The Big Problem.

Being a one-time educator, I've had more than the average person's exposure to teen-oriented books, or as they call it in the teaching world "YA Lit". I never really gave a lot of thought to it in the past, but recently I happened across a book that really struck me. I won't mention it by name, since I've already gushed about this book plenty, and I will give you the hint that it's got a movie adaptation due out on October 3rd. Now this book didn't just strike me because of the subject matter, but more because it is told from contrasting points of view; one male, one female.

I've realized that the books that are directed at teenage-ish women may quite possibly one of the worst things to happen to men all across the globe. I'm not just quibbling with the plot lines or even the way in which the books are written; I am aware that as you skew towards a younger audience, you have to make the books a bit more accessible to a much wider audience. Rather, I think the issue with these books, especially when paired with all the awful shows on TV about young love, is that they set expectations entirely too high for the average teenage male.

For those of you who have either forgotten or are in denial, teenage males tend to be the opposite of romantic. They are seldom suave, they get so-so marks on being caring all the time, even. How do I know this? Other than my work with them, I was one for years. In some ways, deep down, I still remain at least partially one. So as I read some of these books these days about high school aged males who are ridiculously romantic, have model-caliber good looks, and are cooler than I could ever hope to be even as I continue my steady trek onwards towards thirty, I can't help but scoff. I know, I know: this is fiction, and should be regarded as such. Still, the countless throngs of females who have been raised on a steady diet of these male characters. Once in a blue moon, you find the insensitive jock, or the geek who is just plain hopeless, but the most common male character to be found is the hot, usually musically inclined loner who happens to be wildly popular despite his outsider status, and that makes him more mysterious. For males, if they happen to read teen-oriented books (which they pretty much never do) usually encounter girls who just have to be plain-ass hot. They don't need to be compelling or mysterious. Fortunately, males usually know fairly well what kinds of girls they are able to attract, so they don't buy into the idea that they will someday find a girl "just like the one from that book", since they know whether or not they can before the even enter into conversations. For girls, the ideal guys pretty much don't exist, on the whole.

So, YA authors all over the world, heed my call: give your average, everyday high school male a chance. Make it okay to be more interested in sports from time to time. Write about lads with questionable musical talent and even more questionable tastes. Please remember, not everyone can own a muscle car or climb the highest mountain just to get to his lady love's door. So give those poor sods a break, and men for YEARS to come will thank you.