All of Hinton's work, and I've read it all, is excellent. The fact that she deals with teenage reality: fighting, drinking, drugs and sex, dysfunctional families and various levels of intelligence including genius backed by awful parenting, makes her unique among writers of any genre or age group. She writes books that echo reality for most people. This is not Leave it to Beaver.
Schools and libraries are not likely to encourage young people, 10-16 to read adult fiction like Hammett, Chandler, Cain, or even Faulkner. These writers a certain type of young person discovers for themselves, cherishes, and shares only when they encounter kindred spirits. This is rebellion against what you have to read for school.
At this point, schools and libraries are under attack from parents' groups for encouraging kids to read HUCKLEBERRY FINN. I doubt many educators will go that next leap and challenge their charges with stories about murder, rape, incest, robbery and sexual obsession. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.
Adults have such a tendency to forget completely what it was like being a kid. They're always amazed when their children's real life shows up at the door.
Patrick King
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