What I Read to Spark the feels:
Most Likely to Succeed By: Jennifer Echols
For this week's Friday Feels, I wanted to bring up the idea of high school in teen fiction and YA. Recently I've been reading a few teen fiction books that take place in, no surprise, high school surroundings. High school experiences tend to get clumped up to the same cliche - you've got the cliques, popular kids versus the loner, the introvert or the ones that don't fit in. I always get thinking after reading these types of books, that teens who are reading them must be getting a very skewed idea of high school. I can't help but think that they walk away from these books thinking, high school needs to be this certain way. High school is the part of your life where you define yourself, the end all and be all, that you must find this while you're there for four years. Is it possible for someone to experience a not drama-ridden high school experience? For lack of better words, a 'boring' high school experience and still have a great time?
My parting thoughts on this topic is, I guess I see high school as a pressure that is fuelled by a false expectation and want to know if it's necessary.
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I can definitely relate to this!
ReplyDeleteI've read a lot of books set in American high schools, and I have to wonder, are they really all like that?
I also felt pressure to "find out who I am" at high school, but I never really did, and honestly, I still don't know. I had a lot of expectations about how high school would be, but not many of them actually happened.
You could not have explained it any better than you just did! I went through high school very confused. I had an idea of what it could be like from all the reading but reality was so different. I grew up in a suburb outside of Toronto Canada and the school system varied from that of the American high school I guess. I would love to hear what an american teen who went to an American high school has to say about this topic!
ReplyDeleteBeing out of high school now - third year University - I think I got to know myself better in the last year than ever in high school. So I hope wherever you are in your life you never really lose the drive to keep finding yourself - don't let those high school pressures keep you from doing anything!
Much Thanks for joining in on TT&T ♥
Wow, this is a REALLY great point! My high school was absolutely nothing like the cliched high schools of YA. Everyone just liked each other, for the most part. Sure, there were closer groups, and more popular groups, but no one was really ever mean, and everyone just coexisted very nicely. I can honestly say that high school was one of the most positive experiences of my life.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I am sure some experiences aren't as wonderful, and that these difficult situations DO happen, but it definitely isn't the ONLY experience! Fabulous post idea, I think this is so, so important!
Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight
That is amazing to hear! You're high school experience really makes me think about whether or not it's healthy to promote YA stories that exude this high school 'stereotype'.
DeleteI guess I'm always going to wondering about the high school life of any teen anywhere around the world. Good & Bad! It's such a crucial milestone is a lot of our lives and everyone has their take on it. Thank you for the love & stopping by to share your thoughts! ;)