Tervel Andrews

YOUNG ADULT NOVELS (AND OTHER THINGS YOU LOOK DOWN ON)

At what age do you become too old to read a young adult novel? I know people scoff heavily at the idea of reading them, even in their teens, when they are the target demographic, but honestly, I've never seen this magical cutoff point when you become too old for a form of media. As long as it appeals to you in some way, what difference does it make? I'm all for growing the fuck up and taking responsibility for your own life, but I don't get how that somehow means that cartoons and lighthearted reading are beneath you once you meet a certain age. A woman who just happens to have been molested as a child and just happens to like the Harry Potter series is not exhibiting signs of regression in order to deal with childhood trauma. Or not necessarily. She might be. But she may also just like the writing, the story, the subject matter. Maybe the part of her subconscious that is drawn to a book series about a teen wizard is really just the part of her that appreciates the themes of responsibility on a deeper level and admires the way they're introduced to their target audience through metaphors they can easily connect to and carry into adulthood. Maybe the 25 year-old artist who watches cartoons for hours a day has an indescribable creative process that you, in your infinite stuffiness just can't understand, because who's really wired exactly like someone else?

Besides, you spent so much time trying to be a grown up in every way that you drove yourself to neurosis and paranoia. You need to loosen up. Everyone says so behind your back.