It is common for librarians today to save their precious library budgets for other materials rather than invest in the cheap thrills of romance novels, series mysteries and even sometimes comic books even if they are popular among patrons. Is there a hard and fast rule about what is considered "trash literature", scorned by staff as inappropriate for school library settings? Furthermore, can a case be made for these sorts of books in the hands of teens to promote pleasure reading and for that matter, reading at all outside of academics? This article looks at the history of science fiction, a genre in the 1940s and 1950s written off as "trash literature" but is now considered one of the fastest growing genres within YA literature. This article is a fun read, but also provokes a deeper look at what we consider less valuable literature of today - it is not the genre itself, but the quality of the writing that warrants examination and what should be the guidelines for student "pleasure reading"? You be the judge.
J. Hasselberger
Spring 2016
J. Hasselberger
Spring 2016
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