Guest Post + Giveaway - Young (or) Adult by Kevin Harkness

Thank you Kevin for a great guest post. I feel you pointed out a number of issues that YA readers (Including myself) come across, the main problem is some peoples beliefs that YA isn't 'real' literature. I think you have underlined the truth in that case =)

Young (or) Adult? By Kevin Harkness

Did I just write a Young Adult novel? I know I didn’t start out thinking, “must write YAaaaaa,” while typing zombie-like on my keyboard. As a teacher of Grade Eights to Twelves, I might have been inclined to write in that genre, rather than attempt, say, the great Canadian literary novel, but I don’t think it was a conscious choice. So did I?

Maybe I’d better check. Let’s see, somebody somewhere sometime said that YA novels only need a young protagonist to fit into the genre. My protagonist is a teenager, so check. YA might also demand young adult themes such as fitting in with your peers, romantic relationships, and separating from figures of authority. Check, check, check, though to be fair, these themes show up in adult fiction too. Finally, YA is often seen as possessing less gravitas and significance than “real” literature.

Now hold on a minute. It would be self-serving to claim gravitas and significance for my own novel, but I can claim it for YA as a genre. How about that YA novel I taught to Grade Tens for many years, To Kill a Mockingbird? That has more gravitas than a small planet or a large politician. Significance? Try A Wizard of Eathsea or The Hunger Games. And if you want to point out some fluff on the YA shelves, well just sidle over to the adult section and see the dross beside the gold.

I think I’d like to rearrange the shelves. Let’s drop YA versus Literature for a more informative division: Hopeful versus Despairing.

I’m not as well-read in the genre-formerly-known-as-YA as some of you, maybe most of you, but it seems to me that hope is the great division. No matter how many dystopian landscapes the young protagonist endures, there is always a gleam of hope: the rumoured sanctuary, the stalwart companion, or even the twinge of conscience in a villain. We writers are cruel, but we are not so horrible as to remove all hope from our children. Unless, of course, you are writing literature. Then you can go all Thomas Hardy on your protagonists and squish them like bugs – after destroying all their dreams. Even the most horrific YA novel wouldn’t sink that low. Don’t believe me? Then think about this: how is Katniss Everdeen (of the Hunger Games) treated more gently than Tess (of the d’Urbervilles)? No spoilers; you can read and find out, but I officially rest my case.

So, yes. If I can’t re-categorize the genres, I’ll take YA, proudly. It’s the crowd I want to hang out with. Long live hope.

Bio

Kevin Harkness is a Vancouver writer who has just finished a third career as a high-school teacher. His first two careers: industrial 911 operator and late-blooming university student, were nowhere near as dangerous and exciting as teaching Grade 10s the mysteries of grammar and the joys of To Kill a Mockingbird. He also taught Mandarin Chinese – but that’s another story. Outside of family and friends, he has three passions: a guitar he can’t really play, martial arts of any kind from karate to fencing, and reading really good stories. In this fourth career, as a writer, he attempts young adult fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

Find Kevin

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Giveaway :

To win a copy of Kevin's City of Demons please leave a comment below with 

- Your thoughts on YA vs 'Real' Literature

- Your email address
 It ends on 5th August