The elephant in the library

    Violence and the injuries resulting from violence are the leading cause of death among all young people between the ages of 5 and 19. (Cart, 2010) Risky behavior has always been a hallmark of the adolescent years, and 21st-century tweens and teens are no less likely than preceding generations to indulge in drinking, reckless driving, unprotected sex and other behaviors that put them in harms way. But the question inevitably arises - does the increased exposure to violence, real or imagined, in the world around them put today's young adults and pre-teens in more danger of acting out in violent fashion? 

    Researchers have been studying the effects of media violence on tweens and teens since the 1950s, and the connection between media violence and real-world violent behavior has been almost universally confirmed. Certainly it seems reasonable that the constant repetition of violence found in media and video games must at the very least desensitize the observer. So, if this is the case, is there any real reason to give shelf space to books that feature violent themes?          Author Michael Cart maintains that there is, because the printed word can give its readers something that no movie, television show or video game can - the experience of empathy and sympathy. (Cart, 2010) Bullying, cyberbullying, and the different ways in which teens and tweens respond to them have all been the focus of some truly remarkable books in recent years, and even teen suicide - that "permanent solution to a temporary situation" - long a forbidden topic in YA literature because authors, publishers and others feared triggering a copycat effect - is being treated with empathy and understanding in recent years. Cart concludes that the strongest argument for writing - and shelving- YA books that deal with even the darkest experiences of adolescence is that, by doing so, we may shed light on the darkness and share experience, strength and hope.

References:

Cart, M. (2010, May). A literature of risk. American Libraries, 41(5), 32 - 35.