Gossip, rumors, scandal

For this week’s YA lit assignment, I chose Gossip Girl a novel by Cecily von Ziegesar (as opposed to “created by”). If I had to attribute one word to describe this novel it would be GARBAGE. As Nisreen mentioned in her post, these types of books have no place in the classroom. Staci also brought up a strong point; these novels perpetuate the idea that in order to be socially accepted, young women must be rich, sexually active, partiers (drinking and drug using is a plus), two-faced, and morally corrupt.

Gossip Girl's theme sounds very similar to The It Girl—there isn’t one. This is a novel about two best friends (girls) who have a falling out, rumors, a love triangle, parties, parents who are more concerned with appearances than raising their children, high school outsiders, and an on-line journal that sums up the lives of these characters. As mentioned in other posts, these books are purely for entertainment purposes; that is, if you enjoy mindless smut.

So my questions is, why do my young, bright, and motivated young female students gobble up every word on the pages of these books? Why are these stories so entertaining for the younger population? What could they possibly be learning about the world, society, and/or themselves? I almost scared to know the answers.

Heather