Teen Fiction Plots Are Darker and Starker by William Porter

        In the article "Teen Fiction Plots Are Darker and Starker" by William Porter, it discusses about how YA literature (teen fiction) has become darker and darker. It also discusses how these dark books have become increasingly popular and wonders who should be in charge of what teens read: parents, librarians or teens themselves. A way the author describes the genre is: "The stories range from grim to ghastly." and continues with examples of some stories.
         Beginning right off with the first paragraph, the reader is uncertain of the YA genre. This is so because the description being used is detailed and straight to the point that YA fiction is dark: A boy returns to school from a mental hospital years after setting his playmate on fire. An anorexic girl watches her friend die from the same illness. A sexually abusive dad is turned in by his daughter's classmate". Furthermore, the author describes in a list the topics that YA literature is mainly about, and putting out there that the genre is popular enough that "Teen hardbacks cost $15 to $17, about $10 less than adult fiction".
      Where the article included that YA "Topics include suicide, disfigurement, mental illness, violence and terrorism", not all YA fiction is like that. Where some YA literature can be really dark, not all of it is. My view on YA fiction is not really changed at all, after reading this article because there are some things in life that are really dark, and I think one should get use to them, instead of reading books that are just happy and bright.