Figured Worlds of Addiction: A Content Analysis of 10 Young Adult Literature Texts

• In Event: Explorations of Past and Future: Narrative Spaces of Teaching and Learning

Abstract

As awareness around representation in YAL increases, understanding how stories socially construct identities and experiences is important to explore. Stories potentially alter readers’ perception of people who have been historically marginalized and/or silenced and we posit the social construction of an “addict” is a vulnerable community that YA can push readers to expand their understanding of. This critical content analysis draws on figured worlds to explore 10 YAL novels that center protagonists experiencing addiction or recovery. Through analysis, we develop three themes that demonstrate a lack of nuance around textually figured worlds of youth addicts. Implications include connections to health care access, racial representation across our data corpus, and initiating conversations in K-12 classrooms around addiction and recovery.

Authors

• Arianna Banack, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

• Daniel Moore, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Amanda Rigell, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville