Argument Essay (on YA books)

     YA literature has been part of teens over the course of 40 years, but nowadays, these books have been receiving an outstanding amount of hate and disgust. People, mainly parents, and authors have been debating on limiting access to these books because these books have been traumatizing and nauseating. However, YA fiction has been adored and been with adolescents for so long that limiting access to these books would be imprudent decision and will most likely cause more anarchy within teenagers, considering how chaotic the situation has already become.
     One of the reasons why access to YA books should not be limited is because adolescents are always connecting to characters within these books and are encouraged by them. For instance, in Sherman Alexie (author of award winning teen novel, The Absolute True Diary of A Part Time Indian) wrote an article, Why the Best Kids Books are Written in Blood, where steps in and explains why YA books have been written with some disturbing content. He mentions a troubling boy whose father is forcing him into being in the military. The young boy doesn't want to and would dedicate his life into writing books. The boy even says, “I want to be myself. Just like in your book.” He refers to Sherman Alexie’s book, The Absolute True Diary of A Part Time Indian, and mentions how he wants to be like the character in this book. We've learned to use the text to self strategy when making reading responses, so banning books would make this strategy useless. Also, in this article, Sherman Alexie mentions the fact that YA books have gruesome content because teens have been through these harsh and dark themes of these books. He states that he gets a lot of mail everyday from teenagers who love his book. A lot of them have even been through" rape, family lost, depression, gang warfare" and a lot more. These teens have specified how much Sherman Alexie’s book meant to them. This sums up the fact that YA books are meaningful to adolescents and should not be banned in any way, or anywhere.
     Another reason why access to YA books should not be limited is because these books also been around for educational and entertainment purposes and there is no law that prevents readers from reading these kind of books and writers for writing in a dark way. For instance, in the article, Teen Fiction Plots are Darker and Starker, by William Porter, he mentions a quote from famous author, David Levithan, saying, "Writers today feel this freedom to write what they want, light or dark...When you feel the world is broken, as an author you create an alternative world to try and fix it." What he is trying to say is that authors write for a purpose, to express their feelings and show teenagers that there are people who go through a time, but just show it in a fictional way. In addition, we've learned to use the text to self strategy when making reading responses, so banning books would make this strategy useless. Thus, limiting access to these books is a dreadful decision.
     In contrast, parents urge readers to stop reading YA literature because many of the stories contain sinister content that can fright teens. They claim that YA literature can give teens a bad view of Earth and give them ideas of being in a gang or do anything immoral. For instance, in Meghan Cox Gurdon’s article, “Darkness too Visible,” Ms. Gurdon claims that YA fiction contains too much dark content that include, rape, drug addiction, suicide, and more. Although this is true, it is not for the wrong, it is for entertaining, and education. Ms.Gurdon keeps generalizing the issue as if she doesn't know much about it. YA literature is still has its benefits. In addition, YA books cannot be traumatizing when adolescents are already going through the horrors that are within these books.
     All in all, the situation on YA books is dim-witted. There isn't a point in banning YA books when they have been a great success for the past years and have help change the lives of teens. Although there are books with gruesome content, banning these books won’t make the situation better. Do people honestly think that books will be banned for no one to read?

Champion by Marie Lu

      Champion by Marie Lu is the sequel to her book prodigy, which might be the final book for the Legend series. So far, this book leaves to an amazing ending, but the plot/conflict within this book surprises me. In the book Champion, it is an intense story, still with the two teenagers June and Day living in a dark world where America has been split about into two separate unions, the patriots, and the republics. June and Day live in the republic and the other side of America is called the patriots, however, they are constantly at war. However, in Champion, they soon learn that there is far more than just a war, but genocide. A new disease or plague that was made by the republic has suddenly been released and has been infecting innocent pedestrians. This book has showed me how war and genocide towards the innocence can badly affect someones ranking/placement within a certain place.
     One of the reasons why this books makes me feel sympathetic is because this book shows the elector (president in other words) losing his "fame and popularity" because of this plague that has been released. Recently, he just took his fathers place in being elector and gave a speech in being peaceful. However, ever since this plague has been released, people have started rebellions and protest against his place in being the elector of America. The story mentions the fact that he almost lost his place in being elector in the first place, even though his father was a good leader. This illustrates the fact that high class people are affected by war and genocide and it makes the situation almost unavoidable when you have so much power over the people that surround you. Furthermore, within June and Day, over the past books, they have become America's most wanted, but because of this plague, their presents is not as important then before, which also proves my point in how war and genocide changed peoples view of others.
     In conclusion, war and genocide are two things that everyone wants to avoid, but if it is done by accident, it can really affect someones position, and it can be more than one persons class. This book champion shows a good gist of what war and genocide can cause to people and that is one of the most important things that I absolutely enjoy about this book and the series in general.

Non Fiction Critical Analysis

  In, "Why the Best Kids Books are Written in Blood," by Sherman Alexie, author of The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, wants to elaborate why YA books are having much more gruesome content for the past 40 years and how these books are not "traumatizing" towards teens, but helpful, entertaining, and even educational. Sherman uses teens themselves to support his statement of how YA books are not damaging teens, nor scaring them into thinking life as a bad, disturbing, and very frightening. Sherman also counters Megan Cox's claim in the article, "Darkness to Visible," and address's how Ms.Cox's argument is not sufficient enough and its mainly based on opinions and generalizes the situation.
  Sherman Alexie tries to persuade people to believe that YA books have gruesome content, but for a good cause. He mentions a boy who's father works at the military and wants his son to take his place. However the boy said, "I want to be a writer... I don't want to be like my father... I want to be myself. Just like in your book." He then explains how this moment was shocking and interesting because of how YA fiction would cause someone to read and write and not risk their lives at war. In addition to that, Sherman references teens at a ceremony who were impressed and inspired by his novel, The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and mentions the fact that some of these teens that have experienced "domestic violence, drug abuse, racism, poverty, sexuality, and murder" which were topics within Sherman's book. As mentioned earlier, Sherman Alexie counters Megan Cox's argument of why YA fiction should be banned, and states how topic within YA fiction would actually "scare" a reader when instead teens read YA books for entertainment and education, which sums up his argument of why YA books have gruesome content, but for a good cause.
  In my opinion, YA books are not as bad as people think they are. The point of YA books or books in general, is to entertain people. We choose to read these books because we are interested of the plots, characters, etc. People overreact to what they think, but never think about others and how banning these books will only hurt them. Honestly, it irritates me when people, like Megan Cox, exaggerate and just generalize the situation without giving any much thought about it. In addition, why would we want to ban books that have earned many awards, like this is just wrong to people, but mainly the authors who wrote these amazing books. If there is an issue, then that is your issue, why would you want to spread your hate to people that love these books. All in all, YA books should not be banned in several places, and I can understand why some of these books have gruesome content, and its for educational and entertainment purposes.