YA Timeline

  http://www.epicreads.com/blog/the-age-of-ya-a-timeline-of-historical-fiction

I think historical fiction should complement the social studies curriculum, as the books bring characters to life who were alive during the time that is being studied. It's similar to having a primary source, albeit a fictional one. I think ELA and SS teachers should collaborate to bring historical fiction books and the SS curriculum together. I know it would have helped me understand more about history and what the people were like during that time. My interest is piqued more by personal experiences and human interactions than what can seem more like isolated facts with no context. I'm sure there are many students who feel the same way. 

The notes at the bottom of the list caught my attention, especially the sentence that stated the majority of the books on the list were published after 2005.  I find it a little odd that the creators of the list would not fill each decade with books as I'm guessing many more books exist. The 1890s, 1940, and 1980s were the three most popular decades on the list and I would say most historical fiction books that I have read are set in the 1940s as the Holocaust and WWII were such monumental events in recent history. I was a teenager in the 1980s so it struck me as funny that this decade is popular, especially when compared to the 1940s. It also makes me feel very old! I am not sure what was so compelling about the 1890s and the books on the list look to be more like fantasy than historical fiction. 

When reading over the list I noticed that women were featured on the covers of almost every book on the list. It would seem the "lesser" sex is actually more interesting! Surprise, surprise! Kidding aside, I think women play such important roles throughout history and I feel that their underdog status makes their stories more appealing. 

It wasn't until recently that I realized historical fiction is my favorite genre. Previously, I had always contended that I did not have a favorite. Perhaps, it is because historical fiction seems to hide within realistic fiction. For me, historical fiction has helped me understand on a deeper level the events that have taken place in history. I find it has also opened the door to me reading more nonfiction and memoirs. I believe access to many interesting historical fiction titles would bolster its popularity with students. 

Holden Caulfield— I. Can't. Even.

 

Holden Caulfield, from The Catcher In The Rye, is the most annoying character in fiction.

It’s like Caillou grew up to be a teenage boy attending an uppity prep school in the Northeast. No one thought Caillou could get any more whiny and annoying, but he did. The book follows Holden as he's on holiday from his prep school in Pennsylvania and journeys to New York City where he bounces around from person to person telling the reader how horrible and annoying everyone else is. After several chance encounters with various interesting, yet annoying people, he reconnects with a girl he’s dated before, a girl he describes with disgust and describes as being a phony. They go out on the town, only he acts like a creepo, ranting about the ills of society and then suddenly asking her to run away with him. Only that’s her cue to run away “from him” and naturally, he thinks she’s the problem. Later he hires a prostitute who arrives at his hotel room assuming she’s there for sex when he just wants to talk. He doesn’t understand what her problem is and ends up getting in a dust-up with her pimp, who ends up punching Holden in the groin—I was totally rooting for the pimp at this point. I remember this being the part of the story when I looked up and questioned my life choices. The Catcher In The Rye was not the book for me. I think it is the first book I ever quit reading. I eventually could not continue with Holden, so I ran away like his date did. 

I initially chose to read the book because I wanted to read a teen classic. The character of Holden Caulfield is well known in literary circles as the quintessential rebellious teen and he is always described as being depressed. Though I am not a psychiatrist, I would not give him that diagnosis. Holden is just an incredibly difficult person to be around. I'll throw out "oppositional defiant disorder" and if critics agree they should update their diagnosis. 

Despite my disdain for the book, a part of me still wants to know what happened in the end. An ever-present dramatic cloud over the story is that when Holden left his prep school for a school holiday he was failing his classes and his parents did not know about his academic woes. His parents are always MIA in the book. Perhaps they moved and left no forwarding address for Holden. That seems like an appropriate end to the story.