Now as you should know, my Erin the Fire Goddess series is in the YA genre. I chose this because it is written for my children. I want them to be able to learn from my books, and I want my books to help other children who face bullying.
Now I am writing a new series and this is where my dilemma comes into play. My book will contain swear words. My EtFG series has contained basic swear words like shit, crap and bitch, but this new book will drop the F bomb and whilst I was having a conversation with my 13 year old daughter, I said I don't think it would be suited to YA genre because of this F bomb. To which Erin told me she has read many YA books that contain swear words and The Fault in Our Stars is supposed to be YA and that drops the F bomb.
This got me thinking, what are the boundaries when it comes to YA as they seemed to be getting pushed. I personally believe no sex but even that seems to be getting pushed and has even opened up the whole NA genre.
I want to know what are the limits? What words can't you say in YA genre. Not that I plan on using them I am just curious.
I look at my work and think 'Would I let my teenager read this?'
I definitely do not want my teenager reading about sex.
As for swear words it is a difficult one, because even though my daughters do not swear they do hear it a lot. Mainly from me lol. They have become numbed to swear words. Their friends use swear words.
So if you read YA, or write in it, I want your opinions please :)
I don't think that a teen under the age of say.... 15 should be reading about sex and fbombs. At age 16 I think it's pointless to shield that from their literature. I think they obviously need to be taught about it yes, but not reading about it. That's just me.
ReplyDeleteYes this is how I feel/felt, but now with my daughter reading really good books that have these words in I am now thrust into the dilemma
Deletekids use the words unfortunately as much as we'd not to share in it sometimes you have to make it realistic and use foul langauage
ReplyDeleteYes this is exactly my dilemma. I suppose it is okay in perhaps moderation. It is just scary
DeleteIt is hard i do agree completly with no sexual content in ya books. as for swearing our kids hear worse every day practically whether in their homes, with friends, or in public i feal most kids are numb when it comes to cuss words
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is 14 will be turning 15 next month. When she was in middle school, one of her classmates was pregnant. Now in high school she sees it quite a bit, not to mention the fact that she has acquaintances that openly brag about their sexual activity, drinking and drug use. Thankfully, my daughter considers me not only her mother but her best friend and she shares everything with me and my husband - her dad. So I have let her read her first YA novel recently. It was Easy by Tammara Webber. We have discussed the book several times. The majority of the books that my daughter reads are books that I have read. I think it is up to the parents too recognize if a book is one that is too much for their child or not. They need to take an active role in knowing what their children read. I think most people are under the assumption that it's a book so it's safe. Also most people who are not avid readers do not know that European book standards are not the same as US standards. For example, the House of Knight series is in the teen section. There is murder, sex & even sex with a bull in it. I've seen several accounts where parents get mad and bash an author for book content but where is the parent's responsibility? Just like the Internet and video games, parents need to be involved as well. I know I went all around the barn with this but my daughter & I both share a love of reading and it's something we do together. As much as I would have loved to have been able to shelter her from being exposed to things too early I couldn't. But, I've taken the opportunity to use it to discuss all sides of the situations as they come up. Books have given us extra opportunities to discuss things.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your in depth reply, I really appreciate it, and wow to the House of Knight series. I am in the UK and to me the YA genre has the same standards as US.
DeleteWhen it comes to reading, like you I like to read all books before my daughter does so I know what she is reading. The Fault in Our Stars is one that I havent gotten round to yet, but we did go to the cinema together to see it. I was surprised that it had sex in it too.
My daughter is also very open with me and I am very grateful for that and I hope it continues.
You have definitely given me something to think about.
I am so many readers aging from 9 to 86 and the younger ones are really interested in the idea of my new series but I will have to put my foot down and say, if I decide, that it will be teenage upwards.
It is dystopian.
What I may do is once done ask my beta readers to decide whether they feel it is suited to the YA genre or not.
I agree completely it is up to us parents to be involved in what our kids read or even play. My daughter and i read together a lot and she knows what is ok for her to read and what isnt because i have been with her and we have talked about it all she found a kid book the other day that even though it said her age group it wasnt appropriate for her and sge stopped reading it and told me.
DeleteYou are very welcome & thanks for clearing the standards up for me!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a boundary that's really blurred. I have seen some YA that goes beyond the line and into NA and adult territory. I think that in series it's really hard to define the line because characters do get older too. I always go off Harry Potter series, it's a perfect example of characters growing and the story getting darker and darker. I however believe that sex should just be implied or fade to black in YA and never beyond kissing and maybe some heavy petting. Yes there is a place for books that are more graphic, and that's a gray area, but as a rule, no there should not be sex in it. Swear words are avoidable but if you want authentic characters, I would not see it as 'real' without a swear word or a few in it. You do have to consider too if the story is lower range or upper range in age. YA covers such a vast difference in ages and maturity, it really should be broken into more categories
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