I'm about halfway through Little Brother and there's one thing that's been standing out to me most strongly. This is admittedly mostly unrelated to science fiction, but just as a literary tool, I think it's important and needs to be discussed.
How does everyone else feel about young adult fiction?
For anyone unfamiliar, young adult fiction is fiction written for and aimed towards adolescents and teenagers. I think most people can admit that the intention there doesn't always translate directly towards the actual market base, since over half of YA novels are purchased and read by adults over the age of 18, but you get the point.
My question about YA novels is one of perspective. Naturally, a publishing base composed entirely of adolescents aged 14 to 18 writing the entirety of this genre just isn't a reality. It's largely written by older adults. The first exposure that I had to this was James Patterson's "Maximum Ride" series. It's about these kids, ranging from (I think) ages seven to seventeen, who were genetically modified at a young age to have great feathery wings attached to their backs, with a hodgepodge of other gifts and abilities. The only problem that I really had with the series is that I was acutely aware of the fact that Max, the main character, was a fifteen year old girl that was really being written by a fifty year old man.
And that's kind of where I am with Marcus. While I've only heard EXCELLENT things about Cory Doctorow and this is in no way a slight to his writing, I think Marcus might be TOO convincing of a teenager. He does all of the things teenagers do, to be certain, what with being a computer whiz, listening to music, etc. But in spite of all this, I think he still comes across as unbelievable with his knowledge about the seedier parts of this city, how often he mentions his love for coffee, his unrelenting snark, etc.
Admittedly, there are all different kinds of teenagers and maybe there is just a suspension of disbelief that I'm not making here. Maybe it's because I am the most computer-illiterate person I know and all of this seems like too much for a teenager to wrap his head around. Maybe all of this is just a side-effect of the setting being in the not-too-distant future. What are everyone else's thought?
I agree with you in the sense that Marcus is almost too convincing of a teenager, especially in the snarky sense. When he was being detained and he still wouldn't give away his passwords and had a smart-elic attitude, I got an unrealistic impression. I can not imagine any teenager being in that situation and still acting that much "like a teenager." In my perspective, teenagers are still immature, and if they were faced with this serious of consequences, I can't imagine any teenager behaving in this way.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the extent of Marcus' behavior when fist encountering the DHS was atypical for a teenager, especially considering the recent bombing, his concern for Darryl, and other relatively recent events. Most teens in that situation would be more worried about going home and figuring out what was happening instead of protecting their phones.
ReplyDeleteI actually completely buy Marcus as a realistic teenager, if only because he is exactly like my older brother. Thrown into Marcus's situation, Jack would absolutely continue to be snarky and uncooperative to the point of seriously getting himself in trouble - and he was even worse about this between 16 and 18, when he was trying to take adulthood by force.
ReplyDeleteI don't know Maureen, if I had some illegal software and was probably going to be held in jail anyway. I would probably still be calling for my lawyer despite what Johnstone said. Of course, that's me now after having had a business law course. Me as a teenager probably would've spilled my guts immediately or bargained for information on my friend and family. So I guess I still agree with you, Marcus's behavior there was too much like a teenager or it would be more believable if he were at least college age.
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