Using YAL to Teach Moral Education

The Young Adult (YA) genre is no longer a foreign name in the field of literary works today. It has become increasingly common for YA books to be set in bookstores and libraries. Young Adult Literature is, sometimes known as adolescent literature or teen fiction, fiction created specifically for young adults (Nilsen and Donelson, 2005 as cited in Govindarajoo et al., 2021). The important elements or traits of literature work for a short story or novel to belong to the YA genre include a young adult protagonist, the point of view of a young adult, coming-of-age issues that are relevant to young adults, the story being marketed specifically to young adults, and the story being one that young adults willingly choose to read (Herz and Gallo, 1996 as cited in Govindarajoo et al., 2021). 

The genre has been around over the decades, yet, many writers and librarians were slow to accept books for teenagers as a genre in the past and would believe that YA literature is merely a secondary category of childlike storytelling and unworthy of serious literary evaluation. Nonetheless, in the 1940s and 50s, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys helped paved the way for modern YA which began to blossom in the 1960s and continue to grow since then. The YA literature thrived in the 1970s, moving away from the traditional children’s stories of previous years. In what is called the “Golden Age of Young Adult literature,” authors published more realistic and controversial titles in which hard-hitting topics such as death, sex, underage drinking, homelessness, and drug use were introduced in their works.

In the 21st century, the YA genre once more quickly became mainstream ever since the enormous publication success of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, contemporary YA literature has seen a rise in its appreciation by many and giving birth to a second “Golden Age of Young Fiction”. However, as the characteristics of YAL include cultures, issues and themes that are relevant to those faced by young adults in this phase of their lives, many social issues and injustices rise along the way. Today, many topics found in today's YA genre can have very sensitive and questionable subject matter, such as suicide, gender confusion, divorce, bullying, and cyberbullying. These topics can cause some controversy, and what is appropriate for one student might not be for another. 

Many newly released books are being challenged or removed from libraries because of tense, questionable topics. While some schools and communities ban books, others use them to spur discussion within a safe classroom environment. Therefore, this paper will delve into the controversy over the current Young Adult literature and identify whether or not the literature genre has the necessary qualities for providing young adult readers with moral education. 

Controversy in Young Adult Literature

Young Adult literature has been patently a safe haven for numerous marginalized communities across the globe over the past decades. Nevertheless, the genre remains susceptible to bitter dissension and controversy, notwithstanding its huge contribution to making groundbreaking strides in inclusion and representation. As YA continues to evolve, it has met the ire of many who have alleged hypocrisy and mean-spiritedness, and in 2019 became such a “Horrible Year” for the genre and its authors. According to Law (2021), many books and high-profile authors of YA literature fell victim to “cancel culture”, shunned and left with a badly-damaged reputation including Jordan Peterson, J.K Rowling, Julie Burchill and many more. They are deemed to have committed worse crimes than others, resulting in cultural appropriation, racism or transphobia, misogyny, and anything from mild censorship to accusations of insensitivity, while others have had their book contracts revoked. Now, many authors who write about marginalized communities are facing abuse, boycotts and even death stated by Leo Benedictus (2019), a freelance feature writer for the Guardian. 

In Benedictus’s article (2019), Torn apart: the vicious war over young adult books, he stated that in early June 2019, the author and screenwriter Gareth Roberts revealed that his piece will be omitted from an upcoming Doctor Who collection. After seeing Roberts' previous tweets on transgender individuals, BBC Books said that his beliefs "conflict with our publishing objectives." Susie Day, at least, had threatened to resign from the project if Roberts was included. Day said, "I voiced my concerns and stated that if he was in, I was out". A few days before, at the Hay festival, the Irish novelist John Boyne revealed a campaign against his own book, My Brother's Name Is Jessica, which is about a boy and a trans sister. On Twitter, he was ridiculed for his looks and sexual orientation. (Like Roberts, he is homosexual but not transgender.) Some critics suggested a boycott of Boyne's book, but it was not retracted. Others made threats towards his safety. Boyne said, "I do not believe it is my responsibility as a reader or writer to tell others what they may or cannot write." "We are expected to utilise our imaginations in order to inhabit the brains and bodies of others."

Furthermore, Amélie Zhao, a new Chinese-American novelist, pulled her upcoming fantasy book Blood Heir in January and apologised for its depiction of slavery, which she said was based on the Asian reality, not the American one. Zhao secured an agent at a Twitter pitching event for writers from disadvantaged groups, but as Ellen Oh, co-founder of the advocacy group We Need Diverse Books, noted in a tweet, "You are not immune to claims of racism just because you are [a person of colour]." Racism is systematic, in particular anti-blackness." She hopes to release a revised version in November after describing the response to her debut as "devastating." Another of Zhao's critiques was Kosoko Jackson, whose own first book, A Place for Wolves, depicting a romance involving two adolescent boys during the Kosovo conflict, was set to be published in March. Jackson is black, homosexual, and a professional sensitivity reader, which means he reads novels before publication and provides feedback on how they address identity-related issues. Yet on the 22nd of February, he was also blamed for insensitivity for minimising the agony of Albanian Muslims. On the online reading forum website—Goodreads.com, the first critic to make this argument said, "I've never felt so appalled in my life." On February 25th, commenters under the review started discussing writing a public letter to Jackson's publisher. On February 28, he wrote a message apologising to "those whose feelings I offended with my comments" and removed the book. In April, Zoe Marriott, a British YA novelist, was extensively accused of cultural appropriation for publishing The Hand, the Eye, and the Heart, a Chinese-inspired fantasy tale.

As for our personal take on the controversy, we perceive that this type of stance and its hypocritical views are now destroying so many things. People first argue that there is insufficient variety in literature. We believe that the majority of people would agree that having more varied characters and experiences in novels, particularly for young adults, would be fantastic. We also feel that the majority of people can support this concept. However, the same individuals protest when someone attempts to develop a diverse character if they do not belong to the group being written about. It's either termed appropriation or whatever name they see appropriate, or they're just disregarded since they lack personal experience, thus the representation cannot be accurate, must be problematic, and should only be written by someone from that group.

So authors are now only permitted to produce novels if they belong to a minority or marginalised group? If that individual is unable to write about the concerns of another person or group, thus they must strictly adhere to writing about their own issues. In our opinion, rather than fostering inclusion and portrayal of various perspectives and genuine diversity, we wind up dividing and segregating things even more. We stop attempting to understand each other and stop trying to put ourselves in anybody else's shoes because we're effectively being taught that we should only write with our own kind. We need more variety, but you can't create characters who you don't relate to in real life, thus your novel should only have several versions of you.

Positive Qualities Through Young Adult Literature 

Teenagers possess a complicated character. Around the globe, they face a vast array of concerns and problems. As they become young adults and join the world, adolescents encounter tremendous challenges. Some educators and community organisations feel that YAL is too dark and harmful for adolescents. Educators and writers from all around the globe are actively challenging this concept (Johnson, 2008). For instance, young adult fiction author Ellen Hopkins (Johnson, 2008) answers, "My works deal with difficult topics. Addiction, self-harm Suicide-related thoughts Abuse. Sexual abuse. All of these problems impact children. Examine the statistics. Closed eyes will not make these things disappear. Why not discuss them with your children to equip them with knowledge? They will open the books with them. Hear the author converse with them"

YAL is a high-interest book that encourages reluctant readers to connect with challenging literature. These works often include events and topics pertinent to the student's evolving lives (Johnson, 2008). Oftentimes, avoidant readers who establish connections with YAL must also locate books to which they may make significant connections. In addition to addressing concerns and situations that many teenagers are likely to encounter in their own lives, difficult literature provides numerous additional advantages to adolescent readers. They cognitively challenge pupils and educate them to establish empathetic relationships" (O'Donell-Allen, 2011, p.19). Allowing students to look into these themes inside the boundaries of the classroom enables them to make strong bonds and to go from being engaged to disengaged. 

According to Bucher and Manning (2006), YAL serves several functions, including exposing students to the everyday realities of life, instructing about the world beyond their community, demonstrating the functions of societal institutions, allowing readers to escape, demonstrating the diversity of human experiences and emotions in a safe environment, and allowing young adult readers to improve their literacy skills. Bucher and Manning (2006) give the following evaluation recommendations for YAL:

• Should match age and development by evaluating cognitive and reading skills in addition to interest.
• Should address pertinent concerns and challenges, and the experiences of the characters should be comparable to those of students.
• Should consider increasing global viewpoints, such as cultural, socioeconomic, inclusivity, environmental concerns, international diplomacy, and multinational interconnectedness.

Additionally, one may say that YAL helps adolescents feel as if they are not alone (Johnson, 2011). It may help children connect to and find direction through the "difficult things" that life inevitably presents. Often, students find solace in reading literature that depicts comparable life circumstances to their own. Logic dictates that if a kid has been mistreated, reading about another youngster in a similar situation will be reassuring (Gurdon, 2011). YAL enables even the most disinterested students to discover a subject that interests them or to which they can relate. From historical novels to murder mysteries set in dystopian future civilizations, Young Adult Literature offers something for every ambitious reader. YAL will encourage and engage kids in their reading. Ivey (2011) notes that the best book must be selected for the most novice and disinterested readers. According to several research studies, the text is the most important component in determining whether a learner would be motivated and interested while reading. Ivey set five rules for choosing texts for students:  

• Step into this decade  
• Try on something you normally would not have selected  
• You might have to try on lots of things before finding a good fit  
• When something good doesn’t quite fit, try tailoring  
• It doesn’t have to match, it only has to go with 

Students will be able to become active readers with YAL. It will also help kids to address sensitive themes in a safe environment (O'Donell-Allen, 2011). YAL literature will offer instructors a selection of literature and will enable teachers to provide students time for independent reading while still enhancing their literacy abilities.

List of Young Adult Books with Life Lessons

The books that have been mentioned in this paper are all cited from EpicReads.com 

• THE HATE U GIVE, by Angie Thomas

This book highlights the life lesson of never giving up, and never keeping quiet. We can confidently assert that this book shattered our universes. In the chaotic year of 2017, it has been one of the most potent forces of good, and we have reread it several times. Starr reminds us of the significance of using our voices and speaking up against injustice. She reminds us that despite the difficulty of the situation, striving for the better is never futile. And due to Angie Thomas, we have access to this extraordinary book.

Starr Carter, who is sixteen years old, lives in an impoverished area and attends a prestigious prep school in the suburbs. Starr sees the tragic shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil by a police officer, shattering the tenuous equilibrium between these two worlds. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon after, his death became a nationwide news story. Some label him a thug, and maybe a drug dealer and gangbanger as well. Protesters have taken to the streets in the name of Khalil. The local police and drug lord attempt to frighten Starr and her family. What really transpired that night is the question on everyone's mind. Starr is the only living one who can provide an answer.

• THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins

This book highlights the life lesson of having hope can be the strongest thing of all. This was the novel that introduced an entire generation to young adult literature. The survival-turned-revolution narrative sparked a revival of the genre, a new wave of enthusiasm and energy, and most importantly, hope. Initially, it is a villain's tactic to inspire a little optimism to reign, but in the end, it is hoped that triumphs against cruelty. There is hope for a better life, a better future, and a better planet. This book reminds us of the significance of a hopeful view, as we are all aware of the need for it sometimes.

The post-apocalyptic North American nation of Panem is an affluent Capitol area surrounded by 12 downtrodden districts. Early in its history, a revolt led to its destruction and the establishment of the Hunger Games, an annual televised spectacle. As a kind of punishment and as a reminder of the power and elegance of the Capitol, each district must provide one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in the games through a lottery system. During the yearly Reaping, the "tributes" are selected and compelled to fight to the death, leaving just one survivor to declare victory.

When Katniss's younger sister, Prim, is chosen as the female delegate for District 12, Katniss offers to take her place. As she and her male counterpart Peeta are opposed to larger, stronger representatives, some of whom have spent their whole lives training for this, she views this as a death sentence. However, Katniss has been near death before. Survival is second nature to her.

• THE REST OF US JUST LIVE HERE, by Patrick Ness

This book highlights the life lesson of selflessness will help you with your own struggles. This book examines what it's like not to be the Chosen One, and we like how Patrick approached it. It also served as a reminder of the significance of helping others. Everyone is the protagonist of their own life; thus, you are a supporting role in the lives of everyone around you. Helping others will ultimately benefit you. We think that selflessness is among the most crucial elements to happiness, whether it means physical or just providing you with thoughtful relief. This book is evidence.

What if you're not the Selected One? Who is tasked with fighting zombies, soul-eating ghosts, or whatever this new entity with blue lights and death is?

What if you are similar to Mike? Before someone blows up the high school, who simply wants to graduate, attend the prom, and maybe finally get up the nerve to ask Henna out? Again.

Because sometimes there are difficulties worse than the end of the world this week, and sometimes you simply have to discover the remarkable in the mundane.

In conclusion, Young adult literature (YAL) is an ever-growing, extremely popular genre that plays a crucial role in the lives of adolescents and, consequently, in school libraries. YAL is a terrific mechanism for exploring the complicated and oftentimes frightening world in which we live due to inventive tales and the examination of the emotions that are a part of our daily lives. Despite the controversy and negative criticism that YAL received,  it is difficult to overlook YAL's enormous success and its causes. YA literature challenges the reader's vision of the world and provides the chance and space for self-discovery from the safety of a book, asking questions such as "What do I believe in?" and "What kind of person do I want to be?" It eventually prepares children for entrance into the grown-up world and fosters a passion for and appreciation of reading.