Every Day by David Levithan

I usually love David Levithan’s books.  And I definitely started off loving this book, too.  It was great to see an author who would help teens empathize with the people around them by creating a character who lived inside a different body every day and got to experience life from so many different angles.  That is, until I got to the day where “A.” woke up as a fat person.  I was horrified that Levithan showed so much more compassion for a heroin addict than for someone who weighed “at least 300 pounds.”  I mean, I just don’t understand Levithan could insinuate that readers should be more accepting of all the complications that arose from A. living in bodies of people from different ethnicities, socioeconomic classes, and sexual orientations and then be so downright cruel in his descriptions when A. woke up in a fat body.  If a person is addicted to food, which this kid Finn very well could have been, just imagine how much harder it could be for him to exist anywhere in society.  A heroin addict can always go to rehab and then move away from the area where s/he is likely to run in to his/her old drug dealer and druggie friends…  But a fat person can never get away from food — it’s necessary to eat if you want to live!  Don’t understand how I can be so livid?  Take this paragraph for instance:

When I finally take a look around and take a look inside, I’m not very excited about what I see.  Finn Taylor has retreated from most of the world; his size comes from negligence and laziness, a carelessness that would be pathological if it had any meticulousness to it.  While I am sure if I access deep enough I will find some well of humanity, all I can see on the surface is the emotional equivalent of a burp.

Sure, Finn could be lazy.  But it’s also likely that there is *something* that caused him to “[retreat] from most of the world” and let himself go.  I’m sure some people probably love this story and aren’t very upset by this chapter, but I am completely pissed at David Levithan right now.

Happy Reading!

 

P.S. I decided to do a quick search to see if anyone else out there had similar feelings about this book, and I was happy to find this review — http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2012/08/body-image-and-every-day-by-david.html — in which Christie Gibrich reacted with just as much indignation as me.  So, yay that someone agrees with me, but boo that this is even an issue!  /sigh

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

Since I heard last night that Rhode Island legalized gay marriage, I thought a review of a book focused on GLBTQ issues was in order this morning!

Liz was born female, but has always felt male.  Being Liz in public and being Gabe inside was very difficult, but Liz started to make the transition to Gabe in 12th grade.  Having an understanding best friend helped a lot, but having a family that still used female pronouns and refused to use the name “Gabe” was pretty hard.  When the next door neighbor, a fellow music nut named John, found Liz a radio show on a local community radio station, it presented an excellent opportunity for Gabe to come out…  But, it also meant that Liz would have to find a way to tell John about Gabe sooner rather than later.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children was not just a radio show.  It was Gabe’s chance to introduce himself to the world and to work through his feelings with music.  Before long, Gabe had fans — the Ugly Children’s Brigade — who would perform random acts of crazy art in honor of his show.  It gave him quite a confidence boost to know that people liked the “real” him.  Unfortunately, a casual date with a member of the UCB threatened to ruin everything when the girl recognized Gabe as Liz and spread the word on the UCB fan page.  I won’t ruin the ending by telling you exactly how things played out, but I am sure you can guess [based on real life] that Gabe’s life got pretty tough after that.

I loved the realistic portrayal of Liz/Gabe’s struggle, the supportive best friend, and the fantastic “soundtrack” throughout.  As a former college radio DJ, I especially appreciated the authentic setting of the run-down community radio station and Gabe’s trials and tribulations while he got used to being on air.  I had more than a couple of “been there, done that” moments as I read this book. 

Happy Reading!

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

I thought this would be a good book to review on Valentine’s Day, since it had a lot to do with love.  Sadly, though, it was mostly about how love was off limits for Cameron Post.  Why?  Because of the strict Evangelical Christian views of her family [and the majority of people in small-town Miles City, Montana].  This belief system was so apparent that, even before she truly understood what homosexuality was, Cameron knew her feelings for other girls were unacceptable to the people around her.  So much, in fact, that her first reaction to hearing her parents had died in a car crash was relief.  Why relief?  Because her parents’ sudden death meant they would never find out she had kissed her best friend, Irene, earlier that day.  Cameron tried to lie to herself and was able to pass for “normal” for a while, but she finally admitted to herself that she was a lesbian because of a friendship/fling with an out-and-proud Seattle girl she met through swim team.

SPOILER

ALERT!

While it was interesting to read about how Cameron discovered and came to grips with her sexuality, it was devastating to read about her stay at God’s Promise — a church camp that was supposed “cure” Cameron of her homosexuality.  Although this story is fictional, it is based on a reality too many young people face.  I look forward to a day when all people can feel free to love whomever they love, regardless of gender, but I fear this will not be for a long time yet.  In the meantime, at least GLBTQ teens have stories like these to help them through the hard times they are sure to face.

Happy Reading… and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Queer: The Ultimate LGBT Guide for Teens by Kathy Belge and Marke Bieschke

Not only does this book receive my YA Librarian Seal of Approval for including lots of factual information and providing helpful resources for the teens who need them, but it also receives the Queer Teen Seal of Approval from one of my patrons.  He saw the book sitting out on my desk [as I was about to start my review] and asked if he could look at it.  I decided to hold off on my review until after he and I had a chance to discuss what he thought of the book.  I figured this was the perfect test, after all, because he is currently in the process of coming out to his friends and is trying to figure out when/how he will come out to his family.  After about an hour, he returned and told me, “It’s awesome!”  He went on to say that he liked how it was “pretty much a ‘how to’ guide for gay teens.”  I smiled and said, “That’s pretty much the idea!”  So, yeah…  I think this book is a “must own” for all libraries that serve teens — whether you think you have queer teens or not.

Happy Reading!

It’s Our Prom (So Deal With It) by Julie Anne Peters

Told from the alternating perspectives of two friends, Azure and Luke, this book gives readers a behind-the-scenes view of prom planning like you’ve never seen before.  Not only do we get to read about all the crazy details that have to be worked out and the astounding amounts of money that are often spent on proms, but we also get to witness prom history as Azure gets permission from the principal to rework the traditional senior prom into an “alternative prom.” The “alternative prom” idea was their attempt to appeal to a greater percentage of the senior class instead of just the popular/rich kids who usually attend.  From lowering the cost of attendance, to making an effort to include GLBT classmates, to offering unique activities like karaoke, the Prom Com really went all out… but some people didn’t appreciate their efforts.  When some parents start to complain, Mr. Rosen [the Prom Com advisor] gets replaced, and the new advisor is less than enthused about their unique ideas.  Will they be able to pull it off, or will their “alternative prom” get cancelled?

Happy Teen Read Week!