“By age 18 an American child will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence.” (Hatch). Young adults are exposed to violence every day. The Marbury Lens is a perfect example of this. The Marbury Lens is a sci-fi fiction novel by Andrew Smith; but is it appropriate for young adults to read? By stating that this book is appropriate, you are encouraging the media to market violence to young people. A young adult, according to YA, is someone between the ages of 12 and 18. Books targeted toward young adults should be appropriate for its intended audience. The Marbury Lens is not an appropriate book for its targeted age group.
The Marbury Lens is inappropriate due to the excessive amount of violence in the novel. In chapter eighteen,…show more content… Many teens idolize relationships in films, movies and books. This is potentially dangerous if the relationship they’re idolizing is destructive. Throughout the novel, Connor calls Jack “gay” for showing emotions differently than he does. Jack is already an awkward young adult who is extremely self conscious. He often hides his feelings, and the reader never knows how he feels about Connors harassment. This type of behavior could influence young adults that it’s okay to attack your friends and make them feel uncomfortable for being different. Connors teasing of Jack is relentless. He never quits bullying him in a “friendly” way, that some may see as unhealthy. Along with portraying an unhealthy relationship, The Marbury Lens also has excessive amounts of teenage…show more content… This book explains graphic depictions of underage sex. The main character, Jack, is only 16 when he talks about having sex for the first time. In chapter forty five, Jack explains the gritty details of his first sexual encounter with his girlfriend, Nickie. “And almost as soon as she grabbed me, Jack gave up trying to hold himself in; and everything, rushing, pouring out of me, so it felt like I was turning inside out, everywhere, inside my underwear, spilling all over Nickie’s hand.” (Smith 245). Now, sex is something that happens in the real world and that we’re all eventually exposed to, but earlier on in the book, Jack was even invited to a threesome; something that children shouldn’t learn about in a book. In chapter four, Connor, Jack's best friend, invites him to a threesome with him and his current girlfriend. “Are you going to just stand there and watch, or do you want to hop in here and have some fun with us? Dana’s totally cool with it.” (Smith 13). Although Jack is visibly uncomfortable and refuses, it isn’t appropriate to expose children to.
The Marbury Lens is an extremely violent book that young people should not be exposed to. The sexual content in the novel is graphic and depictive, creating colorful images in young adults heads. The constant harassment and ridicule from Connor might portray friendship in a way that it should not, for idolizing unhealthy relationships could
