This article made a lot of sense to me because I recently read the first 3 novels of the Blue Bloods series. The novels are about the "Blue Bloods" a group of 400 vampires that are some of the most wealthy people in the world. They run the majority of prestigious social groups in New York, own the best real estate, and are extremely consumeristic. It isn't abnormal for some of the characters to spend six figures on a dress, wear 20ct. diamond rings, and spend thousands of dollars when they go out to restaurants and clubs. Money is no object for most of them, it seems to be endless. Except for the underdog, Schuyler, who's family has lost its wealth and therefore its place as one of the most prominent Blue Blood families. The designer name dropping, the extravagant parties, and the continuous emphasis on wealth and consumerism can be very over the top sometimes.
I agree with what Glenn says about providing young adults with the skills to read critically instead of discouraging them to read these types of novels. The Blue Bloods novels, for example, have an interesting story line and I don't think that readers should necessarily be discouraged from reading them. Although the books portray that the wealthy, beautiful, and popular teens are the ones that are the most successful and often the happiest there are other characters, like Schuyler, who make the most out of being "unwealthy" and still manage to get good looking guys, modeling contracts, and compliments on their style and beauty! I think that Glenn has a lot of good ideas for how to get youth to view the literature they are buying more critically and I agree that it is important educators provide students with these skills.
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