What is Amy Reed reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Amy Reed, author of the YA novel Beautiful.

Her entry begins:

I usually try to alternate between reading Young Adult and Adult novels, though distinguishing between the genres seems a little silly to me at times. The only consistent difference seems to be that YA is always about teens, while adult literature is only sometimes always about adults. There’s a perception that YA is somehow less serious or “literary,” while in truth the variation in style, subject and quality is infinite.

I just finished the YA novel The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams. It’s the story of Kyra, a 13-year old girl growing up in an isolated polygamist cult and doomed to become the 7th wife of her 60-year-old uncle. It’s a complex and heart-wrenching look into one girl’s struggle for truth and freedom—not usually what you think of as “kids’ stuff.” I could...[read on]

Amy Reed's short work has been published in journals such as Kitchen Sink, Contrary, and Fiction.

Beautiful was released October 6, 2009. Among the early praise for the novel:

"BEAUTIFUL is stark, disquieting and, quite simply, riveting. Amy Reed is an author to keep on your radar."
--Ellen Hopkins, best-selling author of Crank, Burned, Glass, and Impulse

"A latter-day Go Ask Alice, BEAUTIFUL is raw, gritty, and powerful, an intense ice-pick jab to the heart. I was terrified for Cassie and captivated at the same time by Amy Reed's luminous prose. A stunning debut and a must-read. A writer to be watched!"
--R.A. Nelson, author of Teach Me

Visit Amy Reed's website and blog.

Writers Read: Amy Reed.

--Marshal Zeringue