06 March 2011

Where Are You Nancy Drew?

 I browsed the young adult book section in both Fred Meyer and Target today trying to find a suitable book for my sixteen year old niece.  To sound like a 70 year old woman, I was shocked and appalled. 

There were two choices: dark fantasy or teenage porn.  Now I was reading VC Andrews & Danielle Steel at her age but there were other choices available: romance, adventure, social issues, true life, and the television/movie made into books (or vice versa) sections.  The edgiest book available was Endless Love, which they made into a movie that was all the talk as it featured teenage sex. Gasp!

Now it's all "Her soul was stolen and she had to get it back by the third Thursday or all puppies will die." and "She didn't mean to fall in love with the devil's grandson" and/or "It's Spring break and Emily was planning an epic party at the Shore until the hawt Sheriff showed up."

Just no.

I know vampires are all the rage now.  I think if I'd had Twilight when I was a teen I would watch or read it constantly.  But the other series that are offered are just awful.  Not awful as in poorly written...although yes...but as in dark.  No wonder "Emo" exists today.  In the Young Adult's section they had Vampire Diaries, which I have tried to watch but couldn't take the bad acting and vampire porn.

Jersey Shore is what everyone is watching but it just shows the lowest common denominator among humans.  I just don't think it should be celebrated or portrayed as "normal".  I just hate the jaded point of view of those books.  "Pretty Little Liars" and "The first book in the Sin Series".  C'mon now, really?

I felt like I needed to go to the Christian book store just to find something of worth.  That is usually So Not Me but the choices were dismal.   I am sure if I had gone to Barnes & Noble, they would have a better selection but it's the one store the county doesn't have. (bitter, me? of course I am)

I finally bought Jennifer Weiner's "Best Friends".  It's chick lit but at least it was about something other than vampires and wealthy kids.

So, should I get our my cane and Depends or have you noticed this too?

1 comment:

creative kerfuffle said...

speaking as a mom of a teen, i think there are lots of things out there, sometimes it just seems like the vamp books and the others overshadow them. the girl reads a lot of different things (like the vamp books, vc andrews, etc) but she also reads the chick lit books. when i was her age i was reading stephen king (and still do) and the "teenage" harlequins (back when the whole story led up to the first kiss at the end).