“Not everybody wants to read about vampires and dystopia,”
October 9, 2014 11:18 AM   Subscribe

To Lure Young Readers, Nonfiction Writers Sanitize and Simplify: [New York Times]
"Inspired by the booming market for young adult novels, a growing number of biographers and historians are retrofitting their works to make them palatable for younger readers."
posted by Fizz (24 comments total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
Is Hemingwayification like gentrification for books?
posted by oceanjesse at 11:22 AM on October 9, 2014


ADULT: "In a press interview five years later, Mary Hemingway admitted that her husband had committed suicide."
CHILDREN: "In a press interview five years later, Mary Hemingway admitted that her husband had committed suicide manual self-removal."
posted by Fizz at 11:24 AM on October 9, 2014 [1 favorite]


Honestly, there are probably many adult readers who would rather read the sanitized version of the truth, too. The only hate mail I received after the publication of my first book was from someone who read it and learned that one of her favorite authors had committed suicide. She told me I should be ashamed of myself. I'm still shaking my head on that one.
posted by mynameisluka at 11:35 AM on October 9, 2014 [4 favorites]


The only hate mail I received after the publication of my first book was from someone who read it and learned that one of her favorite authors had committed suicide.

Were you writing about LM Montgomery? There are some fans who get very upset when someone suggests her life was not as happy as the lives of the characters in her books.
posted by betweenthebars at 11:57 AM on October 9, 2014


I thought the problem was that kids these days weren't reading. So, how are they exercising such censorial control over the market?
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 12:04 PM on October 9, 2014 [1 favorite]


That sounds both ethically bad and like a fundamental misunderstanding of the market.
posted by Artw at 12:15 PM on October 9, 2014 [3 favorites]


There is a dearth of narrative non-fiction for the elementary school market, I have discovered by having an enthusiastic child reader who likes fiction, but DEVOURS non-fiction. He doesn't just want to read "here's a bunch of random facts about trains arranged in a nearly-picture-book-format," which is what a lot of elementary-level non-fiction is; he wants to read a STORY about the development of trains, but full of facts and information. He is delighted to read "Your Inner Fish" with an adult, but it's too tough for a solo read -- the sentences are pretty complex, the vocabulary is difficult, the chapters are long. Children's non-fiction tends towards "textbook" or "encyclopedia" approaches to a topic; it's really hard to find narrative non-fiction for young independent readers outside of biography.

I'm not really sold on "youth editions" for teenaged readers, but it really is difficult to find stand-out (or ANY!) narrative non-fiction for elementary-school kids. I am 100% positive I could get my kid reading a 100-page version of "Salt."
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 12:16 PM on October 9, 2014 [8 favorites]


I find it irritating that the author of the article seems to use 'children's book' and 'young adult book' interchangeably.

So when she was writing a new edition aimed at young adults, she left that scene out.
“I know that if I were 12 and reading it, that would upset me,” Ms. Hillenbrand said.

Journalist says young adult, author says 12.

Again, towards the end:
But she still saw a need for a dedicated children’s book two years ago after hearing regularly from teachers, librarians and parents who wanted a simpler version of the story ...... Ms. Hillenbrand spent about a year writing the young adult version of “Unbroken” herself, cutting the story in half.

I think the simplifications the article is talking about are fairly okay if the books are being aimed at readers under 13, while they would be quite unnecessary for an actual young adult readership who are 16+.
posted by Azara at 12:22 PM on October 9, 2014 [2 favorites]


Dingdingding, betweenthebars! If anything, I think her work is even MORE tremendous given her deep unhappiness. It kind of reinforces how difficult it must have been to uphold that public/literary image and suffer from such deep depression, doesn't it?
posted by mynameisluka at 12:49 PM on October 9, 2014


> it really is difficult to find stand-out (or ANY!) narrative non-fiction for elementary-school kids

Absolutely. My kids can read beyond their grade levels, but as far as content goes they prefer to read stuff aimed at people their age. Anything that increases the number of good, not-too-disturbing, not-too-much-kissing books is A-OK with me.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:54 PM on October 9, 2014


> how are they exercising such censorial control over the market

This is about simplified versions of already published books. The government is not coming to take your copy of The Giver and replace it with an edition without the baby and the syringe and oh my God why, why....
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:56 PM on October 9, 2014 [1 favorite]


Honestly, there are probably many adult readers who would rather read the sanitized version of the truth, too.

I would not be at all surprised to find out that there's a market for nonfiction gentle reads.
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:21 PM on October 9, 2014 [4 favorites]


like a fundamental misunderstanding of the market

Seriously. Several of the most successful young adult franchises are set in authoritarian hellscapes where children are forced to fight for their survival. And if that's not your thing, I hear there's this really popular book about teens with cancer...
posted by evidenceofabsence at 1:54 PM on October 9, 2014 [4 favorites]


I can recall setting books aside as a young adult when I found they were abridged or modified. I can remember the horror of finding out that my edition of Count of Monte Cristo was cut almost in half because I was in middle school.

Even then as a pre-teen/teenager I knew that what was being done was not right and felt wrong. I immediately went to the library and found an unabridged copy.
posted by Fizz at 2:13 PM on October 9, 2014 [7 favorites]


Young Adult novels are now for adults almost exclusively, based on my non-scientific observations.
posted by basicchannel at 2:58 PM on October 9, 2014


Well, I have a 10 year old reader who loves nonfiction (ok, largely war stories) and it's true, there aren't many non-fantasy books for his reading level. Like Eyebrows McGee, we tried Your Inner Fish, but it's too complex right now. If we could kid versions of that, 1491, and the Jefferson bio, he'd be happy for weeks.

But I agree that actual young adults should be reading the adult books, not something simplified.
posted by Measured Out my Life in Coffeespoons at 4:43 PM on October 9, 2014 [1 favorite]


Young Adult novels are now for adults almost exclusively, based on my non-scientific observations.

Adults are reading them, but definitely not exclusively. Think of stuff like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games and tell me you can't find younger fans.

it's really hard to find narrative non-fiction for young independent readers outside of biography.


I remember reading a series of biographies about historical figures when I was a kid, really liked them. I like my non-fiction more narrative even today, though even as a kid I expected the whole truth in a narrative even if it's upsetting.

(Upsetting fiction is what I hate.)
posted by Drinky Die at 6:27 PM on October 9, 2014


Measured Out my Life in Coffeespoons: "If we could kid versions of that, 1491, and the Jefferson bio, he'd be happy for weeks."

I can make your wish come true at least as regards 1491 for kids!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:30 PM on October 9, 2014


Isn't part of this a chronological and reading-age conflict? Like, it's pretty common to have two twelve-year olds with the same emotional maturity who have different reading abilities. I could read complex books but couldn't understand them with depth and some of my kids have the reverse issue, understanding that outstrips reading skills and vocabulary. So you end up needing four versions of: Complex/Simple Ideas+Complex/Simple Language.
posted by viggorlijah at 7:28 PM on October 9, 2014 [2 favorites]


Also THANK YOU for gentle reads! That's a larger group than cozy mysteries which is exactly what I reach for when I'm sick. There are a bunch of my favourite comfort reads on this list already, it's so great to have a search term I can use to get more of them.
posted by viggorlijah at 7:29 PM on October 9, 2014 [1 favorite]


I think nonfiction for kids and teens is expanding due to common core calling for more informational texts. If you're looking for good reads, try looking at Sibert Medal winners and YALSA's nonfiction award list!
posted by wsquared at 8:49 PM on October 9, 2014


I'm a little unclear on why this is regarded as something new. It's been a common thing since at least the early 19th century.
posted by lodurr at 5:28 AM on October 10, 2014


Indeed lodurr, it's where we get the word bowdlerisation after Thomas Bowdler, who released a family friendly Shakespeare where Ophelia merely drowns accidentally, because ambiguity is confusing. A contemporary of Bowdler rewrote Kimg Lear to give it a happy ending.

I recently took my 11 year old sister to see 'Bringing up the Bodies' - based on Mantel's novel about Henry VIII. My education had a similar sanitisation and simplification regarding the Tudors, so the now obvious motivations of sex and power were a surprise. I'm glad she saw the adult play rather than the books-for-kids she had read. The play breaks out different motivations, rationalisations, and narratives - and suggests we can't simplify. Non-fiction often has to explain that we miss things by simplification - I think teens can grasp that?
posted by eyeofthetiger at 4:22 AM on October 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


Only the last couple of books of Harry Potter are properly in YA territory - for the most part it's straight up children's fiction, or I guess "middle reader".
posted by Artw at 6:45 AM on October 11, 2014


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