tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658799123575045908.post3558950331511609603..comments2020-11-11T00:11:20.565-07:00Comments on Nobody Reads This Blog: Weighing In on YA SavesEddie Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07653651673354167341noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658799123575045908.post-81510137875857393312011-07-01T21:41:52.739-06:002011-07-01T21:41:52.739-06:00Thanks Ashley - I wholeheartedly agree that honest...Thanks Ashley - I wholeheartedly agree that honesty is the key to good storytelling.<br /><br />It is also the reason a kid will keep reading.Eddie Louisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07653651673354167341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658799123575045908.post-72151376219800714462011-07-01T17:56:22.141-06:002011-07-01T17:56:22.141-06:00Thanks for your post, Eddie, especially the bit on...Thanks for your post, Eddie, especially the bit on date rape. In my first novel, What Can't Wait, the protag is almost raped. For me, it was important to show readers that, even when a rape is prevented, there is still a sexual assault that brings with it a lot of emotional fall out. For people in Marisa's situation, the feeling can sometimes be that they don't know what they have to tell: If "it" didn't happen, then why do I feel so dirty, guilty, and angry?<br /><br />All that in support of your comment about your younger self needing to find a portrayal that would resonate. If YA saves, it happens when authors craft authentic voices, not when we preach, even if it's liberal preaching. If an "issue" makes it into my work, it's because it matters to a character, not because I have a position to defend or a "lesson" to teach. I make the mirrors and windows with my words; I trust my readers to know what to do with them.<br /><br />Thanks again, too, for stopping by to comment on my post at www.ashleyperez.com. Yay for teen advocates!Ashley Hope Pérezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15991064798582078393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658799123575045908.post-84735509004136401772011-06-26T11:18:12.881-06:002011-06-26T11:18:12.881-06:00Children studies show the 1st 5-6 years of develop...Children studies show the 1st 5-6 years of development in a child's brain is devoted to "black & white" learning --basic morality. The next 5-7 years are shades of grey with a tendency toward understand basic cause and effect. The last years until adulthood is true conscious learning where we not only remember what we learned, but why, can reason through it and make a judgement on how relevant it is to our life.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the 1st lessons trump the 2nd lessons which trump the 3rd. We can reason through what we learned at a teenager, but our 'gut' reaction is going to respond to our initial learning. <br /><br />IF, we protect children from all the evils in the world AND we don't provide them with some analogous form of learning (stories, books...) to help them through questions and situations they'll have as an adult, they'll have no reference on how to make decisions when faced with new situations.<br /><br />The world is evolving at a faster rate now than ever before thanks to global communication (internet)and easy travel. The children today will have a very different life in 20 years --one we can scarcely imagine. Why on earth would we want to make it even harder on them to make decisions and do the "right" thing? <br /><br />Prepare them NOW as much as you can as a parent. Let them read the dark stuff AND the light stuff. Talk to them about it. Have an influence into WHY the dark stuff is dark and how to cope with it, what decisions to make to avoid the dark stuff or what to do if faced with it. <br /><br />IMHO - Parents that try to "protect" their children from the world are hiding their own heads in the sand. Children grow up, the face situations when we're not around and will have to make decisions based only on their experience. Reading books gives a person a broader scope of experience without having to actually touch the stove to see if it's hot.Chip Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11591409283730621210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658799123575045908.post-4138189320419777152011-06-25T14:05:42.964-06:002011-06-25T14:05:42.964-06:00My girls & I read so many YA books and it has ...My girls & I read so many YA books and it has not only helped them deal with serious situations, it has given us a closer relationship. My 13 yo said she will never do drugs because of Ellen Hopkins book CRANK. My 18 yo daughter ised Cheryl Rainfields book SCARS to help a friend. YA books are life changing & life saving. Kudos on a great blog.Tina Toler-Keelhttp://www.itswhoiam.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658799123575045908.post-67197730114081195052011-06-25T13:57:21.843-06:002011-06-25T13:57:21.843-06:00Great post! While parents might wish their teens w...Great post! While parents might wish their teens were innocent children who are always safe from the "dark" in the world, wishing just doesn't make it so.Alicia Hendleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11133517370557511950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658799123575045908.post-32495217735389406932011-06-25T11:14:33.827-06:002011-06-25T11:14:33.827-06:00Excellently put! If a parent has worked to pass on...Excellently put! If a parent has worked to pass on her values to her children with honesty and understanding, she need not fear that they will see the world through the lens of those values.Aging Opheliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14360783709169946256noreply@blogger.com