Sexuality and Socialism: History, Politics, and Theory of LGBT Liberation
Posted by: John on: November 8, 2009
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Wolf, Sherry. Sexuality and Socialism: History, Politics, and Theory of LGBT Liberation. 2009. 333p. Haymarket Books, $12.00. (978-1-931859-79-0). Gr. 10-12.
Despite the political struggles of the past half century for GLBT individuals to achieve equality with others and the gains made during that time, the discrimination, as evidenced in marriage and military laws, continue. In this series of essays, Wolf describes this past and argues for a full liberation of human sexuality. Clearly written, this concise collection pursues a variety of areas including the state’s repression of glbtq individuals, the work of the Gay Liberation Front to relate this repression with other repressed groups, the movement of those “tolerant” of glbt individuals to keep them from equal rights, the question of biological reasons for being glbt with a description of how people are shaped through environment, and the need to fight for glbt people to stand up and fight. Throughout her essays, Wolf shows how the existing discrimination comes from a strong class society. Her revolutionary ideas, meant to spark strong opinions and discussion in readers, will be eye-opening for young adults.
At Least in the City Somewone Would Hear Me Scream
Posted by: John on: November 8, 2009
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Rouse, Wade. At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream: Misadventures in Search of the Simple Life. 2009. 301p. Harmony House, $23.99. (978-0-307-45190-3). Gr. 10-12.
This hilarious memoir by the author of America’s Boy, an earlier Rainbow selection, covers a year in Michigan when Rouse and his partner, Gary, leave their city home in St. Louis for the idyllic rustic life. Rouse uses Henry David Thoreau’s Walden as a basis for ten “life lessons” for his determination to change from the selfish, shopping-crazy urban gay to a caring, happy writer satisfied with a more minimalist environment. Fortunately for the humor, he maintains his flamboyant attitude as the two men circumvent the rural culture in a mutual education for all. As he details his current humiliations and victories, Rouse connects these to his struggles of growing up gay in the Ozarks.
Wanderlust: A Beautiful Americans Novel
Posted by: John on: November 8, 2009
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Silag, Lucy. Wanderlust: A Beautiful Americans Novel. 2009. 277p. RazorBill, $16.99. (978-1-59514-223-8). Gr. 10-12.
Alex, Jay, Zack, and Olivia—American exchange high school students at a Paris school—search throughout the French countryside for their friend, Penelope Jane (aka PJ) who finds herself in danger when she finds her sister. But PJ is not the only one in danger: Alex’s host parents, who can destroy anyone who crosses them, may destroy all of them. The focus on these five young people comes from their search for some place to belong, including Zack’s decision to briefly run away to Amsterdam where he hopes to openly express his homosexuality.
Inferno
Posted by: John on: November 8, 2009
Stevenson, Robin. Inferno. 2009. 229p. Orca, $12.95. (978-1-55469-077-0). Gr. 9-12.
At 14, Emily lived in a city, enjoying the freedom. A little more than a year later, she is alone in a conservative high school after Beth, her best friend and secret lover, moved away. Her solution to this misery is to change her name to Dante, face down the bullying teachers, and make friends with Parker, a high school dropout who wants to fight the establishment. When Dante becomes infatuated on Parker, she tries to save her friend from the abusive relationship with her boyfriend, but Parker claims she loves him while she flirts with Dante. The book covers a variety of personal and social issues: unhealthy friendships, well-intentioned parents and their misunderstanding, homophobia, bullying teachers, abusive relationships, and social activism.
The Ring
Posted by: John on: November 8, 2009
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Pyron, Bobbie. The Ring. 2009. 253p. Westside Books, $15.95. (978-1-934813-09-6).
Angry to the point of self-destruction, 15-year-old Mardie loses her resentment of her “perfect” older brother, Michael, when she takes up boxing and then discovers that Michael is gay. Through her training to gain strategy and mental discipline in the ring, Mardie works through her emotional pain, her friend’s rejection, and her parents’ lack of understanding toward a sense of strength and fearlessness. Although the focus is on Mardie, her growing relationship with Michael after she finds that he is gay and her protective attitude toward him when he is bullied shows the importance of family unity around a young glbtq person.
Crash Into Me
Posted by: John on: November 8, 2009
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Borris, Albert. Crash into Me. 2009. 257p. Simon Pulse, $16.99. (978-1-4169-7435-2). Gr. 10-12.
Four teenagers—who connect on the internet—take an odyssey across the United States to visit the sites of celebrity suicides before they kill themselves in Death Valley. The four in the suicide pact couldn’t be more different: isolated Owen, the narrator; lying Audrey, the only one of the four who actually didn’t attempt suicide; Korean-American Jin-Ae, a scholarly lesbian; and alcoholic Frank, the driver. Their bonding from the closeness of the two weeks changes their self-perceptions and their need for death. Background is provided by past emails among them as they switch from totally depressive to finding hope in a future. A student assistance counselor, the author knows his characters and his audience and eloquently speaks to them.
Without Sin
Posted by: John on: November 8, 2009
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Tomas, J. Without Sin. 2009. 240p. Prizm, $13.95. (1-60370-684-4). Gr. 10-12.
Sixteen-year-old Jacob Smithson, a boy with a temper, falls passionately in lust—and love—with 18-year-old Avery Dendritch on the first day of classes at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Boarding School for Boys where he was sent after being kicked out of public school for fighting. Throughout the fall, their relationship deepens as they continue to risk being outed because their attraction becomes more and more obvious to the other students. The book focuses on their romance and the reactions to it with the primary conflict being whether Jacob can keep from attacking others because of their rumors and slurs. The descriptions are thorough and realistic in this narration of two gays exploring their bodies and their need for each other.
Transitions
Posted by: John on: November 8, 2009
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Drummond, Mara Christine. Transitions: A Guide to Transitioning for Transsexuals and Their Families. 2009. 127p. Lulu.com, $16.50. (978-0-557-05261-5). Gr. 10+.
People who have a gender identity that differs from their physical gender suffer a great deal of stress in determining what steps to take for a happier life. Drummond provides a dispassionate directive that begins with definitions and descriptions of incongruent gender identity and follows through with emotional, financial, and physical implications of transitioning from beginning to end. Subjects include coming out to family and friends, maintaining employment, dealing with sex and religion, passing with a new gender identity. The author does not try to sugarcoat the transgender person’s path but does provide her perspective for the point of view of someone who has experienced the journey. The book is useful not only for people considering a gender change but also for those who wish to understand people who cannot fit into their body.
Tales of the Madman Underground
Posted by: John on: November 8, 2009
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Barnes, John. Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance 1973. 2009. 532p. Viking, $18.99. (978-0-670-06081-8). Gr. 9-12.
Karl Shoemaker’s goal as a senior is to be normal and separate himself from his therapy group that started in fourth grade. But can he deal with his alcoholic, hippy widowed mother who keeps stealing his earning from his five jobs, and can he keep the friends he made in the Madman Underground group if he doesn’t attend the group anymore? The wealth of details in this hilarious noir novel comes from the characters and the disastrous events in Karl’s life as he copes with all the pieces of his life. He feels responsible for his friends who need to find a place to sleep because they are locked up or afraid of being beaten or sexually abused. One of his tasks is to protect his gay friend, Paul, when he solicits males for money in nearby Toledo. The reader feels as overwhelmed as Karl in this timeless coming-of-age epic.
A Vigil for Joe Rose
Posted by: kthorning on: November 1, 2009
Whatling, Michael. A Vigil for Joe Rose: Stories of Being Out in High School. 2009. 201 p. iUniverse, $15.95 (9781440107855-9), Gr 9-12.
Whatling gathered life stories about what it was like to be out in high school from seven male students in Montreal, and retold their stories in this volume, maintaining as much of their own true voices. Also included is a novella about a popular charismatic gay boy who starts a GSA at his high school, told from the point of view of another boy who joins the club just to be close to its founder. Interspersed throughout are pages from a fictional notebook belonging to Joe Rose, a young gay activist who was murdered on a city bus by a gang of teens in 1989, who speaks from beyond the grave to give courage to today’s young gay men. —KT Horning