Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion

As we already know, YA is lacking in racial diversity.

But is it also lacking in narrative diversity?

Sometimes I feel like I'm reading about the same protagonist again and again. She's female, white, beautiful without realizing it, quick to anger, romantically and sexually naive, bad with her emotions, devoted to her family, often initially disinterested in love, and just wants to be normal. Her age, self-confidence, and hot headedness may vary, but she's fairly consistent, in my opinion.

Then she falls in love with one or two boys, has one or two personality-less friends, and has some magic power she doesn't want.

Is this a problem? Or are these pleasant tropes of the genre? I usually just roll with it until I read a book that breaks the mold and blows me away.

What do you think?

And what are your favorite unusual YA books?

I don't read too many fantasy/sci fi books so the magic power part I'll trust you. But yeah now that you mention it there does seem to be a mold, as long as the mold isn't weak whinny girls I'm okay with the flow of things just so girls have a character to be like hey I can be strong and spunky, I don't have to let the guy be the one in charge. Haha I'm trying to think of an example that would help break the mold...

I haven't analyzed what makes them stand out to me or if they are unusual (but they must be because a lot of this same story is beginning to get boring) but the ones that stand WAY OUT for me are (first book if it is a series) The first three are my definite top three:

Male protagonists in YA are more diverse--just because there's no mold for them.

Rash's protagonist has really well-depicted anger management issues, and has been shaped by his society to think that he's no good, and has no control over his destiny.

Abel, from Freaks, is a really solid, responsible guy who wants to strike his fortune, be independent, and take care of the people around him.

The heros in Tiger Moon are a (really awesome) submissive eunuch and a devil-may-care hero-thief.

I agree, it's annoying.

I particularly don't understand the "I have a super power! Poor me! Isn't it hard having amazing powers?!" Um, I would love to have super powers. I don't care if it would make me a "freak", hello? super powers!

It also really annoys me that so many of the "freak" characters who whine and moan about how their super secret powers make them freaky could a) resolve most of their problems by just telling other people that they have their powers - how can you possibly hide this sort of thing 24/7 from your family? and that b) their freak status is generally shown by one or two amazingly cliched and heavy-handed put-downs from other students, which is almost immediatley negated by the fact that Hot New Guy is all over the freak-girl.

Ann wrote: "I particularly don't understand the "I have a super power! Poor me! Isn't it hard having amazing powers?!" Um, I would love to have super powers. I don't care if it would make me a "freak", hello? super powers!

It also really annoys me that so many of the "freak" characters who whine and moan about how their super secret powers make them freaky could a) resolve most of their problems by just telling other people that they have their powers - how can you possibly hide this sort of thing 24/7 from your family? and that b) their freak status is generally shown by one or two amazingly cliched and heavy-handed put-downs from other students, which is almost immediatley negated by the fact that Hot New Guy is all over the freak-girl."

I mean, ok, I can see that having super powers might often be stressful, but that all characters feel the same way, for such stupid reasons, is annoying.

Honestly characters don't make a story for me as long as the plot is something new and fresh. Poison Study I guess had this cookie cutter girl, but I love the story and the world where this has been created. Maybe it's just me, but characters don't make the story for me.

Solenoid makes a really good point about the protagonists of YA fiction being very similar in mold. I recommend reading some Jacqueline Woodson. I also just finished Saint Louis Armstrong, told through the POV of a boy from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina--check them out!

I guess it depends on what you are reading. I recognize this mold you're talking about, but it isn't old for me because I seek out books that wouldn't have that mold to begin with. For example, I'm rereading I am the Messenger, the protagonist is male, Austrailian, has a crappy job and lethargic friends, and receives a chance to improve his life by improving the lives of strangers. I recently finished the Narnia series with The Last Battle. I'm not sure who would be considered the protagonist of that one. Also recently finished Yellow Star which is written in verse from the POV of a young girl (who really existed) during the Holocaust and how she survived a concentration camp in Poland.

If you're fed up with the same characters, try a different genre!

Solenoid wrote: "As we already know, YA is lacking in racial diversity.

But is it also lacking in narrative diversity?

Sometimes I feel like I'm reading about the same protagonist again and again. She's fema..."

I'm with Terry on most of her choices, and agree that while the basic character has been done again and again, these stand out as good books. Especially Graceling.

One of my favorite YA books is Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher. It's a realistic book, so no superpowers to be found! It's definitely a different type of narrative. It's great audiobook, too.

I also really liked The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Across the Universe by Beth Revis, The Duff by Kody Keplinger, Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon and How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. All of these have a female protagonist that I thought was done differently.

Solenoid wrote: "But is it also lacking in narrative diversity?"

I'd also ask if it's lacking in family diversity? Far too many have absent or dysfunctional parents. I know that adolescence is a time when teens and parents most drift apart, but I still miss books like Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle. I have to believe close family structures still do exist and that we still hope for them, which are two reasons to include them in young adult books. Even if the main character has awful parents, what are creating secondary characters with exemplary parents? This would provide some diversity and feel more true to the world.