Part-Time Indian. Criticism Content Mature themes in young adult fiction are often challenged. Conservative activists and religious groups criticize young adult fiction for violence, sexual content, homosexuality, and topics such as suicide. Speculative young adult fiction is sometimes targeted by critics for religious reasons, including religious debates over the Harry Potter series. Criticism is also leveled at young adult fiction authors for alleged insensitivity to marginalized communities or cultural appropriation. Diversity English language young adult fiction and children's literature in general have historically shown a lack of books with a main character who is a person of color, LGBT, or disabled. In the UK 90% of the best-selling YA titles from 2006 to 2016 featured white, able-bodied, cis-gendered, and heterosexual main characters. The numbers of children's book authors have shown a similar lack of diversity. Between 2006–2016, eight percent of all young adult authors published in the UK were people of color. Some consider diversity beneficial since it encourages children of diverse backgrounds to read and it teaches children of all backgrounds an accurate view of the world around them. In the mid-2010s, more attention was drawn to diversity from various quarters. In the several years following, diversity numbers seem to have increased: One survey showed that in 2017, a quarter of children's books were about minority protagonists, almost a 10% increase from 2016. Style Jack Zipes, a professor of German and literature, has criticized the standardized nature of young adult fiction in Western society. He writes that to become a phenomenon, a work has to "conform to the standards of exception set by the mass media and promoted by the culture industry in general." Zipes notes the similarities between Harry Potter and other well known heroes, such as Superman, David, Tom Thumb, Jack the Giant Killer, Aladdin, and the characters of Horatio Alger. Chris Crowe, a professor of English and young adult literature, describes criticism of young adult fiction as fear that the genre will replace classic works. He cites the availability of poorly written young adult fiction, as well as the genre's recency making it difficult for it to establish itself against classic literature. Awards See also Citations General and cited references Cart, Michael (1996). From Romance to Realism: 50 Years of Growth and Change in Young Adult Literature. New York: Harper Collins External links "In defense of mean-girl books", by Lianne George, Macleans, 15 October 2007. .