Don’t Judge a Reader by the Book

Posted October 13, 2014 by Lillian in Features / 4 Comments

Today I want to address a serious issue with you. I’ll admit that I’ve lost sleep and a few friends over this issue, but it needs to be addressed and dealt with. I’ll start with a definition.

Book Shaming: a feeling of guilt, regret, or sadness you have because of a book you read based on the public’s perception of said book

No, that is not a real definition, but it should be. How many of you have been shamed because of a book you read? Or even worse….your character called into question.

Sad to admit it, but it has happened to me on more than one occasion. My confession, my book shame if you will, is I like and read New Adult books.

Yes, I am very serious. Some common misconceptions about New Adult books:

  • It’s all about the sex.
  • It’s all about the erotica.
  • It’s all about the sex.

New Adult (NA) fiction is a developing genre of fiction with protagonists in the 18-25 age bracket (source: wikipedia)

I read a lot of New Adult fiction, and I am here to tell you that no, it is not all about the sex. In fact it deals with real life situations that people in this age group identify with. Situations like:

  • College
  • Marriage
  • Dating (for real dating, not the crap you do in high school)
  • Finding yourself
  • Freedom and Independence

Do you see where I am going with this?

Personally, I would like to expand on wikipedia’s definition:

New Adult (NA) is a genre of fiction with protagonists in the 16-30 age range, dealing with problems and challenges that are unique to that age group.

By these definitions, there are many, MANY books that fall into the New Adult category. Below are a few of my favorites from different genres.

Classic

Book Cover for Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Fantasy

Angelfire-Hanna-Peach

Dystopia/Post-Apocalypse

Cover - The Legacy

Historical Fiction

TheEndofInnocencebyAllegraJordan

Romance

3d1df-10589629_4437118903241_151600410_n

New Adult fiction varies by author, but there is one common theme. The protagonists are entering into adulthood. They are “new” adults (pun intended) and as such they are learning as they go. Some deal with aspects of college, almost all of them deal with a little romance because who wants to be alone?! and some deal with the heavy issues (marriage, children, loss). I read New Adult fiction because I’m still a New Adult….well I’m at the end of New Adulthood 😀 and I relate easily to the characters.

Next time before you judge someone based off their book choices, make sure you have all the facts. And remember to be nice.

Happy Reading 😀

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4 responses to “Don’t Judge a Reader by the Book

  1. I hate that I when someone in work asks me what Im reading I’m always too scared to tell them it’s NA or YA due to fear of being judged by them. Apparently I’m meant to read intellectual sounding books in order to get a positive response from people. And I hate that I’m embarrassed to talk about some of my favourite books to people not int he YA/NA community.

    • Exactly how I feel! Any amount of reading should be praised in my opinion. Doesn’t matter what you read as long as you enjoy it ?

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