I was going to call it "What's New in YA," but I avoided the moniker for two reasons. First, it sounded unbelievably cliche and boring. Second, I don't plan on posting solely about new works. There are a lot of older YA books that are still relevant and have a profound impact on the genre. Take The Giver, for example.
First published in 1994 (according to an Amazon review), it chronicles the painful and ecstatic and life-changing journey of a boy chosen to be the only one in his community to understand human emotion. Protagonist Jonas lives in a society that has been carefully planned. People are assigned to their jobs, their spouses, and even their children. But when the time comes for his job selection, he is given the title of "receiver." He soon discovers that what he is to receive is all memory of humanity - the past that the community has left behind, and all of the pain and pleasure that came along with it.
At the time of its publication,The Giver was lauded by audiences and experts for its unique structure and thought-provoking concept. It is still an outstanding literary example, of course. Now, though - almost 20 years later - it fits nicely into a genre that didn't exist at the time of its publication. The young adult dystopian novel.
Dystopia is everywhere in YA these days. From The Hunger Games to Uglies (both of which will be addressed in later posts), YA authors seem almost obsessed with the idea of examining what will happen when humanity destroys itself and has to start over. Maybe this is because the genre targets the young, who have the most invested in the direction the world is headed. Maybe it has more to do with the authors themselves and their desire to envision a different future - an endeavor that almost begs for an adolescent protagonist. Or that these stories present the chance to "hold the mirror up to nature" and show the world what could happen if we're not careful. Or if we're too careful.
So, what about the new Lois Lowry book - the sequel to The Giver? Does it stand up to the high standards set forth in the original? Is it more or less dystopian? Stay tuned...
