One link.

[nenena]

rachelmanija has a very interesting post and discussion about toxic tropes regarding disabilities in YA fiction.

It's depressing how many of these books have won and continue to win awards, too. :(

Comments

[popcorn42.livejournal.com]

That's just.. do the people celebrating those books think there's some deeper meaning in it? (I don't think they teach any lessons; or if they do, any positive ones.) I will admit though, I laughed at this: "A boy befriends a man whose face is scarred. Then the boy is emotionally scarred when the man makes a pass at him."

It's so lolwut?

[furikku.livejournal.com]

It is vitally important that we let kids know that life sucks. They are incapable of figuring this out on their own.

[lost-angelwings.livejournal.com]

that's rly disturbing >_<;;; and creepy... I had no idea this was a whole genre :\ (cuz i never read any YA books as a kid :\ ) and it's just AUGH >_<;;

i suspect that these books winning awards encourages more authors to write such books (or go even more distilled with those tropes) to win awards and be recognized >:| and that "awful things happening (esp to marginalized groups that we should pity but not respect in any way)" makes a story more "mature" and "intelligent" and "complex" and etc etc RAWR >:|