The young adult genre revolutionized literature. Now, it’s hard to think of a time before YA books dominated bestseller lists and bookstores. The genre was born in the 1960s and has since grown from a handful of books to an internationally known genre read by all ages.
The year was 1967, and the literary world was forever changed by the publishing of S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. Commonly considered one of the first young adult novels, The Outsiders told a new story about the harsh realities of the time. Hinton herself commented on how crucial the contemporary novel is for teenagers in The New York Times Book Review back in 1967, stating,
This philosophy set the tone for the 1970s. Known as the first golden age of young adult literature, the 1970s and 1980s saw the publishing of iconic novels like The Chocolate War and The Baby-Sitters Club. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is often considered one of the most influential books in YA literature because of its dark themes and lack of a happy ending. Instead of trivial novels that were unrealistic, authors were writing about real issues the teenagers of the time were facing. The genre grew immensely during this time when teens could see themselves and their struggles in the characters on the page.
However, the young adult genre hit a lull in the early 1990s. As fewer books were being published, YA’s future was uncertain. Despite this, well-known novels such as The Giver, The Vampire Diaries, and Goosebumps still came out of this time. As the late 1990s approached, a new rise in demand for young adult novels saw the publication of modern classics like The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
The turn of the century brought in a new golden age of YA books. Many popular fiction novels like The Book Thief and The Fault in Our Stars were published in the 2000s. However, it was paranormal and dystopian novels that dominated bookshelves. Book series like Twilight and The Hunger Games became household names. A young adult novel or book series could now become more than an award-winning bestseller—it could become a franchise. Books were becoming movies and TV shows left and right, some garnering extreme success (The Princess Diaries, The Hunger Games, The Vampire Diaries, Twilight, and more).
From the 2010s until now, YA literature has continued to flourish. With an increasing focus on telling and promoting diverse stories, YA is becoming a space where every teen can recognize themselves in a character. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas was arguably the most impactful book of the 2010s. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, Thomas wrote a powerful and heartbreaking novel about the harsh truths of racism. On the opposite end of the genre, fantasy books like Throne of Glass paved the way for countless book series that focus on young, strong women conquering fantasy worlds. Young adult literature is continuing to expand as authors from all backgrounds and cultures write contemporary and fantasy novels about the teenage experience, whether the teenager is a high school student struggling with midterms or an assassin fighting against an oppressive magical kingdom.
Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review Lead Writer
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