I mentioned in a previous blog that I have happy endings in the books I write. I know that there are several good books out there with sad endings.
Books to me take the reader to exotic places and offers escape of the drudgery of life. They provide hope and sometimes information. They give us time to heal.
If I am reading a book, I want it to end on a happy note. I want to close the book after the last word and feel the satisfaction of knowing that I made the right choice in my escape. If I wanted to cry or feel hopeless, I don't have to read about it to do so.
Perhaps, I am looking at this the wrong way. Maybe books should provide solutions to real-life problems. But do they? Perhaps books should send a message that the sad feeling is normal? But do most children want to feel sad? Do we want children to base an opinion on reading on a sad book?
Maybe, just maybe, for a few minutes children want to smile.
What do you think?
I could only imagine how warped I'd have become if I read something like Schindler's List as a 3rd grader.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if I was able to read Schindler's List as a 3rd grader you probably would have seen much better grades on my report cards!