Drama Queers!
Posted by: Laurie on: October 31, 2009
- In: 2009
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Polito, Frank Anthony. Drama Queers! 2009. 416 p. Kensington, $15.00 (9780758231642). Gr. 9-12.
You don’t have to a be a thespian to enjoy the transformation of band fag Bradley Dayton to “Brad-licious” when he is smitten by the acting bug. Determined to become a star his senior year, Brad is the diva of drama queers, interviewing at Julliard, kissing strangers and wondering about a familiar face. While his best friend Jack won’t admit he is gay, Brad doesn’t lie – much – about his sexuality. And with a certain kiss, Brad realizes his life will never be the same. Set in 1987, Polito is a master at spinning Brad’s story with the popular vinyls of the period. While Drama Queers! is a standalone read, start with Band Fags!–Laurie Spurling
Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude
Posted by: Laurie on: October 31, 2009
Winter, Jonah. Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude. Il. Calef Brown. unp. Atheneum, $16.99 (9781416940883). Gr. K-3.
Gertrude is a lyrical introduction to Stein’s prose and a visual treat featuring Picasso and Matisse as a few of the prominent guests who visited the Stein/Toklas salon in Paris. Their life together with Basket, the poodle, is a creative existence nurtured by Toklas’ service to Stein. The only thing missing from this homage is a kiss or gesture that speaks to the depth of their “companionship”. Fortunately, a family is a family is a family is a family, and kids can spot a family even if they aren’t told the dear nicknames Stein (“Lovey”) and Toklas (“Pussy”) had for one another.-Laurie Spurling
RAGE
Posted by: Laurie on: October 31, 2009
- In: 2009
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Peters, Julie Anne. RAGE: A Love Story. 2009. 304 p. Knopf, $16.99 (9780375852091). Gr. 10-12.
Johanna spends time in her alternative universe, Joyland, while Reeves lives in real-time, seeking refuge in a space called the Pit. When fantasy and reality collide, all the romantic, alluring, gorgeous and exciting expectations turn to painful, desperate hard rage. Themes of obsession, ragged violence including child abuse will make some readers thankful RAGE is a work of fiction; however, there will be teen readers who will thank Peters for telling their truth.-Laurie Spurling
Freaks and Revelations
Posted by: michaelfrombrooklyn on: October 31, 2009
- In: 2009
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Hurwin, Davida Wills. Freaks and Revelations. November 2009. 240 p. Little, Brown and Company, 16.99 (9780316049962)
Told in alternating first person accounts, this is the story of two teenagers in California from 1973 to 2005. One is an angry neo-Nazi punk rocker and the other is a thirteen year old gay hustler thrown out of his house by his mother. The story begins with the characters as children, follows them to their violent first encounter, and ends with their peaceful reunion years later. Based on a true story, Davida Wills Hurwin gives the reader more than a tv movie of the week treatment, but a sensitive and revealing portrait of two characters dealing with deep emotional scars. Along the journey, there is family dysfunction, religious zealotry, self discovery, rejection, and finally, forgiveness and redemption.–Michael Santangelo
How Beautiful the Ordinary
Posted by: michaelfrombrooklyn on: October 31, 2009
- In: 2009
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Cart, Michael. How Beautiful the Ordinary: twelve stories of identity. October 2009. 368 p. Harper Teen, $16.99 (978-0-06-115498-0). Gr. 9-12.
Watching two lovers exchange words in the night. The excitement of your first kiss, your first sexual experience, your first Dyke March. Meeting someone new on myspace. The stories from Michael Cart’s new collection relate to the variety of identities and experiences in the LGBTQ community: transgendered, gay, lesbian, questioning , but also the variety of experiences of being human: love, regret, betrayal, discovery. Contributors include well known names from young adult literature: Francesca Lia Block, Margo Lanagan, David Levithan, Jackie Woodson, Julie Ann Peters, and Gregory Maguire. Most of the entries are short stories, but Cart has included two graphic stories and a novella (Maguire’s piece). While the reader will have favorites among the collection, it would be difficult to think of one that was not worth the read. Not only is each strong in language and character, all the stories are true page turners, with the reader hardly able to wait to see what happens on the next page or in the next story. —Michael Santangelo
Tillman County Fire
Posted by: Laurie on: October 30, 2009
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Ehrenberg, Pamela. Tillmon County Fire. 2009. 175 p. Eerdmans, $9.00 (9780802853455). Gr. 8-12.
With the tenth anniversary of the Columbine shootings in Colorado, Ehrenberg’s tale of an anti-gay hate crime set in West Virginia is a timely, cautionary reminder that bullying and harassment can ignite violence anywhere. Told through the perspectives of eight teens, the story of arson features fear, homophobia, grief and loss. Everyone is hiding something about themselves except for Rob, the new gay student in town, who tells his story in free verse. The postscript by Rebekah, the babysitter, will have those who rush to judgement feeling compassion for the least likable character.-Laurie Spurling
Finlater
Posted by: John on: October 29, 2009
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Ruff, Shawn Stewart. Finlater. July 2008. 292 p. Quote Editions, $15.50 (978-1604023954). Gr. 9-12.
Cliffy Douglas is a 13-year-old African-American living in Cincinnati in the 1970’s who becomes friends with a Jewish schoolmate, Noah Baumgarten. As their relationship develops, Cliffy and Noah begin a love affair that must navigate their newfound sense of sexual identity, dysfunctional family situations, and the racial and homophobic prejudices and dangers surrounding them. Despite the cultural and sexual intolerances they encounter, Cliffy and Noah are carried through by their love for each other. A tender and touching story told in sparse and raw language. –Victor Schill
Blue Boy
Posted by: John on: October 29, 2009
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Satyal, Rakesh. Blue Boy. 2009. 276 p. Kensington, $15.00 (978-0-7582-3136-9). Gr. 9-12.
In this coming-of-age and coming out story, Kiran Sharma is a 12-year-old Indian-American kid who likes to play with his mother’s makeup, attend ballet classes, and play with dolls. Awkward and beginning to sense his orientation, he feels like an outcast with his parents and their all-Indian world, and also with his classmates at the almost all-white Martin Van Buren Elementary School he attends. When the annual talent show at the school is announced, Kiran decides to create and perform a ballet based on the blue-skinned Hindu deity, Krishnaji, in the hope to impress his parents and schoolmates. As he prepares his costume, practices playing the flute like Krishnaji, and creates dance moves with a Whitney Houston song as background music, Kiran comes to believe that the reason he has trouble fitting in with his family and peers is because he really is different—that he is the reincarnation of Krishnaji. As his skin literally turns a bluish tint, Kiran’s illusions grow until the climatic talent show and his realization that it is not necessary for everyone to be the same and that a person’s peculiarities are unique treasures. Funny and tragic, Kiran is a character hard to forget. –Victor Schill
Gringa
Posted by: Laurie on: October 29, 2009
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Hart, Melissa. Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood. 2009. 288 p. Seal Press, $16.95 (9781580052948). Gr. 8-12.
“Palabras son libertades,” murmurs Melissa’s mother. “Words are freedom.” Melissa’s memoir shares her freedom ride as the White girl of a homosexual mother and an angry father in 1970s Southern California. The prejudice against homosexual parents limits Melissa’s time with her mother. Melissa yearns for her mother and the Latino culture her mother has embraced…the colors, flavors, music and language conflicts with Melissa’s WASP reality. And what about her sexual identity – is Melissa straight or gay – can she be someone other than what she is called to be – herself? Melissa doesn’t want to be a “tourist” and instead, prefers to be a “citizen of the world.” Melissa learns the cost of such a journey is paid with currency from the heart.-Laurie Spurling
Finding Out
Posted by: Laurie on: October 29, 2009
- In: 2009
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Meem, Deborah T., Michelle A. Gibson and Jonathan F. Alexander. Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBT Studies. 2009. 480 p. SAGE, $48.95 (9781412938655). Gr. 10-12.
While marketed as an introductory textbook for lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender (LGBT) studies, Finding Out handily serves as a reference tool. Each chapter includes a selection of readings supporting topics from the ancient world order to the politics of Queer space. Additional chapter references, a tight glossary and generous index further support inquiry. This is not an encyclopedia and some may find the theoretical discourse challenging. If you are looking for more than a discussion of tolerance and “value how queer visions help us see the world..intellectually, politically, and personally”…start with Finding Out.- Laurie Spurling