The Necessity of Young Adult Fiction: The Literary Agenda

Young Adult Fiction offers new ways of thinking about climate change and definitions of citizenship, shaping readers' perceptions and making them receptive to positive social change. The novels examined offer insights into the real world and illustrate the dangers of fundamentalist visions of the world. YA fiction is doing important and creative work in literature today.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 09 March 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Young adult fiction (YA) has emerged as a powerful genre that offers unique perspectives on climate change and notions of citizenship. In The Necessity of Young Adult Fiction, author Emily Henry argues that YA fiction helps us to think about some of the most pressing problems of the twenty-first century by offering imaginative reconceptualizations about identity, nation, family, and the human relationship to the planet.

Through examples from YA fiction that range from the Harry Potter series to Nnedi Okorafor's trilogy set in contemporary Nigeria, Henry demonstrates that the cultural work of YA fiction shapes readers' perceptions, making them receptive to and invested in the possibility of positive social change. The novels examined in the book could all be considered fantastical, but they offer insights into the real world that all readers, particularly young adult readers, might draw on to reimagine social structures and the well-being of the planet.

The book is designed to bring readers into the conversation about how we might create cosmopolitan societies that are shaped around conversation and engagement rather than fear and isolation. Each of these novels, in different ways, illustrates the dangers inherent in fundamentalist visions of the world.

Through its discussions about the relationships between reading and citizenship, monsters and families, the local and the global, The Necessity of Young Adult Fiction demonstrates that YA fiction is doing some of the most important and creative work in literature today. YA fiction offers new ways of thinking about climate change and definitions of citizenship, allowing readers to engage with complex issues in a relatable and accessible manner. By exploring the intersection of identity, nation, family, and the environment, YA fiction provides a platform for young people to question the status quo and explore new possibilities for a more inclusive and sustainable future.

Weight: 180g
Dimension: 129 x 197 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192848970