no...Your right. There is death in a lot of YA books now that I think about it. And yeah sometimes I think it can be too much. Buthte death that affects me the most are realistic death. Authors like Lurlene Mcdaniel or Megan Bostic. Real deaths that like that always get me in the heart. <br /><br />The other stuff like Twilight and stuff, I don't really chaulk that up to anything cause well it all fantasy to me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06256994715274614059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-65059088515534037462012-05-09T18:49:04.991-05:002012-05-09T18:49:04.991-05:00This is a great discussion post. Like you, I feel...This is a great discussion post. Like you, I feel that when death is glossed over as an abstract concept it doesn't really help anyone. I'm not saying teens or anyone should think about death all the time, but I much prefer when it is handled realistically. <br /><br />I haven't read The Fault in Our Stars and I don't think I will. Just reading about it in your post made me tear up. But really, it does sound like the author handled the subject well.Midnyte Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10411332857885069319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-14247765447549882122012-05-09T18:24:33.573-05:002012-05-09T18:24:33.573-05:00The YA Genre, I think, handles it pretty well, to ...The YA Genre, I think, handles it pretty well, to me, because people are always grieving and depressed afterwards, but at the same time because if the amount of paranormal content out there, people make the people who died having died with a sort of "dignity," I guess. And the people you love (like romance choices) never really die, either, except in some cases. <br /><br />The Fault in Our Stars handles death pretty well, actually, because I think that it shows how the person you love and want to be with won't always live through a tragic ending, even though I really hate some authors who decide to do that, and trust me, I've read two different paranormal books this week that did that. -.-Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-75966014216686006282012-05-09T11:11:17.900-05:002012-05-09T11:11:17.900-05:00This is a post that made me think.
I have seriou...This is a post that made me think. <br /><br />I have serious reservations about Bella's actions throughout the twilight series. She is almost obssesive. <br /><br />A book with a fatally ill teen that I found really realistic was Before I die. Yes, there is a sensitive boyfriend. But through the course of the book, you can also feel the girl's life and strength draining away. <br /><br />Is it only me or is majority of the glorified death scenarios surrounding girls?? I mean I am yet ot find a book where a boy jumped into ocean to have delusions about his girl friend.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-58724240489739753182012-05-09T10:54:46.702-05:002012-05-09T10:54:46.702-05:00"I'm talking more about teenage girl char..."I'm talking more about teenage girl characters who are willing to die to save their boyfriends."<br /><br />I agree that this type of romanticized notion of death can be troubling. Majority of the time, I remember that it's a work of fiction and therefore things are going to be a bit more dramatic, but there have been a couple instances where I've gone "NO!". I don't like it when something happens to a male character and the female character is convinced she can no longer go on living and contemplates ending her own life. I've read a couple YA books where this has happened and I'm like what are you telling young women? That a boy is so important to life's happiness that you literally can't live without him? Yikes.<br /><br />Like I said though, most of the time I think you have to acknowledge the difference between reality and fiction, and I think most YA fiction gives due gravity to the issue.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-5247054068354802742012-05-09T10:10:55.370-05:002012-05-09T10:10:55.370-05:00It all depends on the author. Some glorify it and ...It all depends on the author. Some glorify it and whatnot, but the majority I've read have done a decent job at being realistic about it. Like 'Revolution' by Jennifer Donnelly. The main character's little brother died and the story follows he family in the aftermath. The family is going through Hell. It all depends on how the author presents the aftermath.Carole Raehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08613257306239357553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-36154822046708371092012-05-09T09:51:23.853-05:002012-05-09T09:51:23.853-05:00You make some good points, but I don't see &qu...You make some good points, but I don't see "Romeo and Juliet" as a beautiful, tragic romance. In fact I don't see R&J as a romance at all, but rather the stupidity of two hormone driven teens. They don't die because of love but of the ever-consuming hatred and are collateral damage. <br /> As a Tw fan, I never saw Bella as self-sacrificing. Yes, she does protect her mother in bk. 1 but it always seemed as if it was an added bonus and secondary to the higher importance of showing Edward his humanity. I still think Bella is very selfish and BD shows it unerringly. <br /> I do agree that If I Stay shows the painful discussion of grief and death, but it also beautifully demonstrates the ability to persevere. "Where She Went" deals much more of the aftermath and the sense of guilt that comes with losing the one you love and mourning. <br /> 13 Reasons Why discusses suicide and I'm not sure if it's a good realization of death per se but rather how much an influence people can have each other's lives.Rummanah Aasihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12119402559076729383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-10449001902250762222012-05-09T09:39:12.952-05:002012-05-09T09:39:12.952-05:00Interesting post. For the most part YA uses death ...Interesting post. For the most part YA uses death (usually of a parent) to isolate the main character to make them vulnerable or show why a boy is so guarded. (not always)<br /><br />What stuck out to me in your post though is that stories rarely show how the hero/heroine's actions effect those around them. I always wonder about how everyone else is feeling but it's rarely shown on the page and I think we're just supposed to accept that it works out in the end so it was for the best no matter who it may hurt. <br /><br />It always makes me think a little less of the main character though. I know I'm not really supposed to think about all that but I can't help it.<br /><br />13 Reasons Why and Where She Went really do address and deal with death in a beautiful/honest way. They both show the consequences to people's actions.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07685405404548766935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798065526948874468.post-56759606946657136652012-05-09T01:12:18.501-05:002012-05-09T01:12:18.501-05:00You are so right, regardless of the perspective a ...You are so right, regardless of the perspective a book provides on death it is indeed a great opportunity for discussion. I think one reason that dying young is made into a sort of martyrdom is because of the lost potential ...roxanne s. sukhanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424834424208118694noreply@blogger.com