BoingBoing and YA.

Over at BoingBoing (obviously):

Living in a space that no one watches too closely is one of the secret ways that people get to do excellent stuff. Science fiction's status for decades as a pariah genre meant that writers could do things with literary style, theme, and political content that their mainstream counterparts could never get away with (games, comics, early hip-hop, mashups, and many of the other back laneways of popular culture have also enjoyed this status). These days, a lot of the coolest stuff in the universe is happening in the kids' section of your bookstore (and yes, I'm aware of the irony of calling attention to a field that has prospered because it wasn't receiving too much attention to blossom).

It's worth reading down through the comments, both to see what books are recommended and to see what people have to say about shopping in the YA section -- it's really too bad that so many people are embarrassed to be seen there.  Whenever I'm in a bookstore, I make a beeline for it.

It made me wonder:  Back in the day, did people feel embarrassed browsing the sci-fi (or other genre fiction) shelves?  For that matter, do they still?

[Later:  Related (well, sort of) article at PW.]

(first link via Colleen)

Comments

[Tom]

I was an addicted science fiction reader in the 70's. (I abandoned the genre when it became too much fantasy and not enough science.) But, yes, there was a certain amount of embarrassment to be seen in the SF section of the book store.

[Gwenda]

I have to say that I'm dismayed at how often I hear people say things like, "Usually, I don't read/like/sully myself with fantasy or science fiction, but this is good."

[your neighborhood librarian]

"Back in the day, did people feel embarrassed browsing the sci-fi (or other genre fiction) shelves?"

God yes. The lurid colors, the spiky title fonts, the space babe popping out of her skin-tight jumpsuit - I only bought sci-fi at secondhand shops for YEARS.

Thanks for the pointer to that BoingBoing post - interesting discussion.

[Leila]

Gwenda, replace "fantasy or science fiction" with YA lit, and I'm there. I've heard people recommend both Octavian Nothing and The Book Thief that way.

Makes me CRAZY.

[Wonderer]

It helps to have a degree in Reading. I can always just say this and get away with any genre.
Well, except romance, that genre would be too embarrassing to actually ever read ;-)

[Leila]

I used to say that (about romance), but then I got addicted to regency romances. And maybe the urban fantasy romances, but I'm not quite ready to admit that one yet.