The Heart Has Its Reasons: Young Adult Literature with Gay/Lesbian/Queer Content 1969-2004
Society does not make it easy for young people, regardless of their sexual orientation, to find accurate, nonjudgmental information about homosexuality. It makes it even more difficult for young homosexuals to find positive role models in fiction either written or published expressly for them or—if published for adults—relevant to them and their lives. The Heart Has Its Reasons examines these issues and critically evaluates the body of literature published for young adults that offers...
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Society does not make it easy for young people, regardless of their sexual orientation, to find accurate, nonjudgmental information about homosexuality. It makes it even more difficult for young homosexuals to find positive role models in fiction either written or published expressly for them or - if published for adults - relevant to them and their lives. This book examines these issues and critically evaluates the body of literature published for young adults that offers homosexual themes and characters.Rayna Patton - VOYAWriting a critical study of young adult novels having homosexual, or less commonly, bisexual or transgender themes seems almost an act of courage in our highly polarized society. Yet here is a definitive work on the subject. Using a chronological approach, the authors examine nearly two hundred books that have appeared since the 1969 publication of John Donovan's book, I'll Get There, It Better Be Worth The Trip (Harper & Row, 1969). Each chapter analyzes the most important books of a decade beginning with the 1970s, discusses plots and points of view, and concludes with a comprehensive annotated bibliography of titles. Following the 1990s is a chapter titled "A New Literature for a New Century?" This bibliographic essay considers the first four years of the twenty-first century and concludes with a year-by-year annotated bibliography. Finally the authors make a plea for more teenage fiction that deals honestly and realistically with issues of sexuality and shows true literary merit, providing multidimensional characters, verisimilitude, and an original voice. Thoughtful and insightful analysis is a real strength of the book. The appendixes will also be useful, particularly the comparison between the development of African American literature for young people and that of books dealing with gay issues; and a chart of 191 novels arranged alphabetically by author and showing portrayals, content, and roles of gay protagonists, either primary or secondary. But here an explanation of abbreviations would be helpful. This book will be important for those wishing to make their library holdings more inclusive or who want to understand the changes that have occurred in this YA genre from the 1970sthrough the year 2004. 2006, Scarecrow Press, 224p.; Index. Charts. Biblio. Chronology. Appendix., PLB $42.. Ages adult professional.
Part 1 Timeline of Events Relevant to GLBTQ Youth Part 2 Introduction Chapter 3 1. Give Us Faces Chapter 4 2. The 1970s: What Donovan Wrought Chapter 5 3. The 1980s: Annie on My Mind and Beyond Chapter 6 4. The 1990s: Was More Less? Chapter 7 5. A New Literature for a New Century? Chapter 8 6. What a Wonderful World? Some Final Thoughts Part 9 Appendix A: Model for GLBTQ Portrayals/Inclusion in YA Fiction Part 10 Appendix B: Bibliography of Secondary Sources Part 11 Appendix C: Young Adult Novels with GLBTQ Content, 1969-2004, Author/Title Bibliography with GLBTQ Portrayal, Inclusion and Narrative Role Part 12 Appendix D: Young Adult Fiction with GLBTQ Content, 1969-2004: A Chronological Bibliography Part 13 Index Part 14 About the Authors
\ The Bulletin Of The Center For Children's Books...[an] overview of gay/lesbian themes and characters in young adult literature.\ \ \ \ \ BooklistBoth a comprehensive overview and a lively, detailed discussion of individual landmark books, this highly readable title...discusses 35 years of YA books with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (GLBTQ) content....this is a valuable YA and adult resource, sure to be in great demand for personal reference and group discussion.\ \ \ CHOICEThis Scarecrow series continues to impress...Essential.\ \ \ \ \ Reference and Research Book NewsCart (young adult literature, UCLA, and Assembly on Adolescent Literature of the National Council of Teachers of English) and Jenkins (library and information science, U. of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign) trace the development of young adult literature with gay, lesbian, and queer content, beginning in 1969 with the first novel incorporating that theme, by John Donovan. They evaluate character portrayal and themes-also illustrated in a chart at the end-using three categories: homosexual visibility, gay assimilation, and queer consciousness/community. In addition to the chronological bibliography, the chapters, organized by decade, included annotated references to books published during those periods, up to 2004.\ \ \ \ \ Feminist Collections...charts the growth in young adult novels with gay content...Michael Cart and Christine Jenkins...comment on the meager amount of critical analysis of YA literature on their theme. Their book redresses this dearth considerably.\ \ \ \ \ Horn Book MagazineThe authors do a fine job of applauding what is 'accurate, thoughtful and artful,' while chastising what is 'stereotypic, wrongheaded, and outdated,'...\ \ \ \ \ CHOICEThis Scarecrow series continues to impress...Essential.\ \ \ \ \ BooklistBoth a comprehensive overview and a lively, detailed discussion of individual landmark books, this highly readable title...discusses 35 years of YA books with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (GLBTQ) content....this is a valuable YA and adult resource, sure to be in great demand for personal reference and group discussion.\ \ \ \ \ Horn Book MagazineThe authors do a fine job of applauding what is 'accurate, thoughtful and artful,' while chastising what is 'stereotypic, wrongheaded, and outdated,'...\ \ \ \ \ Feminist Collections...charts the growth in young adult novels with gay content...Michael Cart and Christine Jenkins...comment on the meager amount of critical analysis of YA literature on their theme. Their book redresses this dearth considerably.\ \ \ \ \ Reference and Research Book NewsCart (young adult literature, UCLA, and Assembly on Adolescent Literature of the National Council of Teachers of English) and Jenkins (library and information science, U. of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign) trace the development of young adult literature with gay, lesbian, and queer content, beginning in 1969 with the first novel incorporating that theme, by John Donovan. They evaluate character portrayal and themes-also illustrated in a chart at the end-using three categories: homosexual visibility, gay assimilation, and queer consciousness/community. In addition to the chronological bibliography, the chapters, organized by decade, included annotated references to books published during those periods, up to 2004.\ \ \ \ \ The Bulletin Of The Center For Children's Books...[an] overview of gay/lesbian themes and characters in young adult literature.\ \ \ \ \ ChoiceThis Scarecrow series continues to impress...Essential.\ \ \ \ \ Silive.com...a definitive work on the subject....Thoughtful and insightful analysis is a real strength of the book....This book will be important for those wishing to make their library holdings more inclusive or who want to understand the changes that have occurred in this YA genre from the 1970s through the year 2004.\ \ \ \ \ Feminist Collections: A Quarterly Of Women's Studies Resources...charts the growth in young adult novels with gay content...Michael Cart and Christine Jenkins...comment on the meager amount of critical analysis of YA literature on their theme. Their book redresses this dearth considerably.\ \ \ \ \ The Horn Book MagazineThe authors do a fine job of applauding what is 'accurate, thoughtful and artful,' while chastising what is 'stereotypic, wrongheaded, and outdated,'...\ \ \ \ \ The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books...[an] overview of gay/lesbian themes and characters in young adult literature.\ \ \ \ \ VOYAWriting a critical study of young adult novels having homosexual, or less commonly, bisexual or transgender themes seems almost an act of courage in our highly polarized society. Yet here is a definitive work on the subject. Using a chronological approach, the authors examine nearly two hundred books that have appeared since the 1969 publication of John Donovan's book, I'll Get There, It Better Be Worth The Trip (Harper & Row, 1969). Each chapter analyzes the most important books of a decade beginning with the 1970s, discusses plots and points of view, and concludes with a comprehensive annotated bibliography of titles. Following the 1990s is a chapter titled "A New Literature for a New Century?" This bibliographic essay considers the first four years of the twenty-first century and concludes with a year-by-year annotated bibliography. Finally the authors make a plea for more teenage fiction that deals honestly and realistically with issues of sexuality and shows true literary merit, providing multidimensional characters, verisimilitude, and an original voice. Thoughtful and insightful analysis is a real strength of the book. The appendixes will also be useful, particularly the comparison between the development of African American literature for young people and that of books dealing with gay issues; and a chart of 191 novels arranged alphabetically by author and showing portrayals, content, and roles of gay protagonists, either primary or secondary. But here an explanation of abbreviations would be helpful. This book will be important for those wishing to make their library holdings more inclusive or who want to understand the changes that have occurred in this YA genre from the 1970sthrough the year 2004. 2006, Scarecrow Press, 224p.; Index. Charts. Biblio. Chronology. Appendix., PLB $42.. Ages adult professional. \ —Rayna Patton\ \ \ \ \ School Library JournalThis terrific and long-overdue resource chronicles the development of GLBTQ-themed young adult literature over time and intersperses critical commentary with annotated bibliographies of related fiction. Cart and Jenkins use a three-part framework to describe the historical changes in content and the depiction of gays and lesbians in terms of what they call "homosexual visibility," "gay assimilation," and "queer consciousness/community." The authors take a historical approach and examine GLBTQ-themed young adult literature decade by decade, discussing pivotal works in detail, and conclude each chapter with an annotated bibliography and a list of notes or works cited. Well organized and easy to read, Heart is a valuable, semi-scholarly reference for both collection development and research.\ —Amy S. PatteeCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.\ \ \
