
Are the young adult novels of my youth gone? On the shelves of the public library where I work, this might just be the oldest YA novel on the shelf. And it's only from 2005. Still, it appears dated. Unlike most of the YA titles published since 2005, it is not dark or edgy in the vampire/ paranormal sort-of post Twilight way. The cover of the book has an actual painting on it, unlike the minimalist design on most YA books that come out from most major publishers in recent years. And even the back cover of Full Service is artfully designed to reflect the dreamy existential ending of the actual story (which I won’t give away here). There are so many books for teens these days where the cover is nothing but a photoshoped close up of a girl's face. And then a curlicued series of lines adorning a slapped on font. It's a real turn off to me, these type of covers. It seems to say that the publisher's don't really care about these books. That they are as disposable as an issue of Teen Vogue. Maybe it's just me getting old. But when I look for a book, I am looking for something with heart. The artwork on the cover of Full Service somehow spoke to me. And when I actually read the book, I wasn't disappointed. I'm glad I found it as it is sure to be discarded soon in order to make place for the latest post apocalyptic epic. Whatever.
Wait, Will Weaver did write a post-apocalyptic book taking place in 2008 (Memory Boy, 2003). And it is being reissued in paperback this year? Shoot. That blows my theories. Also, this was around the time S.E. Hinton wrote a vampire novel (Hawkes Harbor). I’ve also noticed that one of my favorite writer’s of teen thrillers from the 90’s, Christopher Pike, has turned to writing fantasy and vampire books. And his old books that are being reissued have just those types of covers I despise. Yuck! Maybe the world did come to an end.
Or maybe cover design and/or trends are not such a touchy subject to writers and publishers as they are to me. After all, the most famous coming-of-age story of all time, Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye, has been reprinted hundreds of time with the notorious blank cover. To quote a young Richard Hell, “I belong to a blank generation. I can take it or leave it each time.”
I suppose I can take it or leave it too. However, in my ideal world, amongst all the variety, I would like to see more realistic stories and books with well thought out painted covers for teens. But perhaps because they are so rare, and there are so many books being published, maybe it’s a good thing. It narrows down my choice. It makes the old stuff more relevant to me.
This is my own coming-of-age. My experience with young adult books. I liked to live in them as a way of holding on to my lost youth and of not growing up. And now that I am an adult, it’s no longer as personal. It’s more about remembering a lost art. It’s about having a love for a lost America. It’s more than nostalgia. It’s an appreciation for what has been lost and forgotten. Old books are like my Route 66. They have been trampled by superhighways. Someone has to remember what it was like before all the traffic. Like mom and pop restaurants. Like truck stops that were not chains. Something that spoke of real possibilities, not technological fantasies. Something that spoke of the American Dream. These are my discard treasures.