Young at Heart: How Young Adult Literature is Relevant for Therapy with Adult Clients

Approximately 72 percent of adults in the United States report reading at least one book per year, and the average American reads 12 to 14 books per year. Young adult literature is one of the most popular genres; many young adult series top the New York Times Bestseller List. Yet there is stigma about adults reading young adult literature. A controversial article by Ruth Graham stated that adults should be embarrassed about reading young adult literature, because the books are meant for teenagers and adults are too mature for the material.

However, just because books are written for teenagers does not mean that adults cannot and should not be reading them. In fact, between the many prominent themes in young adult literature and the many benefits of reading, adults can have meaningful experiences just from reading young adult literature.

What is Young Adult Literature (YA Lit)?

YA lit is considered a relatively new genre; the classification of young adult literature was first used in the 1960s. While currently no set “definition” of what counts as young adult literature has been established, there are several features that appear in almost all books classified in this genre. First, the main characters of the books are typically between the ages of 12 and 19. However, not all books with child and/or adolescent protagonists are considered YA Lit.

In traditional YA literature, the tone and voice of the narration focus more on what is happening in the moment rather than reflecting past events. Similarly, the themes are presented in a way that is consistent with the way adolescents think and feel. YA lit specifically takes the perspective of the adolescent characters, in fact, the narrative is written in ways representative of how teens think and talk. The last common feature of YA lit is that it’s typically written between a 7th and 12th grade reading level.

Despite the recency of the “official” establishment of the young adult literature genre, it has been becoming more and more popular over time. In fact, publishers and bookstores began trying to specifically distinguish young adult literature as its own type of books, choosing to market them directly toward teens in the early 2000s. As a result, the number of books published every year that are classified as YA lit has been growing rapidly. For example, approximately 4,700 YA books were published in 2002, while over 10,000 were published in 2012.

It is important to note that young adults are not the only demographic consuming young adult literature; nearly 70% of all YA titles are purchased by adults between the ages of 18 and 64. These books may be “designed” for teens, but a significant number of adults are reading them too.

Common Themes in YA Literature

The structure of young adult books allows authors to seamlessly incorporate a large amount of different themes into their narratives. Some of the most common include: race, culture, and ethnicity; sexuality and gender; and mental health issues.

Race, Culture, and Ethnicity

Many YA authors feature characters from a variety of cultural perspectives. Authors like Tamora Pierce and Rick Riordan feature diverse characters in their books. In particular, the main characters of Riordan’s Kane Chronicles series are biracial siblings with different skin colors. Readers see them frequently encounter people who do not believe that they are siblings because of their different skin colors.

Books written by authors who are ethnic and/or racial minorities give insight into the minority experience from the perspective of minorities. The autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis details the author’s experiences growing up in Iran and later Austria. Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl was written during the Holocaust by a teenage girl living through it.

Stereotyping, prejudice, and racism are prominent parts of society, and racial issues appear in YA literature. For instance, many books portray slavery. The book Trickster’s Choice actually explores slavery from a firsthand perspective, when Alianne, the main character, is sold into slavery after running away from home. While authors like Tamora Pierce clearly denounce slavery, in the Harry Potter series slavery is normalized. House elves are slaves to wizarding families. House elves’ slavery is viewed as normal in this universe, to the point where house elves are assumed to enjoy being slaves. One elf, Dobby, is considered “weird” for wanting freedom, and when Hermione advocates for house elves, she is derided and dismissed.

Many discussions about culture solely refer to cultural practices of different ethnic and/or racial groups; however, many populations feature unique cultural practices. Religions, social groups, and even different age generations have distinct cultural practices. Young adult literature often portrays different types of cultures and discrimination they face. Although it technically predates the establishment of the genre, The Outsiders is a great example of discrimination based on social class. The narrator, Ponyboy, his siblings, and his friends, are poor. They often face ridicule from the wealthier kids in their town. In fact, the main conflict of the book is a direct result of the tension between the poor “Greasers” and the wealthy “Socs.”

Fantasy and sci-fi literature often contain allegorical or metaphorical elements which provide opportunities to discuss sensitive subjects such as racism and discrimination in indirect ways. For instance, in Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter universe, the Shadowhunters are the dominant population, but relationships between Shadowhunters and other supernatural beings are incredibly tense. Because Shadowhunters are tasked with protecting the world from demons and other threats, the belief that they are superior to other supernatural beings and the “regular” humans is common. Before the events of the first book, the members of a group called The Circle routinely attacked and killed many other supernatural beings in order to assert Shadowhunter dominance. Racism and prejudice are clearly major themes in these books, but because the Shadowhunter universe is fictional, these minority groups do not exist in real life, making prejudice and hatred are more palatable to audiences.

Sexuality

The number of YA books with LGBTQ+ characters quadrupled between 2010 and 2015, and they address the good and bad experiences that an LGBTQ+ person can face. There are characters who struggle to accept themselves and come out, like Nico in Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series or Simon in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. While Simon vs. the Homo Sapien Agenda is told from Simon’s perspective, Nico is not one of the major characters in the Heroes of Olympus books. As such, readers learn of his sexuality as the other characters do. His sexual orientation and visible struggle to accept himself is first introduced in the book House of Hades, to the character Jason. Although Jason and Nico are not close, Jason supports Nico, promising not to out him.

When books are part of a larger series, readers often witness the characters grow and change. Nico starts scared that people will find out he’s gay and reject him; however, over the course of several books Nico comes out and gets a boyfriend.

Like works featuring different cultural experiences, young adult literature covers a spectrum of experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals. Not only do stories feature characters coming to terms with their sexuality/gender, readers see characters who have already come out. The Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series features the openly gender fluid character Alex. While Alex does struggle to be accepted by their peers, their gender identity is not the issue: many characters suspect Alex of being a spy for their father, Loki. By the end of the series, Alex is trusted, and even a romantic relationship with the main character, Magnus. After spending so much time with Alex, Magnus knows them so well that he is able to get a sense of whether Alex is feeling more masculine or more feminine on any given day and adjusts his use of pronouns accordingly.

Gender Roles and Norms

When The Secret of the Old Clock was published, readers were introduced to Nancy Drew, an incredibly intelligent 16-year-old girl who solves mysteries. However, despite the popularity of Nancy Drew, female characters in media have historically been portrayed badly.

The early 2000s saw the rise of young adult series with complex female protagonists who defy traditional gender roles and play crucial roles in society. Lyra, the main character of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, is a stubborn and deceitful 12-year-old girl. However, those qualities, which are almost universally known as negative, ultimately help her succeed. In the book The Golden Compass, she successfully deceives a supposedly untrickable armored bear. In addition to Lyra’s petulant personality she is the child of a prophecy, known as “Mother Eve,” and she saves the universe simply by falling in love and exploring her sexuality. Female sexuality, particularly in children and teens, is often highly stigmatized; however, Pullman (a male author) specifically features an adolescent girl developing as a sexual being in a positive way as the crux of the plot.

Mental Health

Young adult literature does not shy away from depicting horrific events. Many authors put their characters through trauma and depict the effects of that trauma. Readers see Katniss’ mental health decline throughout the Hunger Games books as she experiences multiple traumas. Similarly, while the show was considered incredibly controversial for its depictions of mental health, the book Thirteen Reasons Why demonstrates how Hannah’s experiences led to her suicide.

YA Lit and Therapy

Despite the frequent use of allegories and metaphors, literature mirrors life in many ways. People tend to find ways to identify with the characters in the books they read. From a therapeutic perspective, YA lit has been shown to have numerous benefits for adolescents. Particularly, books that explore themes such as identity can help people understand themselves better, especially when they highly relate to specific characters who are going through similar things as they are, which has a positive impact on identity development.

Most places define 18-year-olds as adults, and a key component of high school is determining what type of career an individual wishes to pursue. Adolescents are expected to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives when they are still trying to figure out their identity. Additionally, many school districts have taken classes like home economics and personal finance out of curricula, which leaves an unfortunate number of teenagers not learning how to do things like cook, do laundry, make a budget, or pay taxes. As a result, teens become adults who don’t know how to ‘be an adult.’

Many adults, particularly those in their 20s and even early 30s, subsequently feel like they should have their life figured out and then feel bad that they do not. The reality of society is that many adults struggling with the exact same issues as teens, and they have added pressure of feeling like they are supposed to have everything figured out in their lives, because they are adults.

Millennials, individuals born between 1981 and 1996 are normalizing and destigmatizing mental health struggles, potentially because of the high rates of mental health concerns they experience. As many as 49% of Millennials state having mental health issues. Additionally, approximately 12% of Millennials have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, compared to the approximately 6% of Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964).

One of the biggest advantages of Young Adult literature is the reading level at which it is written. Currently, the average American adult has about a 7th grade reading level. YA lit, then, is written at a level easily consumable. The narrative structure of Young Adult literature naturally enables a more relatable story. Readers follow the characters’ thoughts, feelings, and responses to the events of the story as they experience them. That sense of immediacy makes the impact of reading the book and the ability to relate to the characters stronger.

As counselors, it is important to keep up with therapeutic methods, but therapists also benefit from keeping up with trends in popular culture. Reading is such a popular hobby in the United States, and therapists should capitalize on opportunities to use YA books to engage with their adult clients in a meaningful way. From a theoretical perspective, both bibliotherapy and narrative therapy emphasize depersonalization in treatment. Clients are encouraged to recognize that they exist separately from their mental health struggles. By reading books about characters who go though the same things they go through, adults can potentially see their problems from an outside perspective, enabling them to gain insight that they hadn’t considered before. Furthermore, seeing characters grow and heal can be incredibly encouraging. It inherently promotes optimism and hope that they, too, can heal and grow.

Now more than ever, it is essential for therapists to capitalize on the popularity of young adult literature and use those narratives with adults. The many works I’ve mentioned are great starting points, but there are tens of thousands of young adult books, both fiction and non-fiction. No matter what issue a client is dealing with, there’s probably at least one YA book that features it. It’s just a matter of looking for the material and applying it in the best way possible.

Written By: Melissa Gomez-Erickson, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern

Melissa is a RMHCI with Casa Feliz Counseling and Aspire Health Partners who specializes in working with teens and adults, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community. Melissa frequently incorporates popular culture and media into her work with clients, including literature. Her knowledge of counseling and her background in education enable her to approach therapy from the perspective of using materials clients are already familiar with to aid in the therapeutic process.