Comments on: Girls Gone Dark: Teen books go bleak. Should we worry?

By: Irelynd

Irelynd — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:24:58 +0000

Hi I think I will like the book

By: Irelynd

Irelynd — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:24:16 +0000

Gagagag

By: julie

julie — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:30:42 +0000

that is the dumbest thing i’ve ever heard of. wanna know whats harmful? the television and crap that they play on the radio. THAT is what is harmful. and also the fact of war. there can’t only be happy light books, or else teenagers will be really confused when they see the real world.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:11:12 +0000

I think that dark books are far more interesting. It seems like they are filled with much more suspense. I can relate to a few of the darker books. This one book that I read that was a really good books that’s rather dark is Cut by Patricia McCormick. It was really good, but it kind of leaves you hanging. It makes you want more though! So yeah, I agree, dark books=better.

By: Bellamount

Bellamount — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:30:42 +0000

Literature gets dark because people don’t want sunshine and rainbows because the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Teenagers in our world (having just left the teens myself) deal with drugs, death, sex, and all those nasty little things that adults don’t want children to know about. Most common thing my friends watch is anime because it deals with all the dark topics while showing them in a decent art form. Trying to get rid of the dark side of life isn’t the answer, to quote Albus Dumbledore on most kids’reactions on reading a very sugery sickening sweet version of Wizard fairytales known as Toadstool Tales “Mrs. Bloxam’s tale has the same response from generations of Wizarding children: uncontrollable retching, followed by an immediate demand to have the book taken from them and mashed into pulp”. Teens and children don’t want super sweet tales where nothing bad happens, they want the truth about this world, so at least try to teach them something about morales along the way.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:30:07 +0000

I am a late 30′s mother of a teenage daughter. When I was her age there was a series of books about girls who traveled all over the world, had advanture, romance & angst. They were amazing escapes that allowed a glimpse into history and all the emotions felt by girls this age. But there were also the dark vampire, goosebump Stephen kIng books that were so popular then, too. You read what interested you at that moment and you got feel however that book made you feel. I think a true love of literature is to read, feel & grow from a book, serious & fluff alike. Like movies, video games & all other forms of media our youth are exposed to, stay in touch with them and a book can be powerful in a great way, not a bad way. Thanks for letting me go on.

By: Blume Reader

Blume Reader — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:16:46 +0000

Excuse me, but in my day Judy Blume was considered ground-breakingly dark, as she dealt realistically with all the turmoil of adolescence. Also, Louise Fitzhugh of “Harriet the Spy” and other books was not exactly describing sunshine and roses, but how isolating differences are for children.
As earlier commenters noted, angst and dark themes are nothing new in juvenile and young adult literature.
S.E. Hinton anyone? Betty Greene? For pete’s sake, “A Little Princess” by Francis Hodgson Burnett dealt with child emotional abuse and death, for that matter.
All good literature — whether for children, teen-agers or adults — must deal realistically with life as it is. And readers have to choose which authors’outlook, optimistic or pessimistic, are their particular cups of tea. Personally I choose to think positive.

By: Amy

Amy — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:55:46 +0000

Sorry for double-posting!

By: Amy

Amy — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:54:03 +0000

Calling clueless-type books ‘brainless’is a bit much, if you ask me. Kind of makes me feel like everybody’s grown up – just not me, because I like to read chick lit.
It’s not fair that deppressing books are seen as superior because I bet those chick lit authors put just as much into their books.
Reading deppressing books does not help me deal with angst one teeny, tiny little bit. Reading CHICK LIT, books by Meg Cabot and Sophie Kinsella – that’s what makes me feel better. Reading deppressing books makes me feel horrible.
The way my mind works is that life can be bad enough as is, why do I want to read about the same stuff I see?
I’d rather read ‘brainless’fluff than lose all hope for this world, after all. Happy endings and candy coated muesly bars for all

By: Amy

Amy — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:53:26 +0000