I realize that what I am about to say will evoke some strong reactions from many women I am acquainted with. However, with the Twilight movie and the surrounding craze, I have a few words to say.
By writing this post, I do have to admit that I have read these books. I plead guilty. However, when every. single. one. of my female students (and some boys, oddly enough) have been reading the books, I thought, “Hm. There might be something to this.” I try to read some adolescent literature to know what kids are reading so I can recommend (or not, in this case) and to keep my feelers out there. I will admit that these books are entertaining. Unfortunately, I take issue with Twilight for the following reasons:
1. How would you feel if you true love was a vampire? Doesn’t that advertising line just make you feel gross?
2. The Twilight series was written with the adolescent in mind. Bear in mind that the term adolescent means 12 – 18. But, if 12 year olds are doing it, so are 10 year olds. The first book, Twilight, was innocent enough. Whatever. A girl falls in love with a vampire. Ridiculous, but who cares? The last of the four books, Breaking Dawn, completely oversteps its bounds as a book for adolescents. Honeymoon: lingerie? Edward breaking the bed? Feathers from the pillows everywhere? Post-honeymoon: an overwhelming desire to be in your bedroom every second of the day?
How are adolescents supposed to understand that? As a teacher of young adolescents, to whom this book is targeted and the age group in which the craze has gotten crazy, I can tell you that they do not understand. They do not understand the physicality of sex, much less the emotions of it, and this book introduces it too early and in an unhealthy way.
Furthermore, the author of this book is a member of my faith, a faith which honors virtue and tries to preserve innocence. I am disappointed that she would include complex issues like that in a book meant to entertain twelve year olds.
3. This issue is related to the last. Adolescents are not very good at separating fact and fiction. Meeting the love of your life, the most perfect being on this earth, will usually not happen in high school. And he won’t be able to run with you on your back, watch you sleep all night long, sneak into your bedroom by climbing up the side of your house, be able to protect your from oncoming cars, drive an Aston-Martin, or want you because of the smell of your blood. Obviously, they understand vampires don’t exist, but the improbability of the love story and the perfection of the love is what concerns me.
4. Cut to the chase already. My goodness. That last book was 600 pages too long. One, or some, or all of the books made the American Library Association’s Top 10 list. The writing is just not good enough for that.
5. The craze surrounding Twilight is almost too much to bear. I saw a brief interview with the guy playing Edward in the movie. He told the interview that a screaming young girl yelled over and over to him, “You have to bite me! Please bite me!” What? Today some 6th grade girls (age 11) came running over to me, “Edward or Jacob?”
I think my tirade is over. Might I suggest some very good adolescent literature (that I think adults can appreciate, too)?
- The Book Thief -Markus Zuzak (innovative, intriguing, important)
- Walk Two Moons -Sharon Creech (just a good read)
- Stargirl –Jerry Spinelli (a girl being her own person)
- The Outsiders –S.E. Hinton (classic that gets better all the time)
- Cheaper by the Dozen –Frank Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (really, truly hilarious)
By writing this post, I do have to admit that I have read these books. I plead guilty. However, when every. single. one. of my female students (and some boys, oddly enough) have been reading the books, I thought, “Hm. There might be something to this.” I try to read some adolescent literature to know what kids are reading so I can recommend (or not, in this case) and to keep my feelers out there. I will admit that these books are entertaining. Unfortunately, I take issue with Twilight for the following reasons:
1. How would you feel if you true love was a vampire? Doesn’t that advertising line just make you feel gross?
2. The Twilight series was written with the adolescent in mind. Bear in mind that the term adolescent means 12 – 18. But, if 12 year olds are doing it, so are 10 year olds. The first book, Twilight, was innocent enough. Whatever. A girl falls in love with a vampire. Ridiculous, but who cares? The last of the four books, Breaking Dawn, completely oversteps its bounds as a book for adolescents. Honeymoon: lingerie? Edward breaking the bed? Feathers from the pillows everywhere? Post-honeymoon: an overwhelming desire to be in your bedroom every second of the day?
How are adolescents supposed to understand that? As a teacher of young adolescents, to whom this book is targeted and the age group in which the craze has gotten crazy, I can tell you that they do not understand. They do not understand the physicality of sex, much less the emotions of it, and this book introduces it too early and in an unhealthy way.
Furthermore, the author of this book is a member of my faith, a faith which honors virtue and tries to preserve innocence. I am disappointed that she would include complex issues like that in a book meant to entertain twelve year olds.
3. This issue is related to the last. Adolescents are not very good at separating fact and fiction. Meeting the love of your life, the most perfect being on this earth, will usually not happen in high school. And he won’t be able to run with you on your back, watch you sleep all night long, sneak into your bedroom by climbing up the side of your house, be able to protect your from oncoming cars, drive an Aston-Martin, or want you because of the smell of your blood. Obviously, they understand vampires don’t exist, but the improbability of the love story and the perfection of the love is what concerns me.
4. Cut to the chase already. My goodness. That last book was 600 pages too long. One, or some, or all of the books made the American Library Association’s Top 10 list. The writing is just not good enough for that.
5. The craze surrounding Twilight is almost too much to bear. I saw a brief interview with the guy playing Edward in the movie. He told the interview that a screaming young girl yelled over and over to him, “You have to bite me! Please bite me!” What? Today some 6th grade girls (age 11) came running over to me, “Edward or Jacob?”
I think my tirade is over. Might I suggest some very good adolescent literature (that I think adults can appreciate, too)?
- The Book Thief -Markus Zuzak (innovative, intriguing, important)
- Walk Two Moons -Sharon Creech (just a good read)
- Stargirl –Jerry Spinelli (a girl being her own person)
- The Outsiders –S.E. Hinton (classic that gets better all the time)
- Cheaper by the Dozen –Frank Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (really, truly hilarious)
13 comments:
I truly appreciate your opinion - this craze is much too crazy for such a poorly written series. And the inappropriate story line for book four was so surprising/ disappointing to me!
I've been trying to check out The Book Thief for the longest time. Thanks for the other recommendations as well.
I love your book recommendations, Lissa. I haven't read Twilight, and I think I can safely say I never will, but I appreciate hearing your opinions all the same. The Book Thief, The Outsiders, and Walk Two Moons are some of my all time favorite adolescent lit books.
Ha ha--I had to laugh when I read your post. I am out of the adolescent scene right now, but I know plenty of grown women whose obsession with these books borders on unhealthy (adults going to a Twilight party and then the midnight showing? Please.) I found the books entertaining but totally inappropriate for anyone under 15. I am wondering (and hoping the haven't) whether my little nieces have read them all . . .
Finally - it's like someone is actually telling the world that the emperor has no clothes.
My sister had similar feelings (she's in YW in her ward). I'll pass on your book selections to her. Maybe she can help the girls move on. Eeek.
four more reasons for me never to read them...
Totally agree with you! The books were poorly written and the romance was so over the top.
I totally agree with the fact that these books should not be in the adolescent category. I was sort of disappointed with the author for writing Book 4 the way she did as well. And, I loved the Book Thief. Such a great read.
I am one of the few people I know that have not read these books. My boss was telling me that they wont their 12 year old daughter read these books because of the reasons you posted and the daughter has gone as far as telling her parents that they are trying to ruin her life. This craze is just plain crazy.
Hey, I agree almost 100%. I actually didn't get past the first book for the reasons you didn't like the later books. That is, even in the first, she was getting into lingerie with Edward over and would have gone all the way if Edward had been willing. That really, really bothered me to see in an LDS author. The point to differ, however--she didn't write with anyone in mind. She just wrote. That's the way many new authors are--they write and the publisher tells them who they wrote to by how they will market the books. But, to your point, her characters are teenagers, which still goes to all of your points--she shouldn't be depicting teens in such a way.
I totally agree with most of this. But I find them addictive anyway. And I'm embarrassed by that.
What I did want to say is, did you read Love, Stargirl? Sequel to Stargirl and I actually liked it quite a bit more than Stargirl.
i haven't read them, but i agree with a lot of what you said based on what i've heard and talked about with my fellow women. glad someone agrees!
Amen. Hallelujah. Don't know if I even spelled that right, but I do know a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad book when I read one (or 3).
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