Finding Needles in a Haystack
7 Tips for Navigating the Young Adult Section as a Christian
G’day, readers!
I’m
with seven tips for navigating the young adult section in the library as a Christian. We all are aware of how woke libraries are becoming. Parents are still fighting for purity in the children’s section, but the YA books were quickly overtaken. Nowadays, I’ve found it hard to pick up a young adult book without propaganda, constant swears, and graphic romance. So in this post, I’ll be sharing several tips and tricks I’ve found helpful lately for locating the few needles (good books) in the haystack known as the Young Adult Section.
Before we begin, I just want to address that I highly recommend visiting church libraries. While they don’t offer as much variety or the same quantity of books, church libraries are a great place to go if you are super wary of modern corrupted literature and want to ensure what you’re reading is Christian-approved. If your church doesn’t have a library or you don’t know where to find good Christian books, check out Christianbook.com, a website featuring only Christian literature available for purchase. And I’ve linked their teen fiction lists here if you want to look through those. Now, let’s get to those tips.
How to filter out the bad books:
1. Check for signs
A very obvious tip, make sure to check the book’s cover and synopsis (found on book’s the back or interior side flap) for any tell-tale signs of inappropriate content. Is there a pride flag on the cover? Any corrupted messages conveyed in the synopsis? Does the cover appear demonic? If you can make out signs like this among others, I would advise setting the book back in the haystack (shelf) and continuing your search for the needles.
2. Inspect the author
This is another obvious one and one of my go-to’s. In relation to the previous tip, if the author is wearing inappropriate clothing or symbols on their clothing in their author picture, avoid picking up the book. Is the author gay? Are they in a cult? Do they support anything major your parents do not? If so, I would either ask your parents about the book or just set it back on the shelf.
3. Check the publication year
I know they’ve been removing a lot of old books, but I still think it’s wise to leave books on the shelf if they are published after 2015 (or even earlier) unless you are truly interested in the plot and have applied tips one and two. The reason my family uses 2015 is because that is the year LGBTQ+ stuff really started to become accepted and published in young adult literature. If you are super wary, even of books from earlier than 2015, 2010 is another good date to go by.
4. Read the first chapter
If your book has passed tips one through three—no clear signs in the appearance, synopsis, or author and published before 2015—but you’re still unsure, or if your book hasn’t passed the previous tips but you’re still pretty interested in it, I would recommend reading Chapter One of the prologue, whatever is the first part of the book’s story. While you read, check for signs and analyze the wording and themes. If anything seems off to you or you discover any signs of propaganda, don’t hesitate to slam that book shut with necessary aggression and place it gently back on the shelf. If you’ve read the first chapter/section of the book and everything seems okay, check this tip of your list and continue on to number five.
5. Read a review or refer to a friend
Whether you’re unsure if you should check out a book you’re interested in or not, hearing or reading someone else’s opinion about the book should prove helpful. My mom often refers to the book’s online reviews and ratings but you can also ask a friend or sibling what they thought of it and if they think you would enjoy it or should read it. To me, you should always have your parent(s) inspect your book before you read it unless you are alone or over the age of 16.
6. Consider why you want it
One thing I believe you should ask yourself when picking up a book, whether you’ve already applied the previous tips or not, is why you find the book interesting. What about this book is appealing to you? The cover? The synopsis? The author? If you are simply drawn to the cover but the other tips deem it probably unwise to read, I would put it back. If you find the plot description interesting but it was published after 2015, ask your parents permission and apply tip number five. If you have read other books by the author and you wish to read another one of their works, I would pick it up if the previous tips allow it.
7. Ponder what God would want
The most important in this list, ask yourself if God would want you to read it. Does it seem like a book God would approve of? Do the themes go against what God commands us? Is the book’s message something God would want you to think about? Whether you’re in the young adult section, the kid’s section, a bookstore, or even a church library, it’s always a good idea to seek God’s approval through prayer, reflection, or careful consideration. Keep in mind, not all the books you read have to be Christian, though it’s always wise to read Christian books. What matters is that you keep in check what you feed your mind and your heart and consider if it is helpful or harmful, which brings us to the final point.
Why Should We Do This?
Some of you may be wondering why all this matters. What is the problem with reading books with LGBTQ+ characters, woke messages, and/or constant swear words? Well, for one, Philippians 4:8 tells us:
“In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.”
It’s crucial to note that whatever we fill our minds with reflects our hearts. Think about it like this: if we fill our bodies with garbage, we won’t be able to function correctly; but if we fill ourselves with healthy foods, we will function best. In the same way, filling our minds with garbage will cause our minds and our hearts to function incorrectly. As Paul tells us in Philippians, we should be filling our minds with good things. So the reason for the seven tips above is to help you filter out the bad stuff and improve your skills in finding the few needles in the giant haystack known as the young adult section.
I hope you all found these tips helpful and will consider applying them on your next library visit. If you liked this post, please hit the like button so our audience can grow and more people can hear what we have to offer in posts like this. Thank you guys for being here and I’ll see you in the next post!
Well said! I appreciate you adding the "why don't we do this" as well as mentioning to also be careful with Christian libraries. Some of those books don't get screened!
I would love to hear your thoughts on differing standards. For example, I am comfortable reading a book with LGBT background characters or the occasional four letter word, if the story is compelling and has value.
This was a really good and helpful article. Thanks!