Sarah Dessen and the thin-skinned world of Young Adult fiction
‘The cultural critics,’ the late Harold Bloom wrote in 2000:‘...will, soon enough, introduce Harry Potter into their college curriculum, and The New York Times will go on celebrating another confirmation of the dumbing-down it leads and exemplifies.’How right he was. Not only are J.K. Rowling’s books widely studied by college students but ‘Young Adult’ literature is exhaustively and exhaustingly consumed by, well — adults. One 2012 study found that more than half the readers of ‘YA’ spec fiction are older than 18. As with the dominance of superhero movies at the box office, this represents a craving for the naive grandiosity of youth.Well, if it was a private indulgence it would be churlish to shake your fists about it.
