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Guidance for Grown-Ups
June 2008
Thinking Critically about Teen “Chick Lit”
This Discussion Guide contains the following Activity Sections:
- The Answers to Your Questions
- Problem Solving: Exploring Options, Giving Advice
- Make a Historical and Global Connection: Changing Options
I. The Answers to Your Questions
The purpose of this activity is to ask teens to think broadly about the definition of “chick lit” and the roots of its current popularity.
- In either group discussion or through writing, ask the teens to brainstorm a definition of “chick lit.” (To assist, you may ask them to describe a typical main character, the problems she faces, the resolutions she may have to her problem, and so on. You can also have them create a list of books they would classify as “chick lit.”) As a follow-up, ask the teens to share their opinions on whether they are drawn to or repelled by books that fit that description.
- Ask the teens to read “Gossiping about Girl Books with Lizzie Skurnick.” In the interview, Skurnick says, “It's a strong stereotype in our culture that all teen girls are good for is lip gloss and boy-talk.” Ask the teens to take 3-5 minutes to write about why they either agree or disagree with her statement.
- Skurnick ties the current popularity of the Gossip Girls books and television series to the past success of Sweet Valley High (from the 1980s) and Candy Stripers (from the 1960s). Ask the teens: Why is it important to understand the history behind trends in fiction, especially when it is the foundation for a genre called “chick lit”? What could teens learn about growing up female from closely reading books from each of these three titles? (Note: the teens could compare similarities and differences of each series – as in storylines, themes, fashion, character motivation, etc.)
- Are there any other books or book series that the teens think could be examined along with those previously mentioned? (You could offer up Little Women, Little House on the Prairie, Nancy Drew, Babysitter’s Club, or the American Girl books to spur discussion.)
- Skurnick says she understands why girls may want to read books like the Gossip Girls series, but expresses concern over girls only reading such books: “as part of a girl's library, I think they're fine. But if it's the whole thing, you have a real problem.” Ask the teens to work in small groups and create a list of 20 book titles for the ideal teen girl library. Encourage them to include books that feature characters with diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds and consider stories about teens from a broad range of social classes.
- You may want to extend the conversation about “chick lit” into other media, such as “chick flicks.” Ask the teens to identify the pros and the cons of defining a genre in this way. If they are interested, ask them to debate whether those terms do more harm or good to teen girls (or boys).
- Another important conversation calls mainstream media into question. Are there specific populations of girls that are underrepresented in “chick lit” or “chick flicks”? Ask the teens to write a brief description of one such community and write three sentences about why that community is a rich source of storytelling. If they need help getting started, suggest different racial, ethnic, and/or class categories.
Resources
Defining Chick Lit - http://teenchicklit.com
http://chicklitbooks.com/what-is-chick-lit
“In Defence of Chick Lit” by Diane Shipley for The Guardian - http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/03/in_defence_of_chick_lit.html
“Chick Lit Author Roundtable” - http://www.authorsontheweb.com/features/0402-chicklit/chicklit-q06.asp
“A feminist fights back against the ‘chick lit’ label,” by Jane Ganahl for The San Francisco Chronicle - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/30/LVGSOFCGM21.DTL
Book Lists
Brave Girls and Strong Women book list - http://members.aol.com/brvgirls/bklist.htm
Sports reading list for girls - www.womenssportsfoundation.org
Book
The Mother-Daughter Book Club: How Ten Busy Mothers and Daughters Came Together to Talk, Laugh, and Learn Through Their Love of Reading, by Shireen Dodson and Teresa Barker.
Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her, by Melanie Rehak
II. Problem Solving: Exploring Options, Giving Advice The purpose of this activity is to encourage teens to think about books for girls from the points of view of Teen Voices, a book publisher, and a book critic.
- Publishers send Teen Voices dozens of books each month in the hopes of getting a review published in the magazine. According to the article “Gossiping About Girl Books,” which of the following did Teen Voices choose to review? Books about:
a) A girl soldier in the Israeli army
b) Rich girls in exclusive big-city prep schools
c) An Alaskan girl struggling with the death of her boyfriend
d) An army of magical birds fighting for their freedom
e) Fashionista teens living rock-star lifestyles
The correct answers are a, c, and d.
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Ask the teens to think of themselves as members of the Teen Voices book review team. To assist with identifying which books to review, ask the teens to create a checklist of at least 10 characteristics a book should have in order to be considered. The list could include questions such as: Is the author female? Is the main character female? Does the main character challenge gender stereotypes? Does the main character challenge racial stereotypes? (These are examples only – the teens may disagree with the merit of these questions.) The teens can also prioritize their checklist; so for example, a female author may be preferable but not required.
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Ask the teens to think like a book publisher. If they wanted to sell as many books to teen girls as possible, which of the following would they want to include? What would they avoid? The teens can also add to this list and rank it in order of marketability.
• Main character is attractive
• Main character wears name brand clothes
• Main character earns top grades
• Main character is shy, has few friends
• Story is set in a low-income neighborhood
• Main character is heterosexual
• Story is about teens struggling to fit in
• Story includes girls being mean to each other
• Main character finds romance
• Main character thinks make-up is stupid
• Main character is famous
• Story is about teen depression
• Main character is not Caucasian
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Challenge teens to think like a book critic. Have a stack of books (ideally those written with teen girls in mind) for the teens to leaf through. Ask them to select one book to review, using only the information they glean from the back and front cover. The teens can fill in the blanks of character or storyline with their imagination. Also hand out sample book reviews from the Teen Voices website and ask the teens to follow the general format and word count to draft a book review for the magazine. Ask the teens to read their book reviews out loud. Do any of the teens want to try getting a book review published in the near future?
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Ask the teens to imagine how they may use book reviewing skills in the future. How could those skills help with school? How could those skills help with the enjoyment of reading? How could those skills help the teens get a job?
Resources
Teen Voices book reviews - http://www.teenvoices.com/issue_current/departments/tvo_arts_reviews.html
Teen Reads (teen-written book reviews) - www.teenreads.com/reviews/index.asp
Tips for writing a book review - www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/CriReadingBook.html
III. Make a Historical and Global Connection: Changing Options The purpose of this activity is to foster teens’ creativity and to encourage them to rewrite popular storylines for books targeted to teen girls.
- A lot of teen fiction (and other media) is developed by focus groups that use formulas. For this exercise, teens will take that process and turn it on its head. First, ask the teens to brainstorm at least four items for each of four categories: props, characters, conflicts, and resolutions. Encourage the teens to think of props/ideas both common and uncommon to teen chick lit. (For example: props could include lip gloss, designer jeans, a skateboard, and a driver’s license; characters could include: teen rock star, teen fashion model, pregnant teen, runaway teen.) The ideas can either be recorded on a board in front of the entire group, or written on small scraps of paper, which are then shuffled and selected at random from a hat.
- The next step is to create a story based on one or more props and characters, one conflict and one resolution. Teens may prefer to work on their own through writing, or in groups, through dialogue. The goal is to create storylines not normally found in chick lit, and to discover the unexpected through creative thinking. Another goal is to have fun!
- Ask the teens to either summarize or perform a summary of their groundbreaking new teen fiction novels.
Resources
“The Hollywood Effect: What's a YA author to do when book packagers seem to create all the hits?” by Stephen Barbara for Publishers Weekly - www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6407291.html
Have you used Guidance for Grown-ups with your class or teen group?
Tell us which ones you used and what kind of success you had with it. Did you put your own spin on it? Let us know.
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