Originally, I had set out to create a booklist similar to what I had done for my multicultural course here, since both courses have a long-form book review assignment in addition to the class-wide reads we all read and discuss as a group. You can learn more about the class-wide reads for this course in the guest post I did over at http://www.gayya.org/.
I had planned to start from scratch, using my own personal library as a base and building from there. But, given my relatively limited resources, I knew I wouldn't have the variety I was looking for. Since I'm already in the midst of research using Stonewall Book Award and Rainbow Book List titles for a paper I'll be presenting at YALSA's 2016 Young Adult Services Symposium in November, I had a spreadsheet my graduate assistant had created of the titles since 2010.
Using that spreadsheet as a base, I could add winners and finalists from the Lambda Literary Awards and have a great list. Or so I thought...
Once I took a moment and started looking at the titles I'd compiled, after adding just a few of the current Lammys, I started noticing that there were some problematic titles on the list--a lot of them. There was no shortage of "acceptance" narratives written by cisgender writers, there were a number of coming out 1.0 stories, and there were a lot of straight authors and titles I knew I had had some issues with while reading.
I started deleting titles (I won't go into which ones) but realized that I could use this problematic list to help students better understand the issues they will be facing when selecting GLBTIQ titles. Here was a list of award and notable books (things we tell students to look for when selecting) that still sent up yellow and red flags.
I included the following two paragraphs on the page where a student signs up for their title to review:
You may also read any winner or finalist of the Lambda Literary Awards in the following categories: lesbian fiction, gay fiction, bisexual fiction, bisexual nonfiction, transgender fiction, LGBT nonfiction, transgender nonfiction, lesbian memoir/biography, OR gay memoir/biography.
Note: Some of the titles on this list are problematic in various ways we've been learning about in this course. Your reviews should make note of the ways in which the title you reviewed may be problematic to particular readers.
The List
Title
|
Author
|
37 Things I Love (In No
Particular Order)
|
Magoon, Kekla
|
a + e 4ever
|
Merey, Ilike
|
Afterworlds
|
Westerfeld, Scott
|
Alex as Well
|
Brugman, Alyssa
|
Almost Perfect
|
Katcher, Brian
|
Another Life Altogether
|
Beale, Elaine
|
Anything Could Happen
|
Walton, Will
|
Ash
|
Lo, Malinda
|
Ask the Passengers
|
King, A. S.
|
Beautiful Music for Ugly
Children
|
Cronn-Mills, Kirstin
|
Beauty Queens
|
Bray, Libba
|
Between You & Me
|
Calin, Marisa
|
Beyond Magenta:
Transgender teens speak out
|
Kuklin, Susan
|
Blue Boy
|
Satyal, Rakesh
|
Blue is the Warmest Color
|
Maroh, Julie
|
Born on the Edge of Race
and Gender: A Voice for Cultural Competency
|
Wilkinson, Willy
|
Boyfriends with
Grilfriends
|
Sanchez, Alex
|
Branded by the Pink
Triangle
|
Setterington, Ken
|
Breakthrough: How One
Teen Innovator Is Changing the World
|
Andraka, Jack with Matthew Lysiak
|
Brooklyn Burning
|
Brezenoff, Steve
|
Calling Dr. Laura
|
Georges, Nicole
|
Chulito: A Novel
|
Rice-Gonzalez, Charles
|
Cinnamon Toast and the
End of the World
|
Cameron, Janet E.
|
Crisis: 40 Stories
Revealing the Personal, Social, and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing Up
Gay in America
|
Gold, Mitchell with Mindy Drucker
|
Cut Both Ways
|
Mesrobian, Carrie
|
Darkest Part of the
Forest, the
|
Black, Holly
|
Death-Defying Pepper
Roux, the
|
McCaughrean, Geraldine
|
Deflowered: My Life in
the Pansy Division
|
Ginoli, Jon
|
Difference Between You
and Me, the
|
George, Madeleine
|
Dirty One: Stories
|
Graves, Michael
|
Don't Let Me Go
|
Trumble, J.H.
|
Drama Queers!
|
Polito, Frank Anthony
|
Dumbfounded: A Memoir
|
Rothschild, Matt
|
Essential Dykes to Watch
Out For, the
|
Bechdel, Alison
|
Everything Leads to You
|
LaCour, Nina
|
Evil?
|
Carter, Timothy
|
Evolution of Ethan Poe,
the
|
Reardon, Robin
|
Fans of the Impossible
Life
|
Scelsa, kate
|
Far From You
|
Sharpe, Tess
|
Fat Angie
|
Charlton-Trujillo, E.E.
|
Finlater
|
Ruff, Shawn Stewart
|
Five Stages of Andrew
Brawley, the
|
Hutchinson, Shaun David
|
Forgive Me If I've Told
You This Before
|
Stetz-Waters, Karelia
|
Freakboy
|
Clark, Kristin Elizabeth
|
Freaks and Revelations
|
Hurwin, Davida Wills
|
Gay & Lesbian History
for Kids: The Century-Long Struggle for LGBT Rights, with 21 Activities
|
Pohlen, Jerome
|
Gay America: Struggle for
Equality
|
Alsenas, Linas
|
Gay in America: Portraits
|
Pasfield, Scott
|
Gemini Bites
|
Ryan, Patrick
|
Giraffe People
|
Malone, Jill
|
God In Pink
|
Namir, Hasan
|
Gracefully Grayson
|
Polonsky, Ami
|
Gringa: A Contradictory
Girlhood
|
Hart, Melissa
|
Happy Accidents
|
Lynch, Jane
|
Happy Families
|
Davis, Tanita S.
|
Hidden
|
Mournian, Tomas
|
Hidden Voices: The Orphan
Musicians of Venice
|
Collins, Pat Lowery
|
Hour Between, the
|
Stuart, Sebastian
|
How Beautiful the
Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity
|
Cart, Michael
|
I Am J
|
Beam, Cris
|
If I Lie
|
Jackson, Corrine
|
If I Told You So
|
Woodward, Timothy
|
I'll Give You the Sun
|
Nelson, Jandy
|
In Mike We Trust
|
Ryan, P. E.
|
Inferno
|
Stevenson, Robin
|
Into the Beautiful North
|
Urrea, Luis Alberto
|
Irrepressible: The Jazz
Age Life of Henrietta Bingham
|
Bingham, Emily
|
It Gets Better
|
Savage, Dan and Terry Miller
|
Kicked Out
|
Lowrey, Sassafras
|
King of the Screwups
|
Going, K.L.
|
Kiss the Morning Star
|
Hoole, Elissa Janine
|
Less Dead, the
|
Lurie, April
|
Let's Get This Straight:
The Ultimate Handbook for Youth with LGBTQ Parents
|
Fakhrid-Deen, Tina
|
Letter Q, the: Queer
Writer's Letters to Their Younger Selves
|
Moon, Sarah
|
Life and Death of Sophie
Stark, the
|
North, Anna
|
Lizard Radio
|
Schmatz, Pat
|
Lola and the Boy Next
Door
|
Perkins, Stephanie
|
Love Drugged
|
Klise, James
|
Love in the Time of
Global Warming
|
Block, Francesca Lia
|
Love Story Starring My
Dead Best Friend, a
|
Horner, Emily
|
Magic and Misery
|
Marino, Peter
|
Mariposa Club, the
|
Gonzalez, Rigoberto
|
Marvels, the
|
Selznick, Brian
|
Me
|
Martin, Ricky
|
Meaning of Matthew, the:
My Son's Murder in Laramie and a World Transformed
|
Shepard, Judy with Jon Barrett
|
Miseducation of Cameron
Post, the
|
Danforth, Emily
|
More Happy Than Not
|
Silvera, Adam
|
More Than This
|
Ness, Patrick
|
My New Gender Workbook: A
Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving World Peace Through Gender Anarchy and Sex
Positivity
|
Bornstein, Kate
|
My Two Moms: A Lesson of
Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family
|
Wahls, Zach with Bruce Littlefield
|
Nearest Exit May Be
Behind You, the
|
Bergman, S. Bear
|
No One Needs to Know
|
Grace, Amanda
|
Not Otherwise Specified
|
Moskowitz, Hannah
|
Not Your Mother's
Meatloaf
|
Miller, Saiya and Liza Bley
|
Notes from the Blender
|
Cook, Trish and Brendan Halpin
|
Objects in the Mirror Are
Closer Than They Appear
|
de Gutes, Kate Carroll
|
Oddly Normal: One
Family's Struggle to Help Their Teenage Son Come to Terms with his Sexuality
|
Schwarts, John
|
Of All the Stupid Things
|
Diaz, Alexandra
|
One in Every Crowd
|
Coyote, Ivan
|
Pantomime
|
Lam, Laura
|
Personal Effects
|
Kokie, E.M.
|
Pink
|
Wilkinson, Lili
|
Porcupine of Truth, the
|
Konigsberg, Bill
|
Proxy
|
London, Alex
|
Punkzilla
|
Rapp, Adam
|
Putting Makeup on the Fat
Boy
|
Wright, Bil
|
Queer: The Ultimate Guide
for Teens
|
Belge, Kathy and Marke Bieschke
|
Rapture Practice
|
Hartzler, Aaron
|
Rethinking Normal: A
Memoir in Transition
|
Hill, Kaite Rain
|
Say the Word
|
Garsee, Jeannine
|
Scars
|
Rainfield, Cheryl
|
Screaming Divas
|
Kamata, Suzanne
|
Secret City
|
Watts, Julia
|
Secrets of Truth &
Beauty
|
Frazer, Megan
|
See You at Harry's
|
Knowles, Jo
|
She Loves You, She Loves
You Not
|
Peters, Julie Ann
|
Shine
|
Myracle, Lauren
|
Side Door, the
|
Donley, Jan
|
Silhouette of Sparrow
|
Griffin, Molly Beth
|
Simon vs. the Homo
Sapiens Agenda
|
Albertalli, Becky
|
Sister Mischief
|
Goode, Laura
|
Soames on the Range
|
Belgue, Nancy
|
Some Assembly Required:
The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen
|
Andrews, Arin
|
Song of Achilles, the
|
Miller, Madeline
|
Sparks: The Epic,
Completely True Blue (Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie
|
Adams, S.J.
|
Speaking Out
|
Berman, Steve
|
Sprout
|
Peck, Dale
|
Starting From Here
|
Bigelow, Lisa Jenn
|
Stranger
|
Brown, Rachel Manija and Sherwood Smith
|
Street Dreams
|
Wise, Tama
|
Stuck Rubber Baby
|
Cruse, Howard
|
Summer Prince, the
|
Johnson, Alaya Dawn
|
SuperMutant Magic Academy
|
Tamaki, Jillian
|
Sweet Tooth
|
Anderson, Tim
|
Tell Me Again How a Crush
Should Feel
|
Farizan, Sara
|
Tessa Masterson Will Go
to Prom
|
Franklin, Emily & Brendan Halpin
|
Tiny Pieces of Skull, or
a Lesson in Manners
|
Kaveney, Roz
|
Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir
|
Prince, Liz
|
Two Boys Kissing
|
Levithan, David
|
Unbearable Lightness
|
de Rossi, Portia
|
Under the Udala Tree
|
Okparanta, Chinelo
|
Vast Fields of Ordinary,
the
|
Burd, Nick
|
Very LeFreak
|
Cohn, Rachel
|
We Are All Made of
Molecules
|
Nielson, Susan
|
We the Animals
|
Torres, Justin
|
What We Left Behind
|
Talley, Robin
|
When Everything Feels
Like the Movies
|
Reid, Raziel
|
When We Were Good
|
Sutherland, Suzanne
|
When We Were Outlaws: A
Memoir of Love and Revolution
|
Cordova, Jeanne
|
Where's My Wand?: One
Boy's Magical Triumph Over Alienation and Shag Carpeting
|
Poole, Eric
|
Wildthorn
|
Eagland, Jane
|
Will
|
Boyd, Maria
|
Willful Machines
|
Floreen, Tim
|
Winger
|
Smith, Andrew
|
With or Without You
|
Farrey, Brian
|
Wonders of the Invisible
World
|
Barzak, Christopher
|
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