Reflection: What I Read in High School

Hello, my readers!

This past week in class, we all had to write a paper on what influenced us as young adults.  We then went around the room and shared a little bit of ourselves with the class so we could all get to know each other better.  It sounds kind of weird, I know, but it was actually a really important exercise.

What was so great about it was remembering my own experiences and then learning about everyone else's.  What was I reading from ages 12 to 18?  Why was I reading that sort of thing?  It was a lot of manga, a lot of fantasy, and a fair amount of romance.  I was also starting to dabble into horror, devouring Stephen King and R.L. Stine like there was no tomorrow.

But the big one for me was Francesca Lia Block and the Weetzie Bat book series.  I loved those books.  I still love those books.  Block's writing style is so beautiful.  If you've never read her before, I highly recommend you do so at some point.  She writes both young adult and adult fiction, and her prose is like poetry in motion.

So I wrote my paper on that.  As I wrote my paper, I realized how big of an impact Block really had on me as a young teen.  I was lonely and I felt lost, and when I discovered the character of Witch Baby in Weetzie Bat, I suddenly felt not so alone.  That's why I read so much as a teen.  I didn't want to feel alone.

Remembering this experience I had really helped get me in the mindset for this class.  Why are teens reading what they are?  How does reading help them relate to their feelings and their world?  How can I understand and relate to my future students through this medium?

These are questions I want to consider and use as I go through this course.

Hearing everyone else's experiences with reading was great as well.  We have a really eclectic class with a wide range of reading experience and preference: horror, sci-fi, fantasy, real world stuff, poetry, and crossover to name just a few.  I believe this means that discussions are going to be incredibly interesting because everyone else will be looking at the read material differently and finding different things to discuss.

What do you think?  What did you read as a young adult and how did that tie in with where you were as you grew?

Meaghan