Model of YA Lit. Choices Running Head: MODEL OF YA LIT.

CHOICES

Model of External and Internal Influences of Young Adult (YA) Literature Choices Megan Bannen, Adrienne Clevenger, Denise Hartley, and Alison Wilkins Emporia State University

Model of YA Lit. Choices Abstract This paper explains the model that illustrates the influences that affect young adults choices of

books for recreational reading. The model contends that the primary motivation in a young adults choice in reading materials is the need to belong. The sources used in creating this model were published articles, empirical studies, and an interview with a young adult librarian. The conclusion of this model states that the need for belonging creates two types of influences on teenagers literature choices: internal and external. External influences include friends and peers, marketing, social networking, and the media. Internal influences include the desires to see an authentic reflection of oneself and ones experiences or to find a means of escape in literature.

Model of YA Lit. Choices Model of External and Internal Influences of Young Adult (YA) Literature Choices Todays young adult population, which can be defined as adolescents ages 12-18, has its own literary needs which are independent from those of children or adults. As information professionals, it is important that we understand the needs and desires of these young patrons in order to better serve their information needs. Over the past decade, the young adult literature

market has exploded (Koss & Teale, 2009). Not since the 1970s has there been such a demand for books written for teens. This explosion applies to all teen genres including mystery, manga and graphic novels, fiction, and even non-fiction. The wide variety of Young Adult literature makes it an inclusive medium which appeals to a teenagers burgeoning sense of belonging to a larger society. Our model illustrates that this need to belong creates the external and internal influences that drive the young adults choice in recreational reading material. The Model

Figure 1.1 YA Literature Choice Model

As can be seen in Figure 1.1, the model explaining the

Model of YA Lit. Choices way that young adults choose their recreational reading materials is reciprocal in nature. The primary influence in the young adults decision-making process is the need for belonging. This need then drives the external and internal influences that affect the young adult not only in his or her literature selection but in everyday life as well. After the influences have taken hold of the young reader, the reader is then able to make his or her decision concerning what literature to check out or buy. The Need for Belonging

Research on adolescent brain development reveals that teenagers rely on the amygdala, the emotional center of the brain, for making decisions and viewing the world rather than the frontal lobe which processes emotional information through the lens of ration (Feinstein, 2008). In teenagers, the frontal lobe has not fully developed, leaving them to grapple with their environment using a part of the brain designed to help make snap decisions regarding personal survival. This helps explain the draw that pulls young adults towards certain books. In their search for recreational reading, young adults often choose books and stories that appeal to their emotions. Sheryl Feinstein (2008) reasons that young adult literature has the potential to help the adolescent mind grow and develop: Reading emotionally intense books like Black and White (Viking, 2005/VOYA June 2005) by Paul Volponi or J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye (Little, Brown, 1951) helps to validate their lives and feelings, assuring them that they are normal (2009) Given the emotionality of teens behaviors and mental processes, this validation becomes therapeutic, especially for those facing very real, very intense issues. The main driving force behind a teenagers selection of reading material is the psychoemotional need for belonging so prevalent during the teenage years. Belonging to a group forms a

Model of YA Lit. Choices basis for relating ones emergent self to ones social surroundings; therefore, the belief that one does not belong to a group leads to feelings of isolation and alienation which in turn affect ones sense of self (Newman & Newman, 2001). Stum and Michel (2009) cite Gisela Konopkas 1973 statement that explains that adolescence is characterized by audacity and insecurity, loneliness, psychological vulnerability, mood swings, peer group need, and the need to be argumentative and emotional. Young adults deal with these feelings of loneliness, isolation, and need for belonging on a daily basis. Their decisions are influenced by these feelings whether it is in a search to alleviate these feelings or to find someone else who is in the same situation. Barbara and Philip Newman (2001) argue that

[a]s a young person prepares to engage in the larger social world, a positive sense of group identity provides confidence that he/she is meaningfully connected to society, has a cognitive map of the characteristics of the social landscape, and skills/tools to navigate the terrain. Perceiving oneself as a competent member of a group or groups is fundamental to ones self-concept as well as to ones willingness to participate in and contribute to society. (p. 521) By seeking out reading sources that either reflect a teens socio-emotional circumstance or provide an escape from those circumstances, teens can foster in themselves a sense of belonging to the community that is represented in their literature choices. External Influences As has been stated previously, the need for belonging is the main driving force behind young adults literature selections. However, this need influences external and internal factors that more directly affect the teenage reader. External influences include anything outside an individual that sways their opinion toward or against materials. This encompasses broad categories including;

Model of YA Lit. Choices marketing, word of mouth, and the media.

When looking at the young adult demographic, certain themes emerge. Among them is the teen impact on the market. With increasingly liquid incomes, teens now have a spending power which makes them a legitimate target for publishers. According to Murray Milner (2004), most of their income, as well as allowances from their parents, go for consumer commodities and services (p. 158). Marketers are careful include themes that teens enjoy and craft materials that meet teen demands. Goodnow (2007) states that market surveys and collaborative projects even allow for teen input into the materials created for their demographic. This provides teenage readers with a place in the busy world of marketing and sales. Publishers use many different advertising devises to promote materials. Stores are given posters, end cap designs, and mountains of the book to be pushed. Book cover art draws the teen consumer in and are almost as important as the material within. The popular blog called Twilight Rules by Zaira (2009), provides lots of discussion for young readers who wish to discuss the Twilight Saga covers. This blog shows the interest teens have in the appearance of and the symbolism in book covers. Diana Tixier Herald (1997) claims, the appearance of a book is far more important to teens than to any other group (p.4). By targeting teens, marketers are helping give the young readers the feeling of belonging that they desire. The marketing campaigns that are targeted at them give teens a place in the modern market place. Teens respond to this effective marketing and participate in this world that has been conveniently been centered on them. Another important part of the external factors that affect young adults book choices is the media. The media plays a tremendous role in young adult book promotion and sales. Media includes mediums such as television, newspaper, magazines, radio, movies, and Internet sources. There is a recent surge of books adapted to film. Parsons (2008) cited the work of Elayne Rapping,

Model of YA Lit. Choices a pop culture specialist, who said that books are extremely important in drawing people to movies, especially teenagers, and it often works the other way around too (p. 1). Twilight, Lord

of the Rings, and Harry Potter are obvious examples of this phenomenon. Another newer example of movies promoting books is the resurgence of Sweet Valley High via screenwriter Diablo Cody (Chernikoff, 2009). By putting books into movies or even television shows, the media is introducing young adults to books and is directly influencing their knowledge of what books there are to choose to read. Television and radio targeting teens promote popular trends in reading materials. Some stations even allow for purchase of the books through their websites. MTV, for example, is currently selling Stephanie Meyers books and artist biographies like Shania Twain and Taylor Swift on their website (http://shop.mtv.com/?v=mtv_stuff_books). This gives teenagers another place to purchase books from other than traditional sources such as libraries or bookstores. MTV has a great influence on what is cool, and by selling books, they are directly showing teenagers what books are popular. When a teenager picks a book from MTV.com, they are making an effort, albeit subconsciously, to take part in what is popular and to find a place in the popular culture to belong. Even popular music is used to promote young adult literature to teenagers. Movies that are based on books often have soundtracks created by well-known artists. According to Music News Net (2009), Twilights New Moon soundtrack, which was created for the film New Moon which is based off the popular second installment in the Twilight Saga, has gone platinum with popular artists such as Death Cab for Cutie, Muse, Thom Yorke, and the Killers contributing. Wizard Rock, a genre whose bands music is inspired by the Harry Potter series, makes reference to the popular series in every song. According to the website Wizrocklopedia.com, at its most basic

Model of YA Lit. Choices

level, wizard rock celebrates and promotes literacy. These bands encourage their listeners to read in exchange for band memorabilia. According to the website (2009), Many bands recommend books in their blogs or on their websites, and the motto of [the band] The Remus Lupins is, Fight Evil, Read Books. Despite the importance of marketing and media in the external influences that affect young adults recreational reading choices, the most influential external influence on a teenage reader is word of mouth. Word of mouth is probably the largest way that teen literature becomes popular. With the advent of the Internet and the popularity of social networking programs like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, online reviews, and blogs, teens are able to share more materials with each other and marketers are able to access more teens. Many teens follow Twitter updates for their favorite authors. Amazon (Amazon.com, 2009) provides a Young Adult discussion board with many discussions centered on book recommendations. Topics like Book suggestions for a 16 year old who likes teen and adult books, Any Good Books? and New Book Recommendations! abound on this discussion board. This discussion board and others like it are examples of teenage readers looking to other teens for recommendations. This search for a book also helps satisfy their search for a feeling of belonging. By joining in on a discussion, teens are becoming a part of a community. MySpace and Facebook offer users the opportunity to join communities and groups to discuss their interests. Applications organize entered books into a virtual library under categories such as already read, and want to read, and offers a space for the user to make comments and submit ratings of books. We have found that a cursory search of Facebook shows that there are over 500 groups devoted to books. Using the keyword books to do a group search brings up a group devoted to teen literature with over fourteen thousand members. One classical literature

Model of YA Lit. Choices group numbers over nine thousand members. The relative youth that the users of these websites possess confirm that social networking is a major influence in young readers lives.

The Internet allows socialization to occur outside the boundaries of traditional face-to-face interactions. However, other forms of communication are still very effective and popular as means of sharing. The need to belong to a larger society and social networking has never changed for teens, only the mediums through which the need is fulfilled have evolved. All of these external influences that affect a teenagers choice in recreational reading are, of course, driven by the teenage readers need to belong in larger society. They are susceptible to marketing because it shows what is widely popular and what is up and coming. Likewise, it is the media that drives the popularity of certain books by highlighting popular trends. By purchasing reading materials that are made popular through marketing and media, young adults are finding a way to belong in larger society by taking part in pop cultures most popular reading materials. Word of mouth is the external influence that most satisfies a teenagers need to belong. By reading what is recommended by their peers and trusted adults on social networking sites and other forums, the young reader is finding a sense of belonging in a society of friends, peers, and adults whom they trust. Internal Influences We have discussed the various external components that influence a teens choice in recreational reading. These external influences, while critical to a teens decision process, are superficial and are only related to the content of a book, if at all, in an ancillary manner. What is it, then, about the content of a particular book that appeals to young adults? What kinds of books do teens actively seek out and why? These questions deal with internal influences on reading selections. Internal influences, for the purpose of this paper, are behavioral, emotional aspects

Model of YA Lit. Choices 10 specific to teens which relate to and interact with that which they are reading. These internal influences draw young adult readers to specific types of content based on their behavioral and emotional needs, particularly in terms of belongingness. It can be posited, then that young adults seek out reading material that is relevant and meaningful to them, that has the potential for providing characters with whom teens can identify, role models to which they can aspire, and new ideas, people, and places are planed on their radar screen (Feinstein, 2009, p.123). In the search for belonging, young adults often gravitate toward literature containing concepts that reflect and, therefore, help them articulate their own needs, desires, circumstances, and concerns. Linda Bowman (personal communication October 26, 2009), Young Adult Associate at the West Wyandotte Public Library in Kansas City, Kansas, asserts that [teens] will read the book because it speaks to them. The appeal is that they do feel all alone with whatever they are struggling with. It may not be true that they are alone but theres much to be said in encountering one other person who has a friend who has started taking drugs or a mom thats trying to do everything on her own. Fictional characters are people too! When a teen encounters a character or situation in his/her reading that is an authentic representation of his/her own experience, the effect can be validating or possibly therapeutic. If Bowmans assertion that characters are people is correct, then this relationship between adolescents and the content of their reading has the potential to lessen their sense of isolation while promoting a healthier sense of their place within the larger society. You are not alone, the book seems to say to them. The sense of belonging fostered by relating to the content of young adult literature can be particularly validating for teens who may otherwise feel marginalized or alienated. In a book club

Model of YA Lit. Choices 11 observed by researcher Sally Smith (1997), for example, an African-American girl talks about her relationship to the character Pauli in Jacqueline Woodsons Maison at Blue Hill, discussing her own experiences being labeled as an Oreo. At the same time, another girl in the book club who is shy and reserved comes to terms with her fathers death while discussing The Friends by Rosa Guy. Similarly, the burgeoning publication of young adult books dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning content offers a window of opportunity for many teens to see their struggles or the struggles of people close to them honestly depicted in the literature they read (Manfredi, 2009). Angie Manfredi (2009) suggests that [t]he ability to relate personally and directly with narratives can have a profound impact on these teenagers (p. 30). Books that allow teens an avenue of escape from daily life, often found in the guise of genre fictionfantasy, science fiction, romancemay superficially lead one to believe that such reading choices may actually generate feelings of isolation rather than belongingness. However, a closer examination of literary escapism reveals that exposing teens to such literature fosters a healthy sense of belongingness, particularly for young adults who may be struggling in their search to find a place in society. M. Will Chase (2008) states that as teens experience extraordinary circumstances vicariously through the characters in escapist novels, [t]he brave mentalities of their favorite characters become a part of their own mindsets, and for one night they feel at ease with the real world and whatever problems they're facing as mere humans (p.17). The popularity of series such as Harry Potter, Twilight, and Cirque du Freak lend credence to this idea. Joan F. Kaywell (2006) contends that making such books available to teens give[s] them a constructive way to survive the crisis, find hope, and know that they are not alone (p. 311). An examination of internal influences on young adult literature choices reveals that teens

Model of YA Lit. Choices 12 crave both an authentic reflection of their own experiences and the ability to escape the self or to explore experiences far outside of themselves. According to Brian Sturm and Karin Michel (2009), teens want the familiarity to help them feel they are not alone (despite what peers or society might tell them), and they want the novelty to broaden their horizons and to play with future possibilities (pg. 41). Thus, young adult literature becomes a powerful tool for teens as they grapple with their evolving definition of self within the context of a larger society. Conclusion Adolescents are in the process of developing a sense of self as a part of larger society. The search to satisfy this need to belong permeates everything they do, including searching for reading material. Belonging manifests itself into external and internal influences that affect the young readers choice in books. As information professionals, we must be aware that the desire to belong is the driving force behind young adults recreational reading choices, and we must provide teen readers with reading materials that are authentic and relevant to their socio-emotional needs.

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Model of YA Lit. Choices 13 Wands. Young Adult Library Services, 6(14), 17-18. Retrieved October 23, 2009, from Emporia State University, Wilson OmniFile Full Text, Mega Edition: http://0-vnweb. hwwilsonweb.com.www.whitelib.emporia.edu Chernikoff, Leah. (2009, September 23). Diablo Cody to pen Sweet Valley High movie; film will be based on beloved teen novels. New York Daily News. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2009/09/23/200909/23_diablo_cody_to_pen_sweet_valley_high_movie_film_will_be_based_on_beloved_t een_no.html Feinstein, Sheryl. (June 2008). The Teenage Brain: Under Construction. Voice of Youth Advocates, 31(2), 122-123. Retrieved October 24, 2009, from Emporia State University, Wilson OmniFile Full Text, Mega Edition: http://0vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.www. whitelib.emporia.edu Goodnow, Cecelia. (2007, March 7). Teens buying books at fasted rate in decades; New golden age of young adult literature declared. Seattle Pi, Books. Retrieved October, 23, 2009, from http://www.seattlepi.com/books/306531_teenlit08.html Herald, Diana Tixier. (1997). Teen genreflecting. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. Kaywell, Joan F. (October 2006). Theres Hope in a Book: Saving Our Students with Literature and Laughter. Voice of Youth Advocates. 29(4), 311-315. Retrieved October 24, 2009, from Wilson OmniFile Full Text, Mega Edition: http://0vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.www. whitelib.emporia.edu Koss, M., & Teale, W. (2009). Whats Happening in YA Literature? Trends in Books for Adolescents. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 52(7), 563-572. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from EBSCOhost: http://search.ebscohost.com

Model of YA Lit. Choices 14 Manfredi, Angie. (Summer 2009). Accept the Universal Freak Show. Young Adult Library Services. 7(4), 26-31. Retrieved October 23, 2009, from Wilson OmniFile Full Text, Mega Edition: http://0vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.www.whitelib.emporia.edu Milner, Murry, Jr. (2004) Freaks, geeks, and cool kids. New York: Taylor and Francis Group. MTV Books-MTV Stuff: Featured Products. Retrieved October 24, 2009 from htt://shop.mtv. com/?v=mtv_stuff_books Music News Net. (2009, September 23). Twilight Saga: New Moon SoundtrackMuse, Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers, Grizzly Bear & More. Retrieved November 1, 2009 from http://www.musicnewsnet.com/2009/09/twilight-saga-new-moon-soundtrack-news released-.html Newman, Barbara M., & Newman, Philip R. (October 2001). Group identity and alienation: giving the we its due. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 30(5), 515-538. Retrieved October 23, 2009 from Wilson OmniFile Full Text, Mega Edition: http://0vnweb. hwwilsonweb.com.www.whitelib.emporia.edu Parsons, Claudia. (2008, November 21). Twilight publisher sees film boosting books sales. Reuters. Retrieved November 9, 2009 from http://www.reuters.com/article/ entertainmentNews/idUSTRE4AK03620081121 Smith, Sally A. (1997, March). Book Club is Da Bomb: Early Adolescent Girls Engage with Texts, Transactions, and Talk. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Sturm, Brian W., & Michel, Karin. (2009). The Structure of Power in Young Adult Problem Novels. Young Adult Library Services. 7(2), 39-47. Retrieved October 23, 2009 from Wilson OmniFile Full Text, Mega Edition: http://0vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.www.

Model of YA Lit. Choices 15 whitelib.emporia.edu Wizardrocklopedia. The history of wizard rock. Retrieved November 7, 2009. http:// wizrocklopedia.com/the-history-of-wizard-rock/ Zaira. (2009, January 12). Twilight Cover Meanings. Twilight Rules! Retrieved October 25, 2009 from http://www.twilightrules.com/2009/01/12/twilight-cover-meanings/commentpage-1/