In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

  • Taking True Risks:Controversial Issues in New Young Adult Novels
  • Geraldine DeLuca (bio)

Novels for young adults that deal with social issues of one sort or another have been around for quite awhile now. In fact, social relevance seems to be a primary feature of the genre, the attempt to catch the reader by surprise with unconventional characters and situations as much a part of the books' basic ingredients as the adolescent hero himself. Many of these novels, however, stop short of fully exploring the issues they introduce. It is enough, the sentiment seems to be, that the subjects are unveiled. John Donovan, for example, finally evades the issue of homosexuality in I'll Get There. It Better Be Worth The Trip; Margaret's encounter with God in Are You There God? It's Me Margaret gets no further than its title. Moreover, characters involved in unconventional activities as often as not wind up punished —ravaged by drugs, pregnant, bereft of loved ones, even dead. There have of course been exceptions, but the message of most of these novels, like that of the most traditional literature, is that, the appeals of passion and rebellion notwithstanding, the conventionally moral side of things must prevail.

Recently, however, young adult works have begun to take a truly more realistic, at times frightening, and occasionally defiantly happy turn. Conventionally moral endings are not always provided; ambiguous or complex situations are allowed to remain so; and themes are a little more daring. The books discussed here were selected for this kind of unconventionality and for their efforts, though not always successful, to depict life with an honesty and complexity fuller than has generally been available in this genre. All have been published within the last two years, and perhaps they are a sign that the adolescent novel is coming of age.

The very title of the first novel, Sandra Scoppetone's Happy Endings Are All Alike, suggests this new approach. Not that it doesn't have the familiar ring of the genre, but it does reflect a [End Page 125] different point of view. This is Scoppetone's second work to deal with homosexuality, and it is a far more positive and assertive treatment of the subject than her first. The earlier work, Trying Hard to Hear You, dealt with a furtive, guilt-ridden, male relationship that ended in tragedy. But this work, perhaps buoyed by the women's movement and a more vocal stance on the part of homosexuals in the culture, recognizes that young adult literature must, from time to time, acknowledge homosexuality as more than a passing phase in some adolescents' development. The book depicts the struggles of two young women discovering and affirming their love for each other even when one of them is raped and the rapist uses his knowledge of their lesbian relationship as blackmail. The plot may sound sensational, but the treatment is not. And though the book has its exaggerated, oversimplified moments, as a whole it presents a balanced exploration of two highly sensitive issues.

What initially disappointed me about the work was the familiar poverty of the prose. Though she doesn't use the first person, Scoppetone nevertheless binds herself to the voice of youth. Her style is a combination of the speech patterns of adolescence and the jargon-ridden, albeit often valid insights of psychotherapy. Thus, the book opens:

Even though Jaret Tyler had no guilt or shame about her love affair with Peggy Danziger she knew there were plenty of people in this world who would put it down. Especially in a small town like Gardener's Point, a hundred miles from New York City. She and Peggy didn't go around wearing banners, but there were some people who knew.

Like Jaret's mother, Kay. Of course, Kay was an unusual woman, particularly for Gardener's Point. But even though Jaret and Kay were open and honest with each other, Jaret wasn't sure she would have told her about Peggy if Kay hadn't found out for herself. Sometimes Jaret still remembered that day and the first wave of shock when, over breakfast, Kay said:

"So, would Cree Cree like more bacon...

pdf

Share