Luna by Julie Anne Peters

I was most excited about this section of our class, about LGBT issues in teen literature. My sixteen year old brother came out first as bisexual, then as gay last year and I’m always looking for books to recommend to him to help him identify with his sexuality. This book will definitely not be one that I would recommend to him. I had so many issues with the story and how the characters were portrayed that I could hardly finish it.

Copy purchased from Barnes and Noble 

As I was reading this, I couldn’t understand how Regan put up with Luna’s constant using of her. Regan is a great sister to Luna, always keeping her secret and so patient. Luna took advantage of Regan so many times. If one of my siblings came in to my room every night and woke me up, I would be having none of that. I don’t care if you’re struggling with your identity, do it in your own room if it’s in the middle of the night. And when Luna/Liam wouldn’t drop Regan off at school, I was furious with him. How could he treat her so terribly when all she’d done is be kind to him? Luna was so insufferable, and I understand that she was struggling, but that doesn’t make her behavior acceptable. The final straw was how Luna was trying on clothes while she was babysitting. That was just so selfish and unrealistic to me. She couldn’t help herself? No, she is selfish and wanted someone to catch her and see her as a woman. Luna could have gotten Regan in huge trouble for that, but all she can think about is herself and her problems. I was also irritated with Regan’s inability to stand up for herself and not let her brother/sister walk all over her life.

I was also incredibly frustrated with the ending. Luna just being able to leave and fly off to be with another trans girl who would teach her the ways was just so unrealistic and is basically a fantasy. Normal transgender teens wouldn’t be able to just up and leave and solve all of their problems like that. There was no resolution with Luna’s family, or with all of the problems she had caused Regan. Luna was just able to forget all of that and leave everything behind. Normal LGBT teens have to deal with their problems on a daily basis, and this solution just isn’t an acceptable one. It’s just Luna running away from her problems to what she thinks is a better life. Also, stranger danger. Don’t just meet up with any trans person you find on the internet, kids.

Another problem I had was with the portrayal of Luna and Regan’s parents. I actually thought their father was incredibly realistic. Parents often push their children into doing things that they don’t want, and that was something that I think a lot of teens can relate to, not just transgender teens. Obviously, I would have liked him to not be so set in the heteronormative standards, but Luna had never told her father about any of her thoughts or feelings. All he sees is a son who is smart but skips school that he would like to get more involved. I have a feeling my thoughts on his dad won’t be the norm, but I understood him as a character. And we’ll never get to know how he would have dealt with Luna being a girl because she runs away after she tells him. Their mother, on the other hand, was hardly even their and the idea that she would know this about her son and do nothing to help him, or even just have no emotions about it, was just unfathomable to me. She had to feel something about knowing he wanted to be a girl. But she just ignored it and refused to acknowledge anything about it, which just seemed so odd.

Liam's friend Aly was the most sympathetic character for me. She really loved Liam, even though she didn't know who exactly he was. I think her first being upset, and then coming to terms with his coming out was realistic and an accurate portrayal of what can happen when someone comes out. I think that's why Luna leaving at the end was so hard for me to grasp, because she did have people who cared about her and supported her. Aly and Regan were always there for Luna/Liam and she just left them both to deal with the repercussions of her actions.

I didn't really care much about the relationship between Chris and Regan. I finished the book a couple days ago, and have basically forgotten about their interactions. There's just nothing there that is meaningful. They were just lab partners who liked to flirt and make fun of their teacher. I also found Regan's nonchalant use of the word "retarded" to be odd considering she was so sensitive about her brother/sister. I would assume if someone used the word "gay" or "fag" to describe him, she would be offended, so I'm not sure why the use of the word "retarded" was okay to her.

I think LGBT books are so important in our culture right now, with the marriage and sexuality rights being in the forefront of the political movements. Books about these issues should help not just LGBT teens, but society as a whole better understand the gender and sexual identity. However, this book would not be one that I would recommend to any teenager struggling with sexuality issues because Luna is such a jerk. . A book from the perspective of a sister of a transgender person is great, but if I were a transgender teen, that wouldn’t be what I would want to read. We don’t get to learn much about Luna/Liam’s feelings, besides what Regan is interpreting from her actions. However, I can see how it would be useful to recommend to someone who has a trans person in their life, so they can relate with how Regan dealt with it, or to someone who wants to know more about gender issues

I also think it’s great how easily the language of the trans community is integrated into the literature (FTM, MTF, pre-op, post-op, no-op, t-girl, etc). For those unfamiliar with the community, the terms are explained simply and effectively without detracting from the story. Liam/Luna’s discovery of the community is important, because it shows teens how that even if they are alone, there are other people out there that they can reach out to.

Overall though, I was just so disappointed in this book. I thought the story, of a girl struggling with a sibling with gender identity issues, could have been so good. Luna basically ruined the book for me, even though it was supposed to be a book about her. Regan submits her whole life to protecting Luna, from not having friends to suffering in school, to even her health from losing sleep. This isn’t the type of thing I would want to recommend to teenagers. Having Regan be stronger, or Luna be less narcissistic could have saved this story for me. As it is, it was just an unsatisfactory story with flat characters who didn’t grow or change that just happened to be about a teenage girl who has a trans sister.

Book Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

The section was the LGBTQ genre and this was the book I selected to read. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is probably the longest title ever, but it's totally worth it in the end. Be warned: there are some spoilers ahead.

Copy checked out from my local library

It took me forever to read this book. I got about halfway through the first section, before the car accident, and was just so bored that I put it down and couldn't get motivated to pick it back up. However, once I did (but only because I had to for class), I quickly finished the rest of it and ended up loving the story.

I really related to Ari and his need for introspection and alone time. I loved how he explained his thoughts and how the author wrote them. I really felt like a lot of what was written was how a teenager would write or think. A lot of teens can relate to how Ari felt trying to find himself, even if they aren't trying to find their sexual orientation. I loved the quote from page 189 from Ari: "I was strange to feel like the Ari I used to be. Except that wasn't totally true. The Ari I used to be didn't exist anymore. And the Ari I was becoming? He didn't exist yet". That period of transition and unknowing is universal to almost all teens (and some 20-somethings still) and I think a lot of people could relate to his introspection and ideas.


I also think it's important that Ari was also attracted to women, such as Ileana, because to me that made him more of a bisexual character on the sexuality spectrum. I think many times in LBGTW lit, characters are completely one way or another. The representation of all aspects of sexuality is important, so I loved that his attraction to Ileana was included.

I really appreciated that the families went to counseling, or that counseling was even recommended. Even today, going to therapy can be seen as a weakness, when really it is so important to so many people. My younger brother has a therapist who specializes in helping teens understand and accept their sexuality, which has really helped his transition a lot. It can also be really helpful for families that have members that are exploring their sexuality. It's a safe place to talk about things, and I really commend the author for including that in a teen book to make it seem more acceptable to teens.

I also think it is so, so important that the book dealt with how, even with supportive family and friends, coming out is still hard. It can be hard to give up on those expectations of hetersexuality that so many people impose on you, and it's basically saying that because of your sexuality, your life is going to be harder from now on. Even though Dante's parents clearly loved and adored him, he still had a hard time telling them because he knows that every parent thinks about their child's future, and he's taking that future away from them and completely changing it.

I appreciated that the book had so many normal details about school and work, because I think it helped emphasize that even teenagers who have a different sexuality still have the same friends and school problems that regular teens do, as well as struggling with trying to figure out such a key part of their life. 

If I hadn't known that this books was about LBGTQ (or as I like to call it, the alphabet genre), then I never would have suspected. Even after Dante came out to Ari, I still didn't expect them to end up together. I thought it would have still been a great story even if they hadn't. I almost think it may have been a better story (sorry to those of you who loved it!). I thought it would have been so realistic and special to just be a friend story where one of those friends happen to be gay and has a crush on the other, and their method of accepting and dealing with that.

I did find it incredibly odd that Ari's parents told him that he loved Dante. It made me so uncomfortable, and my family is pretty open about things like that. Coming out and sexuality is such a personal, hard thing to deal with that it really took away from the story for me to have his parents tell him that.


I think this book will be great to recommend to really anyone. Great for teens struggling with their sexuality, teens who have friends who are comign out, parents of gay or bisexual teens, or really just anyone who wants a good story. 

A Step From Heaven Review

The second book in our contemporary realistic fiction genre was one that we could choose from a list. I read A Step From Heaven by An Na. It's about a young girl who immigrates from Korea and her transition to living in America.

Copy checked out from my local library

This book was not my favorite. I opened it, and saw the first few pages were divided into their own chapters, and thought "I instantly regret my decision in choosing this book". I understand the literary significance of how An Na was trying to write as a young child would think, but I didn't enjoy the structure at all. I was entirely lost for the first section of the book because of both the structure and the words I didn't know. I would think that an adolescent who was reading it who didn't have that heritage would feel the same. If I didn't have to read this book, that would have made me put it down instantly.

I also couldn't connect to the family situation, because I’m lucky enough to have really great parents. Granted, I may not have thought that during my teen years, but looking back now I realize that it’s true. My family situation was nothing like Young Ju’s. Mentally, I understand that this is often how Korean families are set up, with a dominant (while not necessarily abusive) father and a submissive mother. However, even knowing that it was hard for me to relate to how her family functioned.

I do remember being fairly young, around 8 or 9, and having my family move and having no idea what moving meant. But she moved when she was so young that I can’t really believe she would remember it. I barely remember anything prior to my late childhood years. Just a few random memories and very little emotions. I definitely wouldn't have remembered going to a hair salon to get my hair curled, even if I had hated it. At the age of 4, I don’t even think I knew what pretty or ugly hair was.

I thought that the most relatable part for me was her father forbidding her from seeing a friend, because most young people have at least one friend that their parents don't particularly like. That kind of parental imposition resonates across multiple cultures, no matter what the reasoning behind it is. I think it’s important that these types of books exist for the culture that they represent. 

I left the book not hating it, but it definitely wouldn't be one that I would read again, or recommend to someone not from the Korean culture or background. It's also very female oriented and wouldn't be something I would recommend for many males to read. It was just too hard for me to relate to the story and share feelings with the characters, not having any knowledge base to draw upon about the culture.