Response To "Yes Teen Fiction Can Be Dark, But it Shows Teenagers They are Not Alone."

Maureen Johnson’s article published on The Guardian, “Yes, Teen Fiction Can Be Dark-But it Shows Teenagers They Are Not Alone.” Discusses the controversial topic of book banning, because adults feel the mature topics discussed in them are inappropriate for young adults. Johnson’s take on the issue is although Young Adult literature may touch on serious issues; teenagers especially need something to relate to. For them that is exactly what YA books provide. They give the reader experiences that people can all connect to. Johnson says, “The subjects in YA books are discussed to show that they are real, they have happened to others and they can be survived. She promotes this idea, by then saying that, with any issues comes empathy. If its direct or if it’s just a teen feeling for another teen. This extends to issues like death and rape to bullying and social awkwardness. Johnson says that books of a vast range can spark a range of emotions in the readers. Emotions that can help them through difficult times in life by feeling a sense of companionship to the characters in the book.

One strategic craft move I noticed Maureen Johnson used was reflection. She reflected on Meghan Cox Gurdon’s piece, “Darkness to Visible.” This piece directly disagrees with Johnson’s and Johnson uses that to her advantage. She pulls out quotes from “Darkness to Visible” that conflicted with her main idea and then proved why they were illogical and why Meghan Cox Gurdan was wrong to say them. One example is “literary culture is not sympathetic to adults who object either to the words or storylines in young-adult books.” Johnson responds to Cox Gurdon by saying, “Well, yes. People who create YA books do tend to object when one person tries to make decisions for all, based on their individual taste and standards. We are thinking of the children. That's why we fight back." These are craft moves that makes her piece very intense, gripping and keep you on your toes to follow the argument.        
Personally, I agree completely with the author. I think that her opposition to Meghan Cox Gurden’s piece makes a lot of sense, in fact me and Maureen Johnson share a lot of the same opinions on the article, “Darkness to Visible.” I feel as Johnson does, in feeling that Young Adults give teens a way to connect to people who will always be there for them. It can be nice to escape the drama of middle school, and come back to a story that you truly care about, and visit characters who you honestly empathize for. It is important for young adults to be exposed to situations the may never have been exposed to, like rape, suicide and kidnapping. I think Maureen Johnson had a very powerful line that really stood out to me, “There isn't a YA writer alive who is out writing books to corrupt youth. No one writing about self-harm is teaching how to self-harm. No one writing about rape is providing instructions on how to rape or how to be raped. I know this seems a ridiculously obvious point, but this is the argument that comes up again and again.” I think this line speaks yards of truth to me. Young adults may have dealt with these issues and escaping into a book of the same issue can help them deal with it but if they haven’t it is also a way to learn and empathize for someone else while learning about that issue.