A ‘marketplace phenomenon’ of the twentieth century, a ‘bright spot’ in an otherwise fluctuating literature market and an integral part of the lives of many teens, Young Adult literature is a ‘powerhouse’ in the publishing community, as well as in schools and homes, reaching out to both non-readers and readers alike. Not necessarily a mirror to the world, Young Adult literature is an experience, a form of living—A way of sharing lives together, of communicating sorrows and joys and most importantly, providing a voice for the youth, sometimes skeptical while at other times upbeat.
YA literature remains a strong draw as it touches readers in very real ways. It offers a landscape in which teens relate to the characters, situations, challenges of puberty, bullying, young love, self-esteem, and coming-of-age. However, the YA novel’s primary subtext is usually about identity construction. Young adults are constructing their sense of self and the books they read may be a part of that process. Since young adult literature exerts a powerful influence over its readers at a particularly malleable time in their identity formation, we ought to approach YA literature with the same careful scrutiny, even if it is written about and to young adults rather than by them.
Young Adult Fiction: Issues and Trends, is a humble effort to probe the genre of Young Adult Fiction, its dimensions, and its ever-changing and unique components. The anthology presents a collection of fifteen essays examining current issues and trends in YA fiction like realistic fiction, romance/sexuality, dystopian fiction, and mixed genre fiction. Hence, it will undoubtedly prove valuable to the students, researchers and scholars of English Literature.
A gold medallist from Patna University, Bihar, has Dr. Sunita Sinha, been teaching as an Associate Professor in English in Women’s College, Samastipur, L.N. Mithila University, Bihar. She has to her credit twenty-three books which have been highly acclaimed in academic circles. Her authorial ventures are: Graham Greene: A Study of His Major Novels, Post-Colonial Women Writers: New Perspectives, Twentieth Century Literature: Emerging Trends and Rethinking Gender: Masculinity, Femininity and Queerity in Postcolonial Indian Fiction, which have been published by the Atlantic Publishers & Distributors [P] Ltd. New Delhi. Her edited books are: New Urges in Post-Colonial Literature: Widening Horizons, Reconceiving Post colonialism: Visions and Revisions, Postcolonial Imaginings: Fissions and Fusions, Critical Responses to Kiran Desai, New Perspectives in British Literature, Vol. 1 & 2 Indian Booker Prize Winners: A Critical Study of their Works, Vol. 1 & 2 Modern Literary Theory, Vol. 1 & 2, Canons of Children’s Literature, Vol. 1 & 2 Shakespeare: A Reappraisal, Vol. 1 & 2, Critical Essays on D.H. Lawrence: In Honour of Dr. R.K. Sinha, Indian Women Writing in English: A Feminist Study Feminism in Literature: Musings and Aesthetics, Feminist Approaches to Literature: Vistas and Perspectives and Exploring Feminism: Essence and Ethos. Sunita Sinha has participated in many national and international seminars and conferences and has written many scholarly papers which have been published in various national & international books and journals. Her areas of interest are Postcolonial literature, Gender Studies, Indian, Australian and Canadian literature. Currently, she is editing three international journals, The Atlantic Review of Feminist Studies, The Atlantic Literary Review, and The Atlantic Critical Review. She is also the Honorary Editor/Director for Bihar, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors [P] Ltd.
