Sex: still front page news in teen fiction

• PDF
• Printer-friendly version
• Send to friend
• Login or register to bookmark

American Judy Blume’s pioneering Forever, a teen novel in which first sexual experiences are described clearly and explicitly, was published in the UK 34 years ago and, despite being censored in some US states for many years, its frankness and realism have had a major impact on writing for adolescents over the last three decades.

So what’s new and different about Losing It, a new collection of short stories for teenagers on the theme of losing, or wanting to lose your virginity?

Books for Keeps caught up with the book’s editor Keith Gray and contributors Patrick Ness, Sophie McKenzie, Mary Hooper and Bali Rai at the book’s launch at Foyles Charing Cross Road to find out.

A discussion between the authors and audience members was wide-ranging and revealing.  There were facts and surprising figures: the age of consent varies from country to country: 18 in Turkey; just 13 in Japan; 76% of teens would like more sex information at school; there was personal insight too with authors frankly revealing information about their own first sexual experience.

Editor Keith Gray talked about his aims for the book, and how just one author turned down the opportunity to be included, later apologising to him, “I thought it had to be autobiographical!”

Patrick Ness described why he chose to address the issue of growing up gay, and the inspiration for his ingenious way to bypass the ‘bad’ language and sexual explicitness problem.

What will teens make of this book? Could it be that this short story collection is just more upfront about the assumption implicit in its title - that of course teen readers want to read about sex? Issues such as sexual identity, cultural norms, when to lose your virginity and with whom - all addressed in this collection! – preoccupy most teenagers and it’s more than likely they will find this book an engrossing read.