Introduction

=Introduction= Three of Anderson's works, //Wintergirls// (2009), //Twisted// (2007), and //Catalyst// (2002), share common young adult (YA) themes such as darkness, overcoming obstacles, and competitiveness. "Pathologies that went undescribed in print 40 years ago, that were still only sparingly outlined a generation ago, are now spelled out in stomach-clenching detail" because teenagers want to read about real problems (Gurden, 2011, para. 4). The teenage years are filled with change, opportunity, disappointment, and challenges. Learning how to deal with these hardships is part of growing up. Problem-solving and decision-making become more complex as children grow into adults, and the years in-between are the most difficult because teens are faced with crucial life-changing choices. In addition to these critical selections, "findings show that the greatest changes to the parts of the brain that are responsible for functions such as self-control, judgment, emotions, and organization occur between puberty and adulthood" (ACT for Youth, 2002, p. 1). Society expects teenagers to make life-altering decisions during their most unsettled stage of development. While YAs are beginning to manage their lives independently from their parents, some also acquire a competitive spirit that can carry over to multiple areas of their life such as athletics, academics, social or economic status, or perception of beauty. "Competitiveness can be both a virtue and a vice. One person’s win can be another person’s loss and the drive to be better than others, when taken too far, can appear ruthless and selfish" so YAs must exercise competition with caution and be cognizant of healthy boundaries and limits (Nauert, 2010, para. 7). The depressing strand s, challenges encountered, and combative temperament are themes in this genre that highlight the raw emotions and existences of today's teenagers.

Variations of these themes are delineated in the three books listed above. In //Wintergirls// (2009) darkness is exemplified through self-mutilation, suicide, anorexia, and eventual death. Obstacles such as eating disorders and the death of a friend must be managed while competition between friends in their quests for being lighter than air ensues. //Twisted//'s male protagonist, Tyler, grapples with suicidal thoughts, school bullies, worries about his future and fixing his past, and climbing the high school social ladder. //Catalyst//'s darkness emerges from the unexpected death of a child. Obstacles such as rejection and dealing with loss prove that not everything can be controlled and main character Kate's ambitious nature displays how striving for complete perfection can end in failure. By adding these titles to teen library sections, librarians will provide access to real issues facing teens today.

These age-old propositions confronting YAs are finally being discussed in literature created specifically for this group and the topics are getting racier and more genuine. Schools are integrating more of these controversial books in their reading lists and curricula to reflect the actual needs of their students. Reading is an outlet for reminiscing, recreating, or taking people on journeys to see places and meet people they never would have dreamed. Anderson's //Wintergirls// (2009), //Twisted// (2007), and //Catalyst// (2002) speak unabashedly of anorexia, popularity contests, and intellectual superiority which are many issues teens deal with today.