Zoulfa Katouh and Elizabeth-Irene Baitie discuss empathy, authentic teenage voices, and tackling difficult themes for young readers at Sharjah International Book Fair.
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates — Teenage readers should not be underestimated or shielded from difficult realities, authors Zoulfa Katouh and Elizabeth-Irene Baitie told audiences at the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2026), arguing that young adult literature offers a safe space to confront complex experiences while respecting adolescents’ growing independence.
Speaking during a session titled ‘Why Write for Sixteen?’, moderated by Dr. Lamya Tawfik, the two writers examined the craft of writing for audiences transitioning between childhood and adulthood. Both emphasized that emotional authenticity matters far more than imitating passing trends in youth culture.
For Syrian-Canadian author Katouh, writing for young people is rooted in representation and empathy. Growing up, she rarely encountered protagonists who reflected her background beyond familiar stereotypes—an absence that later inspired her novel As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow, which examines the realities facing young people in Syria.
“I wanted to teach empathy to children and to teachers as well,” Katouh said, explaining that fiction helps young people understand classmates and communities with different lived experiences. “Stories are magical,” she added.
Both authors rejected the notion that heavy themes belong exclusively in adult fiction. Katouh pointed out that teenagers are frequently underestimated in their capacity to process real-world hardships such as grief, displacement, and loss, which do not wait until adulthood to occur.
“Books are kind of like a safe space to explore these themes,” she said, noting that stories allow young readers to engage with difficult realities at their own pace.
Ghanaian author Baitie echoed that view, describing adolescence as a vital period for storytelling because young people begin questioning assumptions and asserting independence.
“You are at that point where you can challenge the people who have always told you, ‘You can do this’ or ‘You cannot do that’,” Baitie said. She also warned against treating age brackets rigidly, noting that a 13-year-old who has faced bereavement, poverty, or hardship brings vastly different life experience to a book than an older peer.
Capturing an authentic adolescent perspective requires consciously stripping away adult hindsight, Baitie explained.
“Does this feel true to me as a 56-year-old sitting in the skin of a 14-year-old?” she asked. “Where am I bringing in the wisdom of an extra 40 years that this child would not have had?”
To ensure their work endures, both writers avoid leaning heavily on contemporary teenage slang, which can rapidly date a novel. While digital platforms and expressions evolve, Katouh said the core emotional challenges of growing up remain constant across generations.
“The struggles of a teenager are also timeless,” she said.
Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair runs from November 4 to 15 at Expo Centre Sharjah under the theme ‘Made of Stories’, with the Sultanate of Oman as Guest of Honour. The event gathers 3,212 publishers and exhibitors from 126 countries, displaying more than 1.7 million titles alongside 1,500 cultural, creative, and artistic events featuring 106 guests from 25 nations.
