Dystopian fiction is not a new phenomenon in literature. A number of the classics fall squarely or loosely into this genre, but the popularity of dystopian titles among teenage readers has been on the upsurge in recent years. Why do so many readers gravitate towards a type of book that presents a world on the edge of despair?

Many parents wonder about their teenagers, especially if they're moving from one book to another in a popular book series that seems unremittingly dark and hopeless. Old classics like LORD OF THE FLIES or 1984 were very popular among past generations of readers. In the late 1940s and 1950s, a slew of titles reflected societal anxieties about the state of the world and the looming shadow of nuclear weapons and mutually assured destruction. Readers sought out titles that helped them to sort out the fears they themselves harbored but didn't want to admit to. And yet, the vast majority of these readers grew up to be positive contributors to society.

I read Nevil Shute's ON THE BEACH in the 1970s when I was in high school, but I didn't make the connection to the era in which it was published and the growing fears that came with the building arms race between the superpowers. In the 1970s, the nuclear freeze movement was in its infancy, and the idea of a small group of people still living in a briefly safe enclave as the fallout from a nuclear catastrophe spreads gradually around the globe cast an alluring spell that only a good book could. It was frightening and bittersweet at the same time, as characters realized and came to accept their impending mortality.

But it was, and is, also about characters that react to disaster in ways that can only foster hope. Today's great dystopian novels are largely written for teenagers and young adults because the market for this type of fiction lies most notably within that demographic. Noteworthy titles include Marcus Sedgwick's FLOODLAND, CITY OF EMBERS, THE EMPTY WORLD, DARK MATERIALS, and the up-to-date take on the excesses of technology run rampant, FEED.

Today's young readers--like yesterday's youth--are distrustful of adults, doubtful that today's leaders are on the right track, not prone to join their parents in a discussion of what to do about all the problems that surround them. And yet they are, no doubt, thinking about these problems. Reading "depressing" literature helps them to do that. They follow protagonists very much like themselves; characters thrust into situations that they didn't create, solving problems that are thrown at them, and trying to make sense of the landscapes that they inhabit. These novels follow well-worn paths, but the good ones utilize familiar scenery in new and interesting ways.

Parents shouldn't fear that their children will fall into pits of despair after reading these types of books. The good thing is that teenagers continue to challenge themselves by reading great works of fiction. Perhaps, at the same time, they are learning more about themselves and thinking what they would do in similar situations. Great books help to foster a spirit of positivism and an interest in getting involved to help change the world around them.

That this young generation is getting involved in social activism, politics, and volunteer work in numbers not seen before is no surprise. They are searching for answers in places both dark and light, and they are putting into practice their solutions until they find some that work.

Stephen Graff is a full-time public school teacher and writer living in Southern New Jersey with his wife and daughter. His new dystopian novel RIVER DAWN can be sampled and purchased at: http://www.riverdawnnovel.com/