Jo Shaffer, co-founder of Teen Author Bootcamp, has a novel! Georgia McBride's Month9Books debuts Jo's book Stanely & Hazel. This book is a shockingly gritty "histopian" that offers readers an honest look at our history, religious beliefs, and extremism through the eyes of two teens from different worlds who could have easily walked away when faced with an unspeakable crime.
Jo's book, is out this week. Please check out Stanely & Hazel. In addition to writing an essay about history and YA for Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday Blog, Jo will be participating in the 2018 Summit on the Teaching and Research of Young Adult Literature. She was also kind enough to answer some interview questions that will be posted at the bottom of the post. She will join a group of established and emerging authors who will be participating in the summit through conversations, reading, and presenting. You can find a list at this link. I am so excited about the opportunity to discuss the state of research around YA literature with such bright and engaging authors. Their contributions will add a great dimension to the conversations that academics, graduate students, teachers, and librarians are all ready bringing to the table.
Jo's book, is out this week. Please check out Stanely & Hazel. In addition to writing an essay about history and YA for Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday Blog, Jo will be participating in the 2018 Summit on the Teaching and Research of Young Adult Literature. She was also kind enough to answer some interview questions that will be posted at the bottom of the post. She will join a group of established and emerging authors who will be participating in the summit through conversations, reading, and presenting. You can find a list at this link. I am so excited about the opportunity to discuss the state of research around YA literature with such bright and engaging authors. Their contributions will add a great dimension to the conversations that academics, graduate students, teachers, and librarians are all ready bringing to the table.
 Click on the image to get the book! |  The image links to her webpage. |
Take it Away Jo.
| In the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, after a vicious attack on a student that involves legends about the founding of the school, the kids at Hogwarts are suddenly interested in history. Normally, they fall asleep to the droning of boring facts and dates by the ghost teacher, Professor Binns. He is surprised and annoyed when the kids pepper him with questions that don’t involve a mathematical recitation of the facts. His quick dismissal of their interest sends the kids back into their academic stupor. As someone who loves history, I’ve always been struck by this scene. The students’ interest in history is related to the sudden relevance of it to their present. The teacher missed an opportunity to use the storytelling power of history. History is more than facts and dates. It's the story of us in all of our beautiful and terrible reality. It contains the power to educate, to make us feel, and to meditate on the human condition. |  |
Our current culture is obsessed with what is new, hot and “on trend”. With the many distractions of popular culture, and our relative freedom and affluence, it’s easy to disregard the lessons of the past. We seem to forget that consequences exist for every attitude, social movement, or action we choose. We need reminders. Literature has played an important role in exploring the past as well as the future. Writers and storytellers should be students of history if they really want to engage their readers. And unlike Professor Binns: make history relevant to readers.
For the YA writer, this can be easier said than done. Dystopian novels are a way to use history to engage YA readers. Books like Hunger Games and Divergent often read like “future history” books warning us of what could happen. They aren’t t just fantasies of an impossible future, but rather reflect actual philosophies and movements that have led to the tyranny and horrifying travesties of the past. They serve as cautionary tales for rising generations and show us where our good and bad intentions can take us. Racism, sexism, classism, fascism and xenophobia have emerged in every culture and society throughout history. Ironically, often these things are born of society’s efforts to fix inequality and eliminate pain and suffering until the solutions take on a sinister life of their own.
For the YA writer, this can be easier said than done. Dystopian novels are a way to use history to engage YA readers. Books like Hunger Games and Divergent often read like “future history” books warning us of what could happen. They aren’t t just fantasies of an impossible future, but rather reflect actual philosophies and movements that have led to the tyranny and horrifying travesties of the past. They serve as cautionary tales for rising generations and show us where our good and bad intentions can take us. Racism, sexism, classism, fascism and xenophobia have emerged in every culture and society throughout history. Ironically, often these things are born of society’s efforts to fix inequality and eliminate pain and suffering until the solutions take on a sinister life of their own.
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Imaginary futures are deeply rooted in the past. We look back on history and wonder how atrocities like the Holocaust could even happen in a civilized society. We wrongly think they are disturbing flukes of the past and not things we would ever allow. But to avoid repeating history we need to understand how things start. People don’t just throw fellow citizens into gas chambers at the slightest provocation. It starts small. Little prejudices, being suspicious of differences, small intolerances, demonizing, unkind thoughts and words. Bias throws gas on the fire through stereotyping, mocking and eventually full on character assassination of an entire people. The parallels to our current cultural situation are obvious.
Dystopian novels can be, sometimes unconsciously, dismissed as “fantasy.” But, novels set in actual history where real events took place, can invite YA readers to contemplate human history and meditate on Winston Churchill’s words, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Dystopian novels can be, sometimes unconsciously, dismissed as “fantasy.” But, novels set in actual history where real events took place, can invite YA readers to contemplate human history and meditate on Winston Churchill’s words, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
| As I developed the setting, for my YA novel, Stanley and Hazel, I wanted to really delve into this idea. One of the most alarming books I’ve read is Edwin Black’s War Against the Weak. Everyone knows about the horror of Nazi Germany and Hitler’s gas chambers, but many people don’t realize they had their origins on American soil. Black shows in devastating historical detail how Eugenics and the forced sterilization of over 50,000 Americans would eventually become the monster of the Holocaust. Even more disturbing, is that this point of view was shared by The United States Supreme Court, presidents, civic leaders and sadly, even some religious clergy. Eugenics sought to cleanse America of all people deemed “unfit”, “moronic” or undesirable. The rhetoric of the current rise of white supremacy and the alt-right echoes the past too closely for my comfort. I knew I had to put this into the book. History, even if fictionalized, can show us the patterns and thinking errors that lead to injustice and terror. But, at the same time, no one, especially teen readers, want to be preached at while they are trying to enjoy a novel. Story comes first, history lessons second. It’s important to do research, but to only share what is relevant to the story. There is no need to be obvious. The reader, even if young, is not stupid. |  |
My house has been grand central station for teenagers and troubled youth. Many have lived with me for periods of time. They have taught me to treat them as people first, and teenagers second. Teens are not dumb. They are open to thoughts and feelings that adults may have shut out long ago. YA books can be fun and entertaining, but not all stories need to be rolled in rainbow sprinkles. Much of what is being written for young adults these days, deal with the heavy issues that they face every day. Realities like drugs, sex, depression and abuse. They can handle it. They have to because it is relevant to the world they live in. We owe them honesty about our history and can trust them to wrestle with the complexities. Even more, we owe them literature that can prompt these questions and be ready for the conversations.
Read the Interview Below!
Until next week. Remember, join the Summit come be #VegasStrong and #YACritical
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