The Impact of Dark YA on Teen Readers and Responsible Parents

A couple weeks ago I was discussing the idea of "dark" stories with you all--tales that "push the envelope" on topics like sex, drugs and violence. It seems they're very popular now and such topics are also creeping (and sometimes racing) right into YA fiction as well. Some people seem disturbed by the trend and some, flat out, don't want to touch any such fiction with a ten foot pole (consider how YA author Ellen Hopkins was treated by a couple public schools and libraries recently).

From the get-go realize if you're writing things that include "disturbing" topics and teens, you will get flack. When I was hemming and hawing about the mild cussing I included in 13 TO LIFE, my editor pointed out authors will always deal with someone who doesn't like something about their book. You can't make everyone happy, but you can be true to your story.

Got cussing? You'll hear about it (author Maggie Stiefvater of Lament commented in a NaNoWriMo post about the fallout she received as the result of using the f-word once in a novel).

Sex? Author P.C. Cast deals with several sexual incidents in her House of Night series and has gotten a lot of heat as a result.

Drugs and alcohol? Check out other articles about Ellen Hopkins' books (there are tons of others dealing with these topics, too, but hers are currently on my mind).

Violence? Eh. That's the weird one with us in the USA, it seems (still). We can tolerate violence in far greater quantities than sex and violent language.

Some of you may feel horrified about the frankness authors take with teen audiences when it comes to tough topics. However, as authors, it's imperitive we don't talk down to our readers. We can't skirt or gloss over issues if they're important to the story and to a character's development. And frankly, sex, drugs, violence and self-expression (like cussing in certain cases) and the way we handle those issues are very much a part of our character... and our characters.

Here's the reality check: Many teens cuss (usually they pick it up from adults--or their peers). Teens are filled to the brim with hormones and curiosity and (I know, it's as frightening as imagining our parents "doing it") some teens do have sex--and the others have questions about it). And, some teens (waaay too many teens) will experience violence.

Just because the majority of books in the past few decades didn't address these topics head-on doesn't mean that these issues didn't exist. My mother used to tell the story of the girl who disappeared one year in her high school--her parents tried to keep the girl's pregnancy a secret and shipped her away to deliver the baby but the imagination of her peers in her absence did even more to her reputation than dealing with things head-on.

As a writer we have to consider the impact of our words on our audience. We need to avoid gratuitous everything. Unless the topic is inherent in the story and character development, save it for another tale. BUT. There have always been dark stories (think about the Greek myths--rape, murder, incest, the Oracle of Delphi tripping out--all good "Classical" tales; or the original Grimm Brother's tales--pre-Disney; and Shakespeare--come on, have you seriously read Romeo and Juliet?).

Will reading Dark YA make your child experiment with drugs, seek out danger, or sleep around? Not unless your teen already has significant issues with separating reality from fantasy (which is always possible, I guess). Did reading Sherlock Holmes make you want to experiment with heroine? How about reading Cinderella--did you have an undeniable desire to cut off some toes to have a chance at marrying a prince? I hope not. But you probably started considering where your own moral and ethical lines would be drawn. That's an important part in growing up.

Teen literature or YA, whether it be inspirational, sweet or dark gives adults a chance to open up a dialogue with teen readers.

Let's think about the outrage many parents felt over the relationship between Stephenie Meyer's Twilight characters Edward and Bella. Many complained he was an older man stalking an underage girl. Now, consider the ways those same concerned adults could have opened discussions with their teens about those very concerns... Wow! Suddenly you can find even more value to Stephenie Meyer's work.

Teens gravitate to dark and dangerous tales just like we do (partly because we can sit safely at home and fall into darker worlds). I like writing the stories teens like (because I like them, too) and I think they'll be around for a while. As authors we have a responsibility to our teen readers. We need to address things they want to know about and let them experience the repurcussions of certain choices (good and bad) and actions without doing it firsthand.

As parents there is an additional responsibility--know what your child is reading and don't dismiss or ban it out of fear--use it as a bridge to talk to your teen about things that scare you, too. Dark stories can be used very successfully to help teens make good choices--if we talk about those dark stories with them.

What do you think?
~Shannon