Twilight and the Back Fence

Okay, I'll admit it...I have been sucked (no pun intended) into reading some of the books in the Twilight series. Actually, I read the first one, and my poor husband suffered through me commenting out loud about how terribly written it is every night as I read before falling asleep. I stand by that assessment, but that still hasn't stopped me from listening to that book on audio (it was slightly better on the audio book, because the young woman who read it sounds likes a teenager, and the way the character spoke made more sense hearing the words spoken in that voice...) and following it up with the next two on audio. I can't help it, I'm a pop culture fiend.

I justify my craving for all pop culture knowledge because it gives me a common ground...a starting point for conversations with people I don't know all that well. I once read that the old-time tradition of passing gossip between neighbors over the back fence had died out in modern society because we no longer know our neighbors. Celebrities are our new gossip fodder. Most of us don't really know them, and we figure that they have sought out fame, so we don't feel guilty talking about them. It makes sense. If I try to talk to an acquaintance who happens to be standing in line next to me at the grocery store, what better conversation starter than, "How about that Jon & Kate? I'm so sick of hearing about them?" or "So, who do you think is going to win American Idol?" Just about everybody hears about this stuff, unless they live under a rock or are just too snobby for pop culture. And if they are THAT snobby, I probably wouldn't care to talk with them anyway!

So, getting back to Twilight...I resisted it for quite awhile, but then I heard so many adult women talking about it that I just had to get it from the library and see for myself. Okay, I'll admit, the story is somewhat intriguing, and I have enough of a "thirst" (pun intended) for the story to see how it turns out. But I have a MAJOR problem with the description of the main female character, "Bella." This is a girl who has NO interests (other than a boy vampire), NO aspirations (other than becoming a vampire because she loves the boy vampire), NO favorite subjects in school, NO hobbies, no anything to make her interesting at all. She is merely there to provide a focal point for the vampire, who falls in love with her initially because he can't resist her SMELL!!!! And women MY AGE are calling this story "romantic!" Lord help me if this is the kind of character we want our daughters to emulate. I can't even believe people are letting their daughters read this in this day and age.

The other day someone in my circle of friends compared an adult reading the Twilight series to an adult reading the Harry Potter series and I almost had a brain explosion. The Harry Potter books are LITERATURE that will stand the test of time and be read by generations to come. It's like comparing Archie Comics to "Catcher in the Rye."
Even more importantly, Hermione Granger is a fully developed character, and a heckuva role model for any girl. She is smart, strong, creative and funny. And yes, she is allowed to have a crush on a boy, but that never gets in the way of her being true to herself. I would be delighted if my daughter asked herself "What would Hermione do?" and horrified if my daughter asked herself "What would Bella do?" I think you get my point.

Furthermore, I know moms and dads who are letting their 10 and 11- year old daughters read these books, and I'm sure they are blissfully ignorant of the fact that some of the themes therein are quite mature, including the budding (at the point I'm at in the series, anyway) physical relationship between "Bella" and "Edward." Parents are the best judge of what their children can handle in this department, but the problem is that I don't think many parents are informed about the actual content of these books. They've become THE thing for girls to read, and perhaps parents think that because so many kids are reading them they must be okay. Personally, I think the message the books send to girls about valuing themselves (or NOT valuing themselves, I should say) is far more heinous than the sex, but I still think you ought to know.

One final thought: there is one other series for youth that I have picked up recently, and I've enjoyed it a bazillion times more than the Twilight series. Diary of a Wimpy Kid made me laugh right out loud! If your kids are reading these books, take ten minutes and pick one up and read a little. I'll bet you'll laugh out loud too! And funny books are way better than romances any day of the week, if you ask me!