Young Adults: Can they read about real life? Or should we protect them?

I came across this article by one of my all-time favorite authors and creators, Sherman Alexie.  He wrote the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (A National Book Award winner) which I highly recommend and may review later :) Alexie discussed whether teens should be exposed to real life, gritty happenings in literature and his answer was yes.  He said,

"And now I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers. I don’t write to protect them. It’s far too late for that. I write to give them weapons–in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed."

To see the full article follow this link to the Wall Street Journal: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/06/09/why-the-best-kids-books-are-written-in-blood/