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Why YA? David James talks The Year of Ice

March 25, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS   2 comments

Author David James will be hosting our #TLTDiversity Twitter chat on Wednesday. Today, he is telling us “Why YA?”

I can be fearful of things in the way we all can be when the words “what” and “if” are squeezed together to create uncertainty. When separate, those two little words are harmless; together, they may be reason enough to make the world shake. What if I can’t? What if I’m wrong? What if this doesn’t work? Pushed together, those two little words can be scary, but they are why I love to read YA. You see, to me YA isn’t about following reason. Like Brian Malloy’s The Year of Ice, most YA literature is about following your heart. Instead of living through reason or fear, YA is about living through love and hope.
 
St. Martin’s 2002 ISBN 9780312313692
The Year of Ice is a dance between who one boy thinks he should be and who he wants to be. Kevin Doyle is lost. His mother is gone, and his father might as well be. Stuck in a world where everyone knows him but where he doesn’t know himself, Kevin’s life is filled with self-discovery, secrets, and sexuality. Family and divorce and prejudice. Young loves and old loves. But like those two little words we can sometimes fear, when everything in Brian Malloy’s symphony builds and comes crashing together, The Year of Ice is about much more than the uncertain fears of one boy. This is a story about life, love, and loss. A story about finding possibility in a place where it’s not usually found. About living when life is difficult. And here, this quote from The Year of Ice, is one of the reasons why I read YA so often: “I won’t regret what I didn’t do. That’s important too. Not second-guessing yourself. Because you can make up this whole life based on what you didn’t do. And it’s always a wonderful life, better than the one you have.”  
I’ve lived for twenty six years and like Kevin Doyle, I still don’t know exactly who I should be. I know who I am, who I want to be. But as for who I shouldbe, I’m not really sure. I’m not sure anyone ever truly is. Still, I try not to second guess myself. I try to live without regrets. I try to follow my heart, use love instead of strict reason. Because sometimes in life there is no reason. Just love. Or maybe it’s hope. Maybe it’s hope that makes us tick, and love that makes us breathe. In the end, maybe loving is living. And maybe, just maybe, when we place “what” and “if” side by side, we are creating possibility instead of fear. Hope instead of uncertainty.
 
 
So, why do I read YA? Because we are all still a little unsure. We all could use some reminding of the romanticism of youth and the wonderful hope it brings to our jaded realities. We all live lives filled with questions, some quiet and some loud. We all have secrets, curiosities as to who we are and who we will become. We all wonder what will happen when “what” and “if” collide. And most importantly, I read YA because we all still fall in love, and because sometimes we need to be reminded that it’s okay to follow our hearts.
 
Bio: David James writes books about stars and kisses and curses. He is the author of the YA novel, LIGHT OF THE MOON, the first book in the Legend of the Dreamer series. A novella for the series, THE WARRIOR’S CODE, as well as the sequel, SHADOW OF THE SUN, will be released in 2013. Living in Michigan, he is addicted to coffee, gummy things, and sarcastic comments. He enjoys bad movies and shivery nights, but doesn’t really like writing bios about himself in the third person. Be sure to visit David’s facebook and twitter to learn more about his various addictions and novels.

Filed under: David James, The Year of Ice, Uncategorized, Why YA?

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About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

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Comments

  1. YA is the best! I'll tell you why. Because we are willing to become something great, step out of our normal boundaries, and try something new. As adults, not as many people are so brave.

  2. For me, it's because we're not as tarnished by experience at that age as we are once we cross the threshold into adulthood. We're a little more fearless, in a sense, and make decisions without the benefit of understanding the consequences if things go awry. It's more fun to read and, for me, to write as well. Kind of ironic since I hated actually being a teenager!

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