I have added other books to the list of books for this group. Although I did not write them and was not influenced by them, I felt that they were important enough to discuss in how they relate to my book.
In the first professional review of my book, I was compared to J.D. Salinger. While I will be finishing "The Catcher in the Rye" in the next few days, I am already starting to see why I was compared to him. I think there are thematic elements and a writing style that are similar.
I have also added the "Twilight" series to the book discussions. I think it is important to discuss my book and its themes of love and sexual desire in relation to another book with the same themes.
I have always felt that I do not belong to a generation. Many of my influences would have been from Salinger's time. I could have easily have been a contemporary. Historically, I am of Stephanie Meyer's generation.
I think it is fairly safe to say that my book is a cross between "The Catcher in the Rye" and "Twilight". It is more mature than "Twilight". I do not think my book is as mature as "The Catcher in the Rye".
When I was growing up, the teens/young adult novel did not exist. We had children's books. We then started reading actual novels. When I published my book, I had to place it within a category. I chose teens/young adult because it did not really fit anywhere else. With the hardcover version, it somehow got placed on national retailers with a listing of having a reading level of ages 9 to 12. I have never agreed with this. There is a quirk with the publishing industry that placed it there. My book is very clearly a PG-13 novel.
This is the other reason that I have placed these other books on the reading list. I think it is important to discuss what was being read in the past and compare it to modern books that are being read by teens.
While I am probably closer to "The Catcher in the Rye" in terms of style, themes, etc., my book does share things with "Twilight" like Jack and Christine being in bed with each other the way that Edward and Bella were. My book is about Jack's feelings for Christine. If there is a latent sexuality to "Twilight", my book has a blatant sexuality. I deal with real people. I cannot disguise the sexuality with vampirisms.
This is one of the main reasons I am having this question and answer session. There are serious issues happening in my book and in society in general. You can read the various reviews on this site. My book has been called a modern literary masterpiece by professional reviewers. I have had other people say that it is a cute love story. I had a teenage girl say that she really liked it. She also said that it was graphic and that you shouldn't read it unless you know about sex. And I have had people say that my book was nothing more than typical male fantasies.
Even though the majority of reviews have been positive, I am aware of the differences of opinion. I created this group to discuss the book. I do not want to be a pop culture phenomenon like "Twilight". I do not want children under 13 to read my book. I have tried to get press releases out to make sure that children under 13 do not get my book, but the media has not picked up on this.
We can discuss the artistic merit of my book and how it relates to teens today. The fact of the matter is that "The Catcher in the Rye" has been one of the most banned books of the 20th century. It is also one of the most influential. If I am being compared to it, and I have more of the "Twilight" love story in my book, then I do fear for my book and what it may become in terms of pop culture.
This is why I want to have a discussion about my book. I do not want to make it sound like it is entirely about sex. Doing so makes it a forbidden fruit for younger people. I don't want people reading it for that reason. I didn't write it to be sensational. I started writing the script that this book is based on when I was in seventh grade. It was developed and refined as I was going through high school. This is what I was working on in my study halls. This is what I was writing in my journals that were being read by my English teachers. This work is tied to my high school years.
I do seriously hope that people start to read the book and take part in this discussion. Since I have failed to get the media's attention about my book, I do not want people under 13 to read my book without parental consent. Unless I can create awareness about this, I do fear for who is reading my book. I have no control over that. As the author, I don't like that. And I have no way of changing it, unless I can create a discussion.
In the first professional review of my book, I was compared to J.D. Salinger. While I will be finishing "The Catcher in the Rye" in the next few days, I am already starting to see why I was compared to him. I think there are thematic elements and a writing style that are similar.
I have also added the "Twilight" series to the book discussions. I think it is important to discuss my book and its themes of love and sexual desire in relation to another book with the same themes.
I have always felt that I do not belong to a generation. Many of my influences would have been from Salinger's time. I could have easily have been a contemporary. Historically, I am of Stephanie Meyer's generation.
I think it is fairly safe to say that my book is a cross between "The Catcher in the Rye" and "Twilight". It is more mature than "Twilight". I do not think my book is as mature as "The Catcher in the Rye".
When I was growing up, the teens/young adult novel did not exist. We had children's books. We then started reading actual novels. When I published my book, I had to place it within a category. I chose teens/young adult because it did not really fit anywhere else. With the hardcover version, it somehow got placed on national retailers with a listing of having a reading level of ages 9 to 12. I have never agreed with this. There is a quirk with the publishing industry that placed it there. My book is very clearly a PG-13 novel.
This is the other reason that I have placed these other books on the reading list. I think it is important to discuss what was being read in the past and compare it to modern books that are being read by teens.
While I am probably closer to "The Catcher in the Rye" in terms of style, themes, etc., my book does share things with "Twilight" like Jack and Christine being in bed with each other the way that Edward and Bella were. My book is about Jack's feelings for Christine. If there is a latent sexuality to "Twilight", my book has a blatant sexuality. I deal with real people. I cannot disguise the sexuality with vampirisms.
This is one of the main reasons I am having this question and answer session. There are serious issues happening in my book and in society in general. You can read the various reviews on this site. My book has been called a modern literary masterpiece by professional reviewers. I have had other people say that it is a cute love story. I had a teenage girl say that she really liked it. She also said that it was graphic and that you shouldn't read it unless you know about sex. And I have had people say that my book was nothing more than typical male fantasies.
Even though the majority of reviews have been positive, I am aware of the differences of opinion. I created this group to discuss the book. I do not want to be a pop culture phenomenon like "Twilight". I do not want children under 13 to read my book. I have tried to get press releases out to make sure that children under 13 do not get my book, but the media has not picked up on this.
We can discuss the artistic merit of my book and how it relates to teens today. The fact of the matter is that "The Catcher in the Rye" has been one of the most banned books of the 20th century. It is also one of the most influential. If I am being compared to it, and I have more of the "Twilight" love story in my book, then I do fear for my book and what it may become in terms of pop culture.
This is why I want to have a discussion about my book. I do not want to make it sound like it is entirely about sex. Doing so makes it a forbidden fruit for younger people. I don't want people reading it for that reason. I didn't write it to be sensational. I started writing the script that this book is based on when I was in seventh grade. It was developed and refined as I was going through high school. This is what I was working on in my study halls. This is what I was writing in my journals that were being read by my English teachers. This work is tied to my high school years.
I do seriously hope that people start to read the book and take part in this discussion. Since I have failed to get the media's attention about my book, I do not want people under 13 to read my book without parental consent. Unless I can create awareness about this, I do fear for who is reading my book. I have no control over that. As the author, I don't like that. And I have no way of changing it, unless I can create a discussion.