This article published in Quartz magazine talks about how Catcher in the Rye, now widely taught in High Schools, was initially banned (among other books) for being “anti-white” and “obscene.” It’s interesting to consider the role played by such censorship in making these novels more appealing to Young Adults- despite not having been targeted at that audience to begin with. Something about such literature being banned adds to the idea that adolescent voices are misunderstood or even suppressed, perhaps making their treatment in society even more a statement for young adults than their content.
Many of the books we read (and even the YA lit that we don’t read) does seem to follow this theme. Although seventeenth summer may not seem as obscene today, it was very controversial in its time, and as the beginning of adolescent literature, it is appropriate that it too was mired in controversy. A lot of Young Adult literature has been either largely controversial, or absolutely revolutionary. Perhaps YA lit HAS to be met with such misunderstanding in society, just as its audience is.
Reading Young Adult Literature 