YA Literature and Culture in Latin America

 

Adolescence is often looked at as an invented concept or a privilege of the developed world. Taking that into account, I have been curious about adolescence itself and how it exists in other countries. When I studied in Uruguay, I met teens and young adults whose reading interests included YA, but this meant that most of their reading material was in English and came from the United States. Since many people study and teach children's and YA literature of Canada, Britain, Australia, and Europe, I would love to look at YA literature in Latin American nations.

Emerging Adulthood and New Adult

 

I have read a lot about the proposed "New Adult" category as a go-between for books that aren't quite YA but not the average grownup book. While I don't think labels are the answer, I think it is worth noting that college-aged people might be more interested in reading if there were more books that spoke to their lifestyles, their needs, and their world. Considering also the developmental psychology position of emerging adulthood and the idea (talked about much in children's literature scholarship) that adolescence is a invented time of life, I would love to look at the intersections between these ideas and compare coming of age novels published for YAs and those published for adults.