Should Adults Be Ashamed To Read Young Adult Novels?

I really enjoy reading.

Scratch that--

I really enjoy reading but I am extremely picky when it comes to what I want to read at any particular point in time.

So I was doing research about popular fiction (I made quite the beautiful list) and I found this article that made me kind of angry. The synopsis is that if you read young adult novels past the age of 17, you are an embarrassment and not a real adult. Here's what annoys me about the article

1. He mentions four authors, and gives a spoiler to one book. For me, if you're going to try to convince a group to do something, shaming never works. Maybe if he had given a suggestion on where to start in the vast world of adult novels, I'd be more appreciative. Like I said, I'm picky, and honestly after offending me, I wasn't interested in looking up those authors.

2. In a world where we're constantly obsessed with technology I don't think you should knock ANYONE on what they are reading. At least they're reading right? If they find a book that makes them happy and enriched then that's exactly what they need at the time. Who cares if the characters are 17 and you're like a mother or three or something. I feel like people read now to make sense of their feelings. Or to escape their world. OR just to be interested in something other than themselves and their smartphones.

3. I mean, I love Pride and Prejudice and all... and some other adult novels but honestly the adult novel world scares me. And in my opinion, the writer of that article is foolish to assume that everyone gets the same thing out of reading that he does. It's great for him that he can probably read any literature and be content--as long as it's meant for adults that is.

 

 I can't do that. Dickens pisses me off. There are a lot of things about a book that can rub me the wrong way. If I'm not into a book by the 15th page I usually stop. BUT THAT'S JUST ME! If you like the same book I don't enjoy that's totally cool.

4. He went hardest on fans of 'The Fault In Our Stars" by John Green. How can you ever say anything bad about John Green? His quotes will punch you in the soul (That's a compliment) and it brought to light some things that we as society don't feel comfortable talking about. That's a big deal. I think our generation, or a large portion, is about finding ourselves and figuring out how we feel about the world, and I think that you can really find answers and opinions in the young adult world.

5. I think the author confuses young adult romance with being too cheesy and any type of romance being too cheesy. I'm a romantic and like the cheesy stuff. If you don't like it stay away from romance in general.

Basically for me this guy's opinion is extremely closed minded despite the fact that he claims to be well read. The two don't always go hand in hand. He's that guy at the dinner party who points out how every thing is wrong. He's the guy that fights with the coolest professor on campus. He's that friend that's super critical of every band you like. He's that woman from misery who breaks that guy's foot. I MEAN HE EVEN HAD A SPOILER IN HIS ARTICLE SHAME ON HIM! That's how I feel about that guy. We wouldn't be friends.

I'm going to read a book that speaks to me, regardless of the genre. If you feel similar to the person who wrote the article, please encourage readers by offering suggestions. Don't snuff anyone's glow for the written word.

Best,
Samantha the Fatulous