Reasons for Using and Teaching Contemporary Realistic Fiction

It is important for young adults to be exposed to books that reach and move them because, as Aronson notes (2001), “it can affect them as at no other age” (p. 81). Rather than looking for books that are contrived or didactic, young adults seem to be looking for novels that speak to them and about them in an honest and realistic way. These books will range on a continuum from lighthearted, even romantic, stories to more dark and disturbing examinations of the frustrations, events, and challenges of the real world in which contemporary adolescents live. Realistic characters are not always comfortable to know. As author Paul Zindel (2002) said about the protagonists he created, they are ornery, troubled, and “have an irksome itch. They always demanded a realistic story that was more than a comfortable grocery list” (p. 30).

There are many values of contemporary realistic fiction. Young adults can:

• Identify with characters who have similar interests and who must deal with similar problems.
• Realize that, while their problems and challenges are difficult, they are shared by other adolescents.
• Extend their horizons and broaden their interests.
• Better cope with grief, fear, and anger as they read about other young adults or characters who have dealt with adversity.

Aronson (2001) believes that good realistic fiction has the potential “to touch readers deeply so that, in the struggle with it, they begin to see and to shape themselves” (p. 119).