Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Young Adult Literature, Libraries, and Conservative Activism (Beta Phi Mu Scholars Series)

This incisive study analyzes young adult (YA) literature as a cultural phenomenon, explaining why this explosion of books written for and marketed to teen readers has important consequences for how we understand reading in America. As visible and volatile shorthand for competing views of teen reading, YA literature has become a lightning rod for a variety of aesthetic, pedagogical, and popular literature controversies. Noted scholar Loretta Gaffney not only examines how YA literature is defended and critiqued within the context of rapid cultural and technological changes, but also highlights how struggles about teen reading matter to-and matter in-the future of librarianship and education. The work bridges divides between literary criticism, professional practices, canon building, literature appreciation, genre classifications and recommendations, standard histories, and commentary. It will be useful in YA literature course settings in Library and Information Science, Education, and English departments. It will also be of interest to those who study right wing culture and movements in media studies, cultural studies, American studies, sociology, political science, and history. It is of additional interest to those who study print culture, publishing and the book, histories of teenagers, and research on teen reading. Finally, it will offer those interested in teenagers, literature, libraries, technology, and politics a fresh way to look at book challenges and controversies over YA literature. Review Gaffney, a former school librarian who teaches on topics such as intellectual freedom and youth services librarianship, takes a broad look at YA literature, examining its history, its readership, censorship, and more. Structured as a series of essays, with subheadings that help avoid the textbooklike monotony of a typical reference work, this title will be extremely helpful to library school students and first-time young adult librarians. Librarians who have been interacting with teenagers for years will find the later sections--such as those dealing with the pro-family movement, which has called out novels with sexual or fantastical themes as offensive or even pornographic--particularly relevant and insightful. Gaffney provides numerous examples of materials that have been challenged, including the often contentious "Harry Potter" series, and instances of how different libraries have dealt with book challenges.... [T]he text is...succinct and generally avoids overly academic language. VERDICT A highly recommended volume for library professionals who work with or are thinking about working with young adults.-- "School Library Journal"Independent scholar Gaffney looks at how teachers, librarians, and literary critics have engaged with complex issues and the various censorship challenges surrounding teen reading and literature. Acknowledging young adult literature's great impact on the field of conservative activism, the author deftly analyzes how history and critical viewpoints have shaped these conversations. Delving into complex topics that pit aesthetics against reading for pleasure or instruction, Gaffney offers an analysis of how a professional view of readers' needs influences one's whole approach to books. The commentary provides insight into the myriad conversations among proponents of social movements and political perspectives that are shaping the field, and emphasizes how young adult literature is a cultural force that not only shapes the lives of readers but also defines the way librarians and teachers go about their work. Strongly connecting with the classics in the field--Margaret Edwards, Michael Cart, Alleen Nilson, Kenneth Donnelson, and others--Gaffney's vision of why teen reading matters is engaging and thoughtfully presented, and she takes the conversation about young-adult literature to thought-provoking new heights. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates through professionals/