The Reality of Fiction

One of the things I love most about young adult literature is its unending vastness--authors possess limitless options within the category of YA, and can pretty much write truly wherever the pen leads. While I enjoy the upswell of dystopian literature--The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Divergent--and also the wholly-imagined worlds offered by Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, and Sarah Rees Brennan, I must say my heart lies with those stories and authors which relate realism at its core, particularly contemporary realism.

Here's a list (w/cool pictures):

John Green

David Levithan

Carrie Mesrobian

A.S. King

C. Desir

Andrew Smith

Sara Zarr

Steve Brezenoff

John Corey Whaley

Bill Konigsberg

Jim Grimsley (Dream Boy)

Martin Wilson (What They Always Tell Us)

Jason Reynolds

Matt de la Pena

Jacqueline Woodson

Ellen Hopkins

Shaun David Hutchinson 

Laurie Halse Anderson

Chris Crutcher

Lauren Myracle (Shine)

Gayle Forman

Brent Hartinger

Despite the "bounds" of reality, each and every one of these authors has broken severe "rules" of craft, process, and structure of traditional American novel storytelling methods to provide their readers with the most intense, powerful, beautiful, haunting, intelligent, compelling narratives. These authors care about their characters, their words, their readers in a life-altering manner, spinning tales and imagining realities both existing and aspirational. Without them, not only would my stories be destitute, my own writing voice bereft, but also my personal life's journey shrift and malnourished. 

I love what I love. Unapologetically.