Conclusion

=Conclusion= The dark strand, challenges bared, and dangers of extreme ambition are themes especially apparent in Anderson's YA literature. The YA genre has emerged to reflect the most urgent demands of today's teenagers. Across cultural, chronological, and spatial planes teens have dealt with and continue to encounter these tumultuous circumstances. Anderson's //Wintergirls// (2009), //Twisted// (2007), and //Catalyst// (2002) expose different facets of these issues, but all involve YA main characters who learn to solve their own problems. In understanding why some things can be controlled and other things cannot, teenagers acquire greater understanding of the world and themselves. The protagonists in these stories undergo mental, emotional, and physical anguish but learn something new from each situation. Most importantly, they discover that no matter how hard they try to regulate things, some things are uncontrollable.

Laurie Halse Anderson is a YA author whose books should be available in every library because she exposes issues that are privy to teenagers. Through her extensive research she captures the rawness of the teenage experience. Readers will feel as if they know the characters and be able to empathize with their failures and successes. Anderson spreads awareness of serious issues such as suicide, eating disorders, depression, familial problems, and finding one's true self.