Twilight

               See that title? These days, that word seems to spark either a slew of insults or a bombardment of defensive gushing. My own personal opinion is a definite middle- as Isabella Swan says, "I am Switzerland." A few years back, I was definitely a die hard twi-hard, but I fell back from the girlish, squealing fan base when I figured out what the Twilight saga really is: pretty fun to fall into, but not so great as your life's passion. I have to admit, the series is fun to make fun of, but I don't think it deserves total, immediate rebuff. You can say what you want about the flaws of Meyer's writing, or the complete lack of flaws in the main characters, but the fact remains that Twilight got people reading, people who otherwise might not have picked up a book. The series has acted, for some, like a gateway drug (in a good way!) to better novels.
               Besides, Twilight never claimed to be the next great American novel: it's a overly dramatic teen love story, complete with sparkling vampires, and a public service announcement about abstinence. It's a fad like any other, whether it's acid-wash jeans or Flowers in the Attic- liking it doesn't make you stupid or a conformist, disliking it doesn't make you cool. All of the open, cynical hate against Twilight has, for one, flamed the fire and drawn even more attention to the series, and two, made people who like it feel insecure about something they enjoy. That's something I don't think reading should be about. One of the best things about books is the fact that there are so many different ways to interpret them; you should brand a story good or bad depending on whether or not you liked it, not because of the opinion of the media or other teenagers who are just as obsessed about something else.

"Please, go take an AP Lit class or pick up a novel by Austen or Hurston and you'll understand...or maybe you won't, Twilight Fans tend to be lacking in brain cells." - user submitted definition from urbandictionary.com

How is all that negativity and hate better than a simple trashy romance novel?

               I am here to say that there is a poster with Edward Cullen's face on it on my bedroom wall, I am awaiting the finished Midnight Sun, and I will be seeing Breaking Dawn with my friends after its release. I am a literary savvy bookworm who happens to like Twilight, and I am PROUD! 

p.s. And for crying out loud, people- in no way does it threaten (or in any way compare) to Harry Potter!