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Young Adult Literature: From Romance to Realism, Third Edition
Young Adult Literature: From Romance to Realism, Third Edition | Michael Cart
25 posts | 3 read
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blurb
riley.fulton

This chapter made me think about how much reading has changed. Nowadays it‘s so easy to get distracted, especially when you're reading on a device with other purposes. Cart talks about how algorithms can push books that are more popular than actually well-written. Cart doesn‘t totally bash digital stuff, which I appreciate, but I liked that he reminded us not to lose sight of what makes reading meaningful.

Makaylaholton Yes I definitely agree with this. It‘s really easy to get caught up in distractions online that are often trending or most relevant, and algorithms don‘t always push forward the best books. I liked how Cart balances the benefits of digital reading with the reminder to focus on meaningful stories that actually connect/ resonate with us. It‘s a good reminder for both teachers and readers to keep in mind.
2w
1 comment
review
riley.fulton
Pickpick

I liked how Cart talks about how reading is changing with technology. He mentions how things like audiobooks make it easier for people to read, especially if you don‘t have easy access to libraries or if you struggle with traditional books. I also liked the part about online communities. I understand what Cart means about how fast and shallow some digital content can be. Still, I agree with him that both can work together.

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JoshuaKincaid
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According to the article, 15-24 year olds only read for fun 7-10 minutes everyday. That is wild! For us as aspiring educators, it is an uphill battle to get kids to read and actually engage with texts. I think it is so important for us to be aware of the reality of education and reading - students are not going to be reading everything we assign. They may not read at all. That is why it is important for us to use multiple avenues of engagement.

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jessicaking
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Let's talk about audiobooks in the classroom! As a student, audiobooks have been used from time to time as an additional option for in-class reading. How do we take the data from Cart's research related to the benefit of audiobooks and apply them to our classrooms? How do we make them accessible to all students (without paying for them) and support audiobooks as a source of literature for our students? Do school libraries offer audiobooks? Libby?

alaynaroper I love audiobooks! They are often my choice of entertainment while I am on long drives. I think it would be a great idea to petition to a school or district a possible audible (or something similar), subscription so that the students can have access to it if they wanted it. 2w
1 like1 comment
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jessicaking

While the decrease in literacy is concerning, the new literacy born from increased technological advances and time spent online is a compelling concept. Cart describes new/multiple literacies as the result of multimedia and digital technologies (214), and the focus on texting or social media is interesting. Skills in traditional literacy are replaced with what is more important to the new generations: communication and quick fills of information.

JoshuaKincaid It is always crazy to me to think about how far we have come in so short an amount of time. Back in my parent's days there were no mobile cell phones even. Now, that technology is accessible and available to most people. While this brings new classroom management problems, it also gives hundreds of different avenues of communication and engagement for our students. 2w
riley.fulton I really like this perspective that Cart had because in today's society, all of the important information we get is from some sort of technology, whether that be our phones or TVs. It's a whole other conversation when it comes to what age children have access to technology and how that depends on how it impacts their education. 2w
2 comments
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riley.fulton

I really like that we now have YAD instead of just children and adults because the two are vastly different, and it is important for young adults to know they do not fall into either category of children or adults. What is expected of a child versus a young adult, and an adult is three very different things. This makes teenagers feel included in something that is for them. Teenage years can be isolating, so this is beneficial.

katiegregory I agree that books help teens in those isolating years. Personally, I read less in high school (my school library was never open, but that‘s another story), but I have benefited a lot in college from reading YAL in moments of loneliness. I loved reading as a kid, and without YAL, I might still be in the reading rut I was in a few years ago. 3w
1 like1 comment
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tatumlanders
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In Cart‘s last chapter, he rationalizes young adult‘s dislike for reading by claiming “they regard it as a task”, like homework (Cart, 211). As he went on to cite not only the declining data for teens who read, but also a decrease in overall proficiency rates, I found myself both stressed and devastated by the data. I‘ve seen this data before, but it never fails to incite a frantic reaction that the education system is failing its students.

katiegregory Devastated is a powerful word to use, but is appropriate in this context. It deeply scares me to enter a middle school classroom and have students who are unable to read elementary vocab words. I don‘t know how to approach this issue as an educator or citizen. How do we begin to right a wrong with such deep roots? 3w
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Makaylaholton

It‘s so interesting how the idea of 'young adulthood' wasn‘t even fully recognized until the 20th century, and now we have a whole entire genre built for it. As English teachers, I also think it‘s so important to understand that YAL doesn‘t just entertain, but it also gives students in this age group a space to see themselves, question, and navigate the world, and figure out who they are becoming as individuals, which is really cool.

katiegregory I didn‘t consider the fact that YA wasn‘t an age bracket for most of human history until I read this article. I like the idea that YAL is intended to do more than entertain, especially outside of educational atmospheres. I didn‘t start reading to learn (aside from reading for entertainment) independently until college, so I‘d love to find ways to encourage that in my classroom. 3w
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annagsears
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Chapter 18's content discusses the rise of technology and its impact on literacy. I've always believed that the field of English is interdisciplinary and can be explained through a variety of media. I am glad to see that Cart agrees with this sentiment. He and other researchers agree that, while the internet has some drawbacks, it essentially encourages students to read more, whether they visit social media, fanfiction sites, or wikis.

katiegregory As harmful as the internet is, I do truly appreciate how it invites creativity and connection within fanbases. I never got deep into fanfiction, but I have several friends who only read fanficts outside of school. I don‘t know if they would have read for pleasure if it wasn‘t for those works, so I‘m grateful they are available. 3w
1 comment
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sammiegdeas
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Young adults are trapped within a liminal space of constant infantilization or adultification, with no gray space. YAL shapes who we are as people and provides the YA community a sense of unity in their discoveries and inquiries. As teachers, we are responsible for sharing meaningful YAL with our unique student body. YAL is not a life map with thousands of paths for our students to explore with whimsy and ambition.
*Fourth Edition

jkmac9717 I agree with what you‘re saying about the lack of gray space. For so long, as Cart details, there wasn‘t any literature catered to the liminality of adolescence, which is why it is so important for this genre to provide a space to discuss slightly more mature issues but in a perhaps more digestible format. I agree that we need to share MEANINGFUL YAL with our students, however I also think whimsy and ambition CAN still happen too with balance! 3w
annagsears Agreed. YAL provides an opportunity for young adults to gain life experience in determining who they will become as adults. This can work two ways, I believe. As you said, meaningful pieces of literature are ideal, as they allow students to learn about society, history, and relationships. However, ambition can also be meaningful in some aspects, as students could consider careers or other life events that they have never thought about before. 3w
JoshuaKincaid I think it is cool how we, as humans, have done this. We long to belong and exist, and the creation of YAL helped adolescents fight their foothold in a way I think. Offering an avenue of a way to discuss mature topics without it being entirely “adult“ is very beneficial. 3w
3 comments
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tatumlanders

In Cart‘s chapter, he aptly describes young adulthood as “an ill-defined developmental space somewhere between childhood and adulthood” (Cart, 3). As a relatively new concept in the history of humanity, does the ambiguity of the young adult experience impact how controversial young adult literature is in today‘s classrooms? With no good definition of YA, how do we determine what is or isn‘t appropriate for students from all different backgrounds?

jessicaking This is a great question - and of course I don't have an answer. As an evolving art form (as Cart mentions with his extensive research surrounding the birth of the genre), we must be conscious of so much. Our judgement certainly plays a role in what texts we use in the classroom, but so do personal preferences, biases, prejudices, etc. All that to say, you make a such a valid and interesting point, and I find myself wanting similar answers. 3w
katiegregory I love this question and think it would be a great discussion prompt. The term “appropriate” is also fairly ambiguous, as it means different things to different people. I would love to learn more about determining what “appropriate” content for our students looks like as a teacher, especially when considering our personal bias. 3w
2 comments
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annagsears
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One thing I've learned throughout my time in English Education is that literature provides an opportunity for students to gain valuable experience through the characters they read about. I found this perspective particularly relevant to “From Romance to Realism,“ mainly when it discussed the prevalence of novels depicting various career paths. Because these students read about the specific details of these jobs, they gain relevant experience.

sammiegdeas So true! The purpose of reading shouldn't be to tick a canon work off the list; it should be to expose our students to the world around them. Choosing literature that reflects different paths students can take is so important to their development, and I am so excited to be a part of that growth. After all, the purpose of education is to prepare students for the world outside of school, so our texts should reflect it. 3w
Makaylaholton I totally agree. Literature gives students a safe and broad space to explore real-world roles and challenges. When texts reflect diverse futures, students can better imagine their own paths and potential futures, which is so important. I feel like it's easy to sometimes not realize how big of a role we play as teachers, especially as English teachers. We have the opportunity to give our students such a vision of the world around them. 3w
2 comments
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shortsarahrose
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“Text and image, which can be enjoyed both visually and tactilely, offer an agreeable combination. But the most agreeable combination imaginable is that of young adults and young adult literature. When I wrote the first edition of this book in the 1990s, there was widespread doubt that one half of this equation- young adult literature- would survive but . . . not only has the genre survived; it has thrived!”

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shortsarahrose
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“What else do we need? Surely we need more novels with same-sex parents and, finally, we need the genre [LGBTQIA+ YA] to continue to come of age as literature. And yet, if ours is not quite the wonderful world that a gay character in Boy Meets Boy sees when he looks around himself, we are getting there - and (pace, John Donovan) it will definitely be worth the trip!”

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shortsarahrose
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“Who knows what tomorrow might bring? As for today, this surely remains one of the most exciting, dynamic periods in the whole history of young adult literature.”

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shortsarahrose
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“This theme continues when she [Jacqueline Woodson] then speaks of the late Margaret A. Edwards‘s belief in literature and in teenagers and the power of their voices, ‘the importance of introducing them to people they might not otherwise have met and places they would never have seen‘ (Woodson, 2006, 68). Woodson might have been speaking here of her own writing which the Edwards committee described as ‘powerful, groundbreaking . . .‘”

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shortsarahrose
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“Trends are transient and, doubtless, the novel in verse will pass in, out, and out of favor with writers and readers for years to come, but one thing seems certain: poetry itself will remain one of literature‘s most durable - and universal - forms, a lesson that was brought home when - in June 2015 - Juan Felipe Herrera became not only the first Mexican American United States Poet Laureate but also the first to have written for young readers...”

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shortsarahrose
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“‘Really good fiction,‘ the novelist and critic John Gardner once wrote, ‘has a staying power that comes from its ability to jar, to turn on, to move the whole intellectual and emotional history of the reader‘ (Yardley 1994, 3). If young adult literature is to have a future, it must be more than a formula-driven fiction that begins and ends with a problem. It must be as real as headlines, but it must be more than the simple retailing of fact.” #YA

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shortsarahrose
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“This kind of wretched excess suggested that the genre was not only overripe but also overdue for satire. The irrepressible Daniel M. Pinkwater took the cue and responded with his own Young Adult Novel (Crowell, 1982), a hilarious take-off on the problem novel. A nice coincidence is that Pinkwater‘s novel was published the same year as Bunn‘s book, sounding the death knell for the subgenre it represented.”

10 likes1 comment