What is "New Adult?"

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Joykins

There's this thing I did when I was 19 and became an adult by going to Niagara Falls (Ont.), and then went back over the border and became a teenager again. In fact, one could hypothetically do this repeatedly, hitting the duty-free shop each time in the company of someone who is adult in both countries, or at least one could (hypothetically) in the 1990s.

When I was 18, I was an adult as all of the requirements were allowed for someone 18 (back then). I never had an issue with booze. My parents were not heavy drinkers. They drank socially, never to excess and had wine on the Jewish holidays and Friday nights. I grew up with full access to the liquor cabinet and my parents never needed to lock it or hide anything. My sister also never had a problem. We grew up with alcohol readily available. I think it's the parents that say no and try to make alcohol out to be a bad thing that gets kids wanting it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Joykins

Oh, come, now, didn't they pass Judy Blume's _Forever_ around your middle school too?

Nope. We didn't have stuff like that going around. In fact, we never had anything going around that was forbidden. Then again, if it wasn't science fiction or fantasy, I probably would not have been interested. I did read other things, but not nearly as much.

[Yolina]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I would not call an 18-year-old an adult. 21-year-old yes. If you are not legally allowed alcohol, then you are not yet an adult.

The things you should legally be able to do when becoming an adult...Sex, marriage, drive, able to be drafted, drink booze. All those things have to be in place before I would consider you an adult (in the legal sense)

Well it all depends what country you're in

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Joykins

While I agree that it's a marketing category for new books (as opposed to, say, reclassifying Huck Finn), and therefore serves mainly a marketing purpose, the fact that I read books not targeted for my age group (I read books targeted to all age groups) doesn't mean the books aren't mostly hitting their targeted audience. I'd say they're doing that nicely from what I see in the library.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not making any value judgments about books that get the label, the authors that write those books, or about the readers that enjoy reading them. I'm just baffled by any label that attempts to apply degrees of "adultness" to fans of, characters in, or themes dealt with in books that are liked and disliked by readers of all degrees of adultness. But if it helps readers find books they enjoy, then more power to it/them I guess. I'm OK being baffled about a few things here and there. I'll get by.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I disagree. We've had porn/smut for a long time. This is just a way to market it to a younger audience.

It isn't porn. The stories I read aren't porn. The new adult stories I've read were well written coming of age stories that had very brief losing virginity scenes that were tastefully done.

[Joykins]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Don't get me wrong; I'm not making any value judgments about books that get the label, the authors that write those books, or about the readers that enjoy reading them. I'm just baffled by any label that attempts to apply degrees of "adultness" to fans of, characters in, or themes dealt with in books that are liked and disliked by readers of all degrees of adultness. But if it helps readers find books they enjoy, then more power to it/them I guess. I'm OK being baffled about a few things here and there. I'll get by.

I thought it was a way of subtly flattering teenagers (and older children-- suppose what the marketers now call "tweens") by not using the word "teen" but implying more maturity...you know, first you look in the children's section, then you look in the "young adult" section and then you look in the "adult" section (and "adult" means "grown up" at the library and "porn" at video stores--do they still have video stores?--and "adult book stores"). So there are of course tons of meaning here to be explored.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Blossom

It isn't porn. The stories I read aren't porn. The new adult stories I've read were well written coming of age stories that had very brief losing virginity scenes that were tastefully done.

So call them "coming of age" instead of this really ridiculous new adult nonsense.

[Joykins]

Come to think of it, what is the dividing line here between "new adult" and what is normally called "chick lit"? Less designer name-dropping? Less apparently-shallow?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Joykins

Come to think of it, what is the dividing line here between "new adult" and what is normally called "chick lit"? Less designer name-dropping? Less apparently-shallow?

Chick Lit is the stuff a girl gets her BF to read after nagging him repeatedly. New Adult is stuff that no amount of nagging is going to get any guy to read.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So call them "coming of age" instead of this really ridiculous new adult nonsense.

It's just a label like Young Adult which is really Teen but called Young Adult to indicate the style of writing and age of characters which can be teen to young adult.

New Adult is characters ages between 19 and 25 which is targeted among college kids. It's a genre where you read alot about firsts and I love it.

As romances has evolved Adult Romance characters have grown older even in historicals where the heroine use to be 17 to 21 she now has to be old enough to be called a spinister or widowed.

[JSWolf]

But the term new adult is garbage. You are an adult or you are not an adult. You are not young, you are not new. You are or are not. There is no in between. There is no different levels of adultness. That's why this term is 100% garbage. Young adult is just as much garbage for the same reason.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But the term new adult is garbage. You are an adult or you are not an adult. You are not young, you are not new. You are or are not. There is no in between. There is no different levels of adultness. That's why this term is 100% garbage. Young adult is just as much garbage for the same reason.

Tell that to The Sims 3 game developers. Young Adult have been used actually since Sims 2 when Uni was introduced but that is a whole other topic.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Tell that to The Sims 3 game developers. Young Adult have been used actually since Sims 2 when Uni was introduced but that is a whole other topic.

Bring them on. I'll tell it right to their face if need be.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Bring them on. I'll tell it right to their face if need be.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Bring them on. I'll tell it right to their face if need be.

Originally Posted by Blossom

I'm totally picturing him being backed up by the other three Teenage Mutant Ninja Penguins.