Just reading this kid's characterization makes me twitch. People really seemed to lean IN on the unlikeable character in the 70's and early 80's, didn't they? I mean, we culturally embraced unpleasantness to such an extent that we got Garbage Pail Kids, Dynasty slap-fights, "greed is good" shoulder pads and narrow ties with a side of self-absorption, as we let people die of AIDS and shrugged that it was justified. Of course, historically children's lit is generally ten years behind the actual cultural zeitgeist of adulthood but they still managed this time to be pretty close, which I find fascinating.
Also, 10 years from now, I wonder if we'll look back and be able to see any hint of what the adults were thinking in children's literature. Do we see as many angry Kids? As many ugly themes? I think we see a desperate focus on being kind and clever and self sufficient. We know our poor kids have to figure ish out on their own...
It continues to be amazing looking back at this stuff—there's something about some of these older chapter books & middle grade novels that feels like they were written without the target audience as a major consideration? Like they sometimes almost read like adult market literary fiction, but about children? Then again, they really do reflect the reality of what goes in within and between kids, which absolutely involves ugly thoughts and behavior?
I think I enjoy them so much in part because I *did* struggle with so much unexpressed anger and uncomfortable (?) thoughts as a kid, and in our growing-up years (at least in my experience), that stuff was so rarely acknowledged or talked about, and we were largely taught/trained to mask it, rather than find the root and deal with it? And so knowing that people were observing it and thinking about it is weirdly comforting? All these question marks because I'm still trying to unpack it all!)
So many of these older books I've read as an adult are really, *really* realistic in terms of the thoughts and feelings and as a reflection of how kids behaved and thought at the time, but often don't go further than reflecting it. In modern children's fiction that grapples with difficult thoughts/feelings/behavior there usually seems to be an explicit attempt to push back/show a light in the darkness through a character modelling more emotionally healthy (or at least less-overtly toxic) behavior/even give some degree of guidance, whether it's thematic or right there within the dialogue. (In a hopefully non-didactic way, and good lord, I'm guessing that's hard. Then again, my library tweens are definitely (and delightfully) quick to call each other on hurtful language, so including that on the page in 2024 is absolutely realistic and a reflection of reality, but as usual I digress?)
And to be fair, always keep in mind that my tastes skew towards the bonkers, so my book choices are never going to reflect a fair sample of any given literary era, LOLOLOL.
Sneakers is one that truly gets more enjoyable every single time I re-watch it. (Also OMG I just realized I haven't watched it since watching Sexy Beast for the first time, and as I will never be able to see Ben Kingsley exactly the same way again after THAT (fantastic) experience, I should put it back on my watchlist, hahahaha.)
This is hilarious. Thanks!
Just reading this kid's characterization makes me twitch. People really seemed to lean IN on the unlikeable character in the 70's and early 80's, didn't they? I mean, we culturally embraced unpleasantness to such an extent that we got Garbage Pail Kids, Dynasty slap-fights, "greed is good" shoulder pads and narrow ties with a side of self-absorption, as we let people die of AIDS and shrugged that it was justified. Of course, historically children's lit is generally ten years behind the actual cultural zeitgeist of adulthood but they still managed this time to be pretty close, which I find fascinating.
Also, 10 years from now, I wonder if we'll look back and be able to see any hint of what the adults were thinking in children's literature. Do we see as many angry Kids? As many ugly themes? I think we see a desperate focus on being kind and clever and self sufficient. We know our poor kids have to figure ish out on their own...
It continues to be amazing looking back at this stuff—there's something about some of these older chapter books & middle grade novels that feels like they were written without the target audience as a major consideration? Like they sometimes almost read like adult market literary fiction, but about children? Then again, they really do reflect the reality of what goes in within and between kids, which absolutely involves ugly thoughts and behavior?
I think I enjoy them so much in part because I *did* struggle with so much unexpressed anger and uncomfortable (?) thoughts as a kid, and in our growing-up years (at least in my experience), that stuff was so rarely acknowledged or talked about, and we were largely taught/trained to mask it, rather than find the root and deal with it? And so knowing that people were observing it and thinking about it is weirdly comforting? All these question marks because I'm still trying to unpack it all!)
So many of these older books I've read as an adult are really, *really* realistic in terms of the thoughts and feelings and as a reflection of how kids behaved and thought at the time, but often don't go further than reflecting it. In modern children's fiction that grapples with difficult thoughts/feelings/behavior there usually seems to be an explicit attempt to push back/show a light in the darkness through a character modelling more emotionally healthy (or at least less-overtly toxic) behavior/even give some degree of guidance, whether it's thematic or right there within the dialogue. (In a hopefully non-didactic way, and good lord, I'm guessing that's hard. Then again, my library tweens are definitely (and delightfully) quick to call each other on hurtful language, so including that on the page in 2024 is absolutely realistic and a reflection of reality, but as usual I digress?)
And to be fair, always keep in mind that my tastes skew towards the bonkers, so my book choices are never going to reflect a fair sample of any given literary era, LOLOLOL.
Sneakers: Absolutely one of the best movies of all time.
This book: I can't even.
Sneakers is one that truly gets more enjoyable every single time I re-watch it. (Also OMG I just realized I haven't watched it since watching Sexy Beast for the first time, and as I will never be able to see Ben Kingsley exactly the same way again after THAT (fantastic) experience, I should put it back on my watchlist, hahahaha.)
Still so relevant. And the performances - *chef's kiss*!
Absolutely!!