Mapping A History of Adolescence and Literature for Adolescents

W hen I was twelve, my parents called my brother and me into the living room, sat us between each of them on the couch, and explained that they were going to live apart from then on. I remember taking the news matter-of-factly, my stomach churning over and over, but on the surface trying to be a "grown-up," supportive of their needs by appearing mature. My nine-year-old brother cried. And when I went back into my bedroom, closed the door, and crawled into bed, I cried, too. I cried for me and I also cried for my mother and father. I wondered how they would survive without each other. I thought about each of them living alone, separated, and rising to the challenges that be­ ing a couple seemed to protect one from. On the playground the next day I was terrified and em­ barrassed that someone might find out that my parents were splitting up. It was 1973, and divorce in Oklahoma was not yet as common as it would soon be in the United States. That was when a classmate, Lisa, who had lost her older brother the summer before in a swimming accident, came over and asked me what was wrong. I told her what had happened as we walked together towards the edge of the playground. I expected her to understand because of what she had been through. She did, or seemed to at the time, and promised to keep my family secret. Of course, two days later, several of Lisa's friends told me they were sorry. Sorry for what? I asked, wishing I had never told anyone in the first place. This story is a memory, like many of my adolescent memo­ ries, that emphasizes the way adolescents cope, survive, trust, and regret, not unlike adults, who they are in the act of be­ coming. The roads connecting age eleven to fourteen are long and endless when we are in the middle. Looking back on the pit stops, break downs, and side roads that I took during my own adolescence makes me want to forget those days, but sometimes, these memories can elicit important reminders of why I am the adult I am today. Today, as an English language arts teacher of adolescents, I've found it helpful to explore the historical terrains of both adolescence and the contempo­ rary fictions adults have created for adolescents. In the fol­ lowing pages, I've provided an historical overview of these areas of study for teachers who, like myself, look to the past and the present in order to prepare and imagine possible fu­ tures.