by Amandda
Given the theme of this issue of English Journal, I thought it would be fitting to use this column as a means of highlighting outstanding literature written for young adults that contains LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, queer/questioning) themes, or contains LGBTQ characters. The publication of YAL titles with LGBTQ content has risen significantly in recent years. According to Michael Cart and Christine A. Jenkins, the number of YAL titles with such content has been gradually increasing, so that in this decade the publication rate is nearly double the rate from the 1990s. Obviously these books are reaching an audience, as all good books should. We’re also seeing more and more books with LGBTQ themes MBT Shoes reach younger readers; more specifically, these books are deftly handling the notion that families come in a variety of forms.

While this trend is encouraging, many of these well-written and well-received titles are still censored or removed altogether from school and public libraries. This is unfortunate, for it robs some teachers and students of the opportunities to explore what it means to be young and gay (or questioning) in America. It also hinders classrooms that hope to foster respect and acceptance of all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. While some of these books may not make it into your curriculum, you can still keep them (or at least their titles) handy, in case you encounter students you think would enjoy, or even benefit from, reading about such compelling and honest characters and situations. Space prevents me from offering you as many titles as I would like, but hopefully these books can provide a good starting point for you and your students.

One of the most critically hailed books with LGBTQ characters from 2007 was Perry Moore’s debut novel, Hero (Hyperion). This book won the Lambda Literary Foundation’s 2007 award in the LGBT Children’s/Young Adult category, and for good reason. Moore presents a truly inventive premise: Thom, a teen just coming to terms with his sexuality, is the son of a superhero, with superpowers of his own. He’s still trying to understand those and is soon chosen as an apprentice to the League of Superheroes; he has to grow up quickly when someone begins murdering superheroes. While the story is fantasy-driven, Thorn’s awkward exploration of his feelings presents a realistic portrait of a young man wrestling with his new feelings and identity.

In another book nominated for the Lambda Literary Foundation award from 2007, P. E. Ryan’s Saints of Augustine (Harper, 2007), Sam and Charlie were once best friends, but Sam abruptly ended their friendship when he found himself becoming attracted to Charlie. The boys both have family issues to Clearance MBT Shoes deal with (Sam’s father leaves the family to be with his boyfriend), and eventually crises in their lives bring them back to their friendship. Ryan has crafted a strong story about a young man on the brink of coming out, with the boys’ storylines intersecting skillfully throughout the novel. Two other nominated books have been discussed previously in this column: Peter Cameron’s Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You (Farrar, 2007), and James St. James’s Freak Show (Button, 2007).

Lu Vickers has described her 2007 novel, Breathing Underwater (Alyson Books), as more of a mother-daughter horror story than a gay novel. Still, Lili has to seek her identity under the shadow of her mentally unstable mother, who watched as Lili nearly drowned as a young child and who becomes progressively more demented over the course of the novel. Even with all the grim realities that Lili must face, Vickers tells her story with a wry sense of humor.

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