If you haven't tried Pandora, you simply must. It is part of the Music Genome Project, which tries to identify specific characteristics of songs and sort of catalog them. You enter an artist or song you like and it generates a "radio station" with songs that have similar characteristics.

The GSTBA Non-Fiction selection committee meeting was an exciting and interesting experience. It was great to see librarians so excited about certain books while also considering whether or not teens would actually like them (regardless of how much a librarian does). The discussion and small controversy over a book with stories of children affected by the AIDS crisis in Africa was notable because it illustrated the difficulty of balancing powerful and informative literature with literature that "makes us happy." After the book was passed around, even though at first many had hesitated to add it to the list, it was kept on because of the powerful content. At the same time, "Bat Boy Lives" was also on the list-- the complete opposite of the former book.

I don't consider myself an avid non-fiction reader, but the discussion at this meeting reminded me of the wide range of non-fiction available-- everything from humor, to history, to science was represented in their choices. This got me excited about books and excited about making other people excited about books! And it may have even reminded me that I should try ranging beyond the "F"s to find some interesting books to add to my reading list.


Just a side comment: Theresa was incredibly enthusiastic-- I was quite impressed with her!

This article in the NY Times made me think we're closer to Feed than ever before.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/business/01code.html?em&ex=1175572800&en=4e4d00fdc11b72e1&ei=5087%0A

I read some manga earlier this year (Full Moon) so I was already acclimated to the idea of graphic novels as well as the left-to-right reading. I the first time I tried reading left to right, it was a little bit difficult, but as I got more into it I liked how it sort of twisted my brain processes around.

I find myself paying attention to the words first, reading a whole page of the words, then going back and examining all of the pictures on the page. I thought that in both the graphic novel I read (Maus) and in the manga (Naruto) the pictures greatly added to the story. It was a very different experience from that of reading an all-word novel, but I liked it. I don't think I would ever switch to only reading graphic novels, but I get a different sort of aesthetic pleasure from them than I do a word-novel.

I think graphics often do a good job of expressing dreams or daydreams. This may be because these things (at least in my experience) are visual images in our own minds; they aren't necessarily expressed as words. An example of this is page 84 of Maus when Vladek sees the four jews hanged in town for dealing goods without coupons and is then haunted by the image of the men. The way Spiegelman draws this panel is very frightening, with Vladek and Anja as small shadows in the forefront watching their son playing on the floor while the gruesome images of the hanged men looms above them. In one panel of black and white drawing, the reader sees the emotion Vladek is experiencing without more than a few words of explanation. The simplicity of this is powerful.

In Gossip Girl, as Naomi Wolf posits, the teen characters try their hardest to fit into a materialistic adult lifestyle. The strange thing is that the lifestyle they are striving for isn't one that 99% of the world will ever come close to experiencing. Anyone who can spend over $100 on a purse without batting an eye is in socioeconomic minority. Does this mean that girls are giving themselves false aspirations, that they are hoping for experiences they likely won't ever experience? Or do they realize the absurdity of that kind of lifestyle and read it as a trashy diversion? I hope that it is the latter. Lets give them a little more credit. The fact that generations have survived materials their parents found disturbing, repulsive, and potentially adulterating makes me wonder if we aren't overreacting. In the 30s it was Jazz, in the 50s it was rock and roll, in the 60s it was flower power, and on and on. Most of the teenagers involved with those things didn't become drinking, drug-addicted sex fiends like their parents feared they would due to the influence of those 'evils.'

On the other hand, if we think of Gossip Girl as a symptom rather than as a cause of what teens are dealing with, that might be more productive. What I find most troubling in this novel is the role of sex in the girls' lives. I don't find it disturbing because it is a perverted or abnormal representation, but rather a typical one. What is the one of the most powerful insult to a woman? To call her a slut... and doesn't Blair use this weapon against Serena? According to the OED, the use of slut as a term for "A woman of a low or loose character; a bold or impudent girl; a hussy, jade" has been around since 1450. Is there a similar word for men? One that has held that nasty power for over 500 years in the English language? Not that I can think of. A woman's power and a woman's downfall has long been tied to her sexuality. We are forced to live in a duality wherein we must inhabit the world of the virgin and the whore simultaneously, and only because these personas appeal to men. In other words, a woman's sexuality is not her own. This is shown painfully in Serena's case as lies about her sexual practices are spread in order to damage her. Her value is determined by her desirability which are simultaneously increased and diminished by her slutty reputation.

I could go on and on about this, but if I keep going I'm going to keep thinking and going some more and soon I'll have a dissertation-length paper on my hands.

On to Peeps...

First let me say that, as the wife of an evolutionary biologist, I loved this book. The alternating chapters of non-fiction along with the description of the parasite in the fictional chapters was fabulous. So many people don't understand natural selection and this is a vivid and interesting way of explaining how it works. Bravo Scott Westerfeld. As far as my experience and how the alternating formats were affected by it-- I'd say my experience of the vampire story was greatly enhanced by the real science. It almost made the story seem more plausible because it followed the logic of true science. I also thought it was interesting that the parasite in the fictional story is also an STD because it showed how quickly a real STD could spread among people. And I love the idea of the anathema. If you think about it everything a kid once idolized becomes a sort of anathema once they are a teen-- their parents, their childhood blankee, etc. They become symbols of the childhood the teen is trying to separate him/herself from in order to become an adult. No I am not saying teens are diseased, I am saying that this is an interesting symbolic parallel. I am also saying this might be what makes it YA literature.

I think teens enjoy scifi/fantasy because it allows them to experience plaisir and jouissance simultaneously. The possibility of a world in which the very tenants of reality are bent, in which there is the possibility that unpleasant things could be totally different is comforting. On the other hand, sometimes in these texts reality is changed in such a way that is also disturbing. In a time when teens are trying to figure out what the world is about and how they fit in it, a text that allows them to explore these questions in a variety of ways is appealing. I think this is the same reason they would want to write fanfiction. They can take the new "rules" set up by an author and use them to figure out what would happen if they had to operate in this other world, or even how a certain character would do so. It allows them to explore different personas without risking their social capitol in real life.

Feed is a good example of the possibilities scifi presents to a teen audience. It allows the reader to think about commercialism and technology-- things they experience in real life-- taken to the extreme. Titus is confronted with the negative affects of the feed by Violet's reaction to it, and responds in what I thought was a discomforting way. His lack of ability to help Violet emotionally calls into question the value of technology when it comes at the expense of humanity. The same issues could be addressed in a reality-based novel, but by the very fact that a reality-based story would take place in a world in which teens are immersed, would make it more difficult for teens to take a fresh look at the issues themselves. Scifi and fantasy, to some degree, allow the reader to step outside of culture, to ponder things that they take for granted as "the way they are" and imagine different possibilities for their world. Fanfiction allows them to become an active participant in this act of imagination, affecting even further their ability to think outside of normal reality.

The Golden Compass has the fantastical element of the daemons, which might appeal to teens in several ways. One: the daemon is an outward representation of one's inner feelings and thoughts, and in a time when these aspects of life can be so confusing, the idea of an easier way to "read" people is appealing. At the same time, the visibility might reflect a certain vulnerability that teens can identify with. In addition, the fact that the daemons are shape shifters until their person reaches adulthood is an interesting reflection of the state of "becoming" teens are in. Two: Having a constant companion might also be an appealing idea. Wouldn't we all like to have our own Pantalaimon?

Check out this interesting article from New York Magazine on how younger people are willing to reveal so much on the internet:

Kids, the Internet, and the End of Privacy: The Greatest Generation Gap Since Rock and Roll


It's interesting! The first girl interviewed talks about the content of her livejournal.

"Many young adult novels do describe the long-term painful effects of 'problems,' yet usually offer hope, a sense that young people can be strong.... Some of these characters may not look like traditional heroes. However, their actions and their relationships with others, particularly those less fortunate than themselves, communicate idealism and hope."

Both Speak and Hole in My Life end with a sense of hope like that described in the above quote. The main characters in both go through serious hardship-- one after surviving a brutal attack, and another after choosing to participate in illicit activities. In the end, however, both do overcome these events and move on to lead happier lives. I think it is important to deal with "heavy" subjects in YA literature because most YAs are dealing with "heavy" things in their own lives. Being able to see that the experiences they're having are normal and that it is possible to come out on the other side of them is a good way to help them as they confront difficult issues.

I found Speak to be much more powerful than Hole in My Life both in its writing style and in its content. Hole in My Life didn't elicit much sympathy in me from the beginning and so the hope at the end lost its potency. Speak made its survivor into a hero as she literally fought off her attacker and found her voice after months of painful silence. The depression, ostracism, and shame she claws her way out of are painful to read about, and when she finally comes back to life it is like taking a deep breath. She is absolutely a hero in my eyes-- for emerging from a horrific experience to warn others so that they might avoid going through what she has gone through. Throughout Melinda maintains an authentic voice-- she is depressed but still finds irony and humor in life-- which makes her all the more human and believable. Her humanity only adds to her heroism in the end because she has no superpower to deliver her from her pain and isolation, she delivers herself, giving hope to the reader that she too can overcome a painful situation she faces.

On a practical level, Melinda's behavior could serve as a way of teaching YAs to recognize depression and signs of struggle in their friends or themselves, perhaps prompting them to ask for help. When I was a freshman in high school my best friend attempted suicide twice (and thank God was unsuccessful both times). She warned her friends and teachers indirectly by her actions and words, and a guidance counselor was even alerted to these signs but never followed up on them. I wish I had known what to do, or how to recognize what she was going through. I don't know that reading a book like Speak would have changed what I did or did not do in that situation, but it might have somehow helped me deal with it. Part of the reason I tell this story is to illustrate that troublesome, horrifyingly scary things happen to young adults. Their parents might not want to admit this, and might think that books with mature themes are too much for their teens, but the aren't! Literature can show people pain and misery and can show them that those things don't last forever and that it is important to pay attention to someone who seems to be in pain.

Amy Pattee argues: "These fictional texts should be considered as unique information sources that can offer young readers both realistic and needed information about sex and the sex act as well as a private, safe space to try on new feelings of sexual desire" (30-31). I completely agree with Pattee's argument. As teens become aware of their erotic selves they will inevitably have questions, some of which will not be answered by their parents or their sex ed classes. As Pattee writes, these texts provide context to the sex act which in many other sources is described to teens only in clinical terms. I remember feeling extremely uncomfortable when my mom gave me the "sex talk" and when I had "Family Life" class. So uncomfortable that I did not ask questions. Reading provides a wonderfully private space to read about sexuality without the embarrassment.

I read Empress of the World and discovered that even though it did not have graphic sex scenes such as those in Forever, it extensively explored the experience of having homoerotic feelings for the first time and what it's like to act on them. I don't know of many sex ed curricula that would address homosexuality, and in much of the media lesbianism is portrayed as an erotic display to arouse straight men, so having a positive and accurate account of lesbian first encounters seems extremely important. Much is implied in the intimate scenes of Empress of the World: "Everything we've been awkward about, all those steps we haen't taken yet, all of it gets blurry and soft until all that's left is sensations: cool night air on skin, hands and mouths moving over each other, the scent of pine mixed with lavender, the sound of breath" (131). I doubt, however, that anyone would label this as pornographic. In fact, this story seemed like such a classic teen love story with all of the beautiful thrill of being in love for the first time, that I even identified with it as a straight woman. I think it provides a very holistic context for readers: how it feels to love and express it physically, how others react to that (especially from an identity standpoint as discussed in "Defending Gay Teen Literature"), and how it feels to lose the affections of the person you love. I use the world "feel" a lot in the previous sentence, because I thought this book was wonderful at focusing on the emotional aspects of love and sexuality and portraying them authentically. Unfortunately, I don't think that most teens' parents or teachers would discuss emotions in a gay context. Thank goodness authors like Sarah Ryan are there to bridge the gap.

I interviewed a 17 year old African-American girl who is a senior in high school. She is a page at a public library, but doesn't describe herself as an avid reader.

Favorite books
Addicted by Zane, because it involves an interesting double life; Cut by Patricia Mccormick, because it describes struggles of a teen and is an interesting story; and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson because it was interesting.

She finds out about new books from her sisters who are all around the same age (actually they're her cousins, but she calls them sisters). She also said books with colorful, eye-catching color attract her attention.

Magazines
She likes Essence, Sex etc., and Ebony. She doesn't really like graphic novels.

Internet
This seemed to excite her the most when talking about it. She uses Myspace all of the time and also uses the Myspace chat client and several other chat clients to talk to friends. She also uses Yahoo Mail and said she's been spending a lot of time on the Common Application online lately applying to schools. When we were talking about music, she mentioned that she recently downloaded audio Sparknotes for a book she was supposed to read for school and listened to it on her iPod.

Movies
She enjoys comedies most and said her favorite is First Wives Club because she liked the story of revenge-- she used to watch it a couple of times a week. She's also a scary movie fan (only when there's someone there with her during the worst parts)-- her favorite in this genre is Interview with a Vampire.

TV
Her favorite shows are Law and Order, CSI, Ugly Betty, and music videos on MTV and BET.

She is not into video games.

Music
She likes the bands EnVogue, Pretty Ricky, Omarion, and Gym Class Heroes (especially their song "Cupid's Chokehold"). She described her taste as eclectic and said she also likes a lot of 80s music. As we were speaking she continually had her iPod in hand (her headphones weren't in her ears of course). She said she has the iPod with her everywhere and she's either listening to that or is on her phone.

Etc
I asked her what materials she'd want in the library that aren't already there. She said she thought we could use more beauty how-to guides and that CDs or MP3s would be awesome but that people would probably break the CDs (being a page she's conscious of these things :)). In general, she said she thinks teens look for stories that have to do with the real world and the issues they face growing up-- that's why she liked books like Speak and Cut.

My Impressions
It was really fun talking with her because she was very open about her tastes and mentioned some things I hadn't heard of and want to look into. I had heard of all the books except for Cut that she mentioned. I wouldn't have thought of anything by Zane as YA and honestly I was surprised that she openly admitted to reading Zane books because when I was her age (and even now) I would have been embarrassed to admit to reading anything with explicit sexual content. She seems really comfortable with who she is, which I admire! I also enjoyed talking to her about getting ready to go to college, which was exciting. That first real freedom is the best thing ever. Our taste in TV shows definitely overlaps, but other than that I think I need to become more hip to the teen scene.

We also had an interesting side discussion near the end of the interview when I asked her what she thought teen guys liked to read. She said that she didn't think they liked to read at all, but that she took one of her Zane books to school and they were really interested in that, but only for the sex scenes, not for the story. She seemed annoyed by this because she finds the plots interesting, not just the graphic content. I wonder if those boys were really only interested in the sex scenes, or if they were trying to prove their studliness by acting as if that was all they liked about it in front of the girls...