I was pitching with Literary Agent Laura Zats (who asked for the first 50 pages) about growing up in 80's and 90's. We talked about how there wasn't a lot of books when we were teens that really hit hard on topics that we were facing. Everything was just kind of sugarcoated and never really got to the meat of the problem. I mean, I grew up in a time when television was Full House and Family Matters. Sure, the actors on the shows dealt with issues, but it all worked out for them in the end. Where were the shows and books that showed the reality of the consequences of what happens when things don't go as planned? Did D.J. Tanner get raped at a party or beat up in the girl's locker room? Nope, I can't recall that.
So this got me thinking about the books that I grew up with...here are just a few of them:
So this got me thinking about the books that I grew up with...here are just a few of them:
Too Young to Die- Lurlene McDaniel- 1989
I loved reading Lurlene McDaniel books as a child. I would sit in my room and cry and cry over these poor girls who were dying of some form of cancer. All you wanted was for them to live forever with their hunky boyfriend who they met while in the hospital....but in reality, most of the boys I knew growing up would have been splitsville as soon as they heard I was sick. I mean, who wants to be around someone attached to tubes all the time and might not even make it?
Goosebumps- R.L. Stine- 1997
What's there to say about Goosebumps? We all know we've read them, so don't try and deny it. This was my whole 6th grade year. I wanted to read all of them! That was the cool thing to do! Here's a funny story, our school library was actually broken into once and you know what they took? All of the Goosebumps books! Can you believe that? Anyways, the biggest problems these kids had to deal with were monster hamsters, alien teachers, and killer gnomes. You didn't see drugs, alcohol, or peer pressure in these babies!
The Babysitters Club- Ann M. Martin- 1995
What do you think about that cover? It was like each character was famous and had to have their pictures plastered on every cover. I think the bandanna print is pretty cool too. I have to admit that I really wasn't a fan of these books growing up, but my friends were. At this age I was looking more for fantasy type books and I was tired of reading about the same girls who only faced issues like what to wear to the dance or whether some boy liked them. How could I ever babysit three impossible kids at the same time? I'm sorry, but every time I babysat the kids in my neighborhood, I never had the adventures and problems they did. I usually put them in front of the television and talked to my friends on the phone.
Chain Letter- Christopher Pike- 1986
I came across Christopher Pike novels when I was in middle school. In 8th grade my mom finally said I was old enough and mature enough to read his books. Finally, kids with issues...well, sorta. See the issues that Pike characters faced were serial killers, football players possessed by monsters, and witches. At least they were closer to the age group that had self-doubt and peer pressure. They weren't the picture perfect characters that you saw in earlier novels. I never had the problem of ghosts or aliens, but they were still interesting to read and I felt a little more grown up when I read them.
These are just a few of the books I grew up with that didn't really paint the picture of what my life was like growing up as a teenager in the 90's. I wish there had been more books written about body issues, drugs, and sexual harassment. Maybe I wouldn't have felt so much like a freak show. It would have been nice to know that I wasn't the only one out there...
What books do you remember growing up?
What books do you remember growing up?