Vampires and werewolves and...Mormons? Oh my.

There is a scene that replays over and over on the campus of Brigham Young University--Idaho. It involves no words, only an image. A girl sits alone, in a setting anywhere from under a tree to a lonely lunch table. Her face is molded into something between intense concentration and absolute adoration. In her hands are one of those books. One with a red and black cover. The name Stephanie Meyer printed neatly across the bottom...

A Twilight book.

Although the craze over the Twilight saga has spread throughout the country--even the world, perhaps--it is no more popular than in the LDS community.

Since the author herself is Mormon, many of her LDS thoughts and ideals are shown through in her books. But many have argued that Meyer has completely missed the mark on a few very important doctrines of the church.

In an article by Tyler Chadwick called Reading the Mormon Gothic, he says,

"In an assembly of letters written to the editor of Meridian Magazine in response to the magazine's positive treatment of the Twilight saga, several readers wonder how we Mormons, "the children of . . . Light," can justifiably indulge ourselves by reading literary works situated in supernatural realms of darkness and touching the inherent sensuality of human experience. How have we, "the very Elect" of God, one asks, "been hood winked and dazzled by the Adversary" into thinking that Twilight and its sequels are "harmless" entertainment?"

While it is true that the books do not explicitly promote the Latter-day Saint faith, Meyer does her best to keep LDS readers happy and interested without going too far out-of-bounds.

Rather, as Chadwick points out, "Stephenie Meyer summons us, particularly as LDS readers, into this revisionary reading of the ungodly...by coaxing the vampire novel into the light, she gives us the opportunity to confront and come to terms with the implicit humanness of the uncanny as we grow into the fullness of our stature as embodied children of an embodied God."

For however much sense that statement makes, LDS youth are still reading, still obsessing, still soaking up all Twilight has to offer. And it's pretty certain that no amount of protesting or discussion will make that girl move from her tree or table. The book is in her hands, and she's going to finish. Mormonism, werewolves, vampire-life, and all.

Uglies. Wait---Uglies??

Near the top of the list for best young adult novels is a story that tells us we are all ugly. Every one of us. And the only thing we care about; the only thing we want, is to become pretty.

That about accurately describes society, right?

Many of the young adult authors out there have been writing novels about real issues. No longer are the popular books fluffy, fun, no-worries storylines. Now young adult novels deal with matters like sex, eating disorders, defiance and self-image.

The latter is something that is greatly affecting society--particularly the young girls who are reading these novels.

Beth Younger, in her article entitled Pleasure, Pain, and the Power of Being Thin:Female Sexuality in Young Adult Literature said this about recent young adult novels:

"Although these narratives portray an ethnically diverse group of young girls and women, they also reveal the difficulty many young adult fiction authors have been resisting the contemporary hyper-thin European ideal of beauty....The associations of weight...serve a purpose in young adult texts; they reinforce negative ideas about body image."

This idea that thinner is better is not new. The world tells us that to be beautiful is to be better. Their idea of beauty is not even real. The above link proves that.

While the story from the beginning, Uglies, does tell of a society bent on changing everyone into perfect, thin, gorgeous members of the community, the overarching theme of the book is to be who you are.

Wouldn't it be nice if the whole world could just grasp that concept?