You can find the original article HERE, but in case you don't feel like opening another window, here's what the article said....
"The only thing more embarrassing than catching a guy on the plane looking at pornography on his computer is seeing a guy on the plane reading “The Hunger Games.” Or a Twilight book. Or Harry Potter. The only time I’m O.K. with an adult holding a children’s book is if he’s moving his mouth as he reads.
I’m sure all those books are well written. So is “Horton Hatches the Egg.” But Horton doesn’t have the depth of language and character as literature written for people who have stopped physically growing.
I’ll read “The Hunger Games” when I finish the previous 3,000 years of fiction written for adults.
I appreciate that adults occasionally watch Pixar movies or play video games. That’s fine. Those media don’t require much of your brains. Books are one of our few chances to learn. There’s a reason my teachers didn’t assign me to go home and play three hours of Donkey Kong.
Let’s have the decency to let tween girls have their own little world of vampires and child wizards and games you play when hungry. Let’s not pump Justin Bieber in our Saabs and get engaged at Cinderella’s Castle at Disneyland. Because it’s embarrassing. You can’t take an adult seriously when he’s debating you over why Twilight vampires are O.K. with sunlight. If my parents had read “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” at the same time as I did, I would have looked into boarding school."
My own personal thoughts on the matter? While I do occasionally find it strange to see some adults I know reading the hottest YA novels, I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with it. I mean, just because a YA novel is marketed towards teens, doesn't mean adults shouldn't read it. Nor does it mean that some YA novels can't be exceptionally well-written and though-provoking. It's also unfair to simply assume that those who do read YA neglect all other genres.
And on another note, why is it OK to watch Pixar movies but not read YA novels? Who says that reading has to be solely for the purpose of learning? I read for fun. God knows there are school-assigned books that I dread reading, famous or not.
I am a great lover of YA. Will I still love it as much when I grow older? Or will I suddenly develop the urge to go out and discover the works of Tolstoy and Lao Tzu? Maybe. Probably not. Honestly, in all likelihood, I will probably be one of those middle-aged people reading the future incarnation of Twilight or Hunger Games.
So how about YOU? Do you think adults should read YA? Or should they stick to esoteric, "sophisticated" novels?
