The Marbury Lens is a book written by Andrew Smith. It talks about a sixteen-year-old boy, Jack. He gets drunk in his best friend place and decides to take a walk back home. On his way, he falls asleep on a bench in the park and just woken up by someone seemingly to be trustworthy doctor who offers him a lift home. Unfortunately, the person kidnaps him. Later he escapes, and the only person he tells is his best friend Cornnor, who helps him to revenge by murdering, his kidnapper. When they arrive in London as they had planned for summer vacation, a terrifying, ugly looking man, hands Jack a pair of glasses, persisting that they belong to him. He takes them up. Through the lenses, he is transported to another world called Marbury. In Marbury, there is a vicious war, and he is in charge for the survival of two boys yet he is trying to kill them (Smith, 2010).
However, this book contains some heavy themes which are not appropriate for teens that are under sixteen to read, since it contains serious adult issues making it very hard to categorize the novel as "Young Adult" literature. For instance, it extensively covers the themes of sex, rape, murder, and even heavy alcohol drinking. With these issues “the Marbury Lens" book cannot fall under the category of Young Adults Literature.
This book does not fall under young adult's categories because of it extensive exposure and the theme of sex. Teens are left to carry out things on their own. Jack is only 16; his girlfriend Nickie is 17, and other kids around the same age. Again Nickie and her friend Rachel have a lot of freedom as no one is interested in their whereabouts and was the course of them having intercourse with their boyfriends. Smith (2010) gives a description of Jack and Cornnor relationship with their girlfriends Nickie and Rachel especially the night when Jack lost his virginity. This content cannot be consumed by young teens of 12 years to 15 years, since the writer covered every aspect of that night, as this will mess up with young people's brain making them to begin indulging in sexual behavior when still young.
Again, there are numerous references that Jack is gay. The fact that Jack and Cornnor occasionally call each other gay and using other vulgar language clearly points out this fact. Again, gay is portrayed when a man tries to grope Jack on a plane after misinterpreting his relationship with Cornnor and even when his kidnapper almost raped him (Smith, 2010). The teenagers will quickly try to test their curiosity after reading this book about gay. They will try to use the cuss, and vulgar words as a character in the book used them without understanding how and when they should use them hence polluting their minds.
Furthermore, the book displays cold blood murder in its context. In this book, Freddie Harvath, a man who kidnapped Jack is described as a serial killer. Meaning he has killed so many people and would kill when he like. Jack and Corn revenge and murder Freddie, bringing the theme of murder into display. Jack tells Nickie about his kidnapping. He says "hey, Nickie, did I tell you about how I got kidnapped by this guy named Freddie Harvath? And how he shot me with drugs and shocked me, and I thought I was going to die. But I got away from him. And then I and my best friend Cornnor killed him”. This content shows how easy it is for the characters to kill and gate away with it, and this might influence young adults into committing this crime. Hence, this book is categorically not falling under the Young Adult Literature.
In addition, the book also displays the incidence of rape in its context. It is clearly justified when Jack tell his girlfriend how he was kidnapped and almost violated by Freddie. Jack says, "----- And, oh yeah, he tried to rape, me too?"Rape in this book is used to show how people do not care about other person's life. Freddie attempted to rape Jack so as to satisfy his personal desire. Consequently, when young adults read this book they might get encouraged to carry this action. Hence putting them into problem and this clearly contradicts the category of Andrew Smiths book as it does not take care of the Young teenagers (Nieuwenhuizen, 2011).
The book does not fall under the group of the Young Adults literature because of the way it exposes the incidence drinking and addiction. Due to drunkenness Jack falls asleep on a bench in a park where he is picked up by stranger and later kidnapped. Again in London the two friends occasionally got drunk. The author Andrew Smith paints this picture in such a manner that a young adult reading this book will personally look at drinking as an act full of pleasure and prestige that they will eagerly try to copy; resulting into serious effect on their lives.
Conclusion
Also, a new classification teenagers and people should be formed. Teenagers between twelve years to fifteen years should have their books and articles. Those between sixteen years to eighteen years, Categorized as mature should have a more open and discursive subjects that are likely to be faced by an adult. Again, while writing his or her work, the author should be able to choose which kind of words to use when addressing which group of people (Nieuwenhuizen, 2011). When these measures are considered, the high number of teenagers getting spoilt will be decreased.
Works Cited
Picoult, Jodi. The Pact. New York: Avon Books, 2010. Print.
Nieuwenhuizen, Agnes. Right Book, Right Time. Crow’s Nest, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 2011 Print.
Smith, Andrew. The Marbury Lens. New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2010. Print.
