YA Saves

If you were on Twitter this Saturday, you likely read the AMAZING tweets tagged #YAsaves.

It all started with a Wall Street Journal article (not even sure if I should call it an article…those usually require research). If you missed it, you can read it here. I’m not wasting time or words on what was said. Instead, I will tell you about the outcome, which consisted of actual YA readers coming together once again to stick up for the books they love, sharing stories about how YA changed and saved their lives. Made me proud to be an author.

I was one of the many people directly impacted by YA. YA gave me the courage and motivation to write YA, to move forward with the publishing process, and to be where I'm today. It is because of YA that I now do what I love, and in the process, I made some amazing friends and continue to meet amazing people everyday!

You cannot deny that because of YA books, dark or not, more teens have been reading. Okay, I will just say it… paranormal books had and continue to have a great impact on teen literacy. More teens are reading, and more parents are reading the same types of book… creating an environment where teens feel more comfortable talking to their parents.

Have you ever heard or read this quote: "Smart people learn from their mistakes, wise people learn from the mistakes of others." — George Lagogianes

Teens are learning by reading those stories! Fiction or non-fiction, YA novels help people dealing with their own reality. Teens read about a character’s ‘dark’ experience, and either learn how to deal with their own or learn how to help a friend that may be in that situation... They learn that they are not alone.

YA novels help teens in dealing with potentially bad situations; it helps teens (and adults) make friends… I mean, look at the community of readers that come together everyday because of YA books!

It all comes down to this: reading inspires, motivates, keeps teens out of trouble, helps them deal with their own problems, to cope… YA SAVES!

Thank you, @libbabray and @maureenjohnson for starting #YAsaves.

Tweet