Young adult literature is an ever-evolving genre that continues to push boundaries and controversial trends. The term “young adult” was first coined in the 1960s and was defined as “realistic fiction set in the contemporary real world and addressing problems, issues, and life circumstances of interest to young readers aged the ages of twelve and eighteen” (Cart). . Young adult readers of the past read publications like Zindel's The Pigman (1968) and Cormier's The Chocolate War (1974), while the 1960s and 1970s were more about coming of age and the journey to adulthood , while today's novels highlight the journey itself. With the introduction of the Internet and advances in modern technology and science, young adult literature has also developed as adolescents redefine themselves and their roles in society (Avoli-Miller). Contemporary young adult literature has evolved over the past sixty years from novels like The Outsiders to The Hunger Games, which offers young adult readers a window through which they can better examine their lives and the world around them than the novel problematic adolescent in which complicated issues are often depicted in black and white. The young adult genre began after World War II at a time when teenagers were recognized as a distinct group: teenagers. Many beginning young adult novels focus on post-war adolescent phenomena such as drinking, smoking, and premarital sex, which emphasize the newfound defiance and rebellion of the early young adult protagonists. J.D. Salinger's 1951 novel, The Catcher in the Rye, caught the attention of young adults in the 1950s with an adolescent plot not yet represented in literature. The novel's mature content and teenage angst in an era still... middle of paper... novels today, still have a profound impact on the way young adult literature has evolved and how Today's literature has evolved. been modeled. Once-taboo topics from the past, such as sex and drugs, are now available for teenagers to read about and question as they attempt to discover their true identities. Questions like "Who am I?" and “What is my place in the world?” they often resonate through young adult and new adult novels and “give students the opportunity to explore new ideas and philosophies” (Avoli-Miller). These novels provide learning moments for young adults regarding characters and situations. The challenges of love, rejection, bullying, family, coming of age, and other pivotal moments of adolescence shown in modern literature give a voice to today's youth instead of asking them to suffer in silence like many protagonists of problematic novels of the past.