September 17, 2007
Peters's (Luna
) short stories focus mostly on young lesbians but also take in teens struggling with other gender and sexuality issues. Their conflicts range from commonplace (Mariah tries to summon the nerve to attend a Gay/Straight Alliance meeting; Kat wonders if the cellist she likes at music camp returns her feelings) to extreme (Cammie, sexually abused by her father almost nightly, worries that she will never feel pleasure; transgendered Vince, née Eva, is assaulted by a group of guys after work). Regardless of the intensity of the characters' struggles, girls of any sexual orientation will feel quickly drawn into the lives glimpsed here, thanks to the authenticity of Peters's voices. However, many of the stories feel like the beginnings of intriguing novels rather than standalone works, and endings can seem arbitrary. On the other hand, teens searching for a fast read, especially in an underserved subject, will be gratified to find this collection, and the author's ability to bring such a diverse cast to life is impressive. Ages 15-up.
December 1, 2007
Gr 9 Up-This collection consists of 10 short stories, all written in first person, about being a girlin love with another girl, hurt by another girl, abused by a parent, born into the wrong body. The selections read like personal journal entries about the characters' secret thoughts and feelings. Aimee questions her sex ed teacher about abstinence, asking if it applies to her, and the teacher replies, "I guess that's between you and your god." Another teen describes herself as a "stone cold butch"; after a lifetime of sexual abuse from her father, she doesn't know how to feel. Peters's stories deal with mature subject matter but are quick and easy to read. The author does not shy away from difficult or controversial topics, and these selections may appeal to someone exploring GLBTQ literature for the first time."Corinda J. Humphrey, Los Angeles Public Library"
Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 1, 2007
The author of the novels Keeping You a Secret (2003) andLuna (2004) shows shes an even better short story writer. Continuing with her themes of coming out and the experiences of young lesbians, the 10 stories here present different but equally polished facets of varied experience and emotion. Characters include a transgendered youth who identifies as aboi, a teenage girl with a crush on heryoung teacher, campers who share a passion for one another as well as for music, and a brazen young woman who questions the ambiguities of termssuch asvirginity and abstinence when applied to herself. Accessible and credible, the stories belong in teen collections not only because of their sympathetic yetclear-eyed depictions ofminoritysexual orientation butalso for their exemplary crafting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)
September 1, 2007
The short stories in this collection give voice to ten expressions of lesbian and transgender teen experience, from Mariah ("Can't Stop the Feeling") struggling against internalized homophobia to attend her first gay/straight alliance meeting, to Rachael ("After Alex") ignoring her friends' advice not to take back the girlfriend who dumped her, to Eva/Vince ("Boi") exulting over the strap-on "packer" that transforms him. Sometimes a spirit of show-and-tell overtakes the narrative, as characters explain how homophobia and discrimination make their lives different from their straight peers' (Aimee complains about the Catch-22 for gays in her abstinence-until-marriage sex ed class in "Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder"), while other stories focus on universal feelings of fear of rejection or longing for love. Peters skillfully varies the subject matter and tone from piece to piece, evoking a cocky mix of competition and passion on the basketball court ("On the Floor"), or revealing how a tough-girl act conceals a psyche damaged by sexual abuse in "Stone Cold Butch." Often the amicable first-person narrators have been given a hard row to hoe, but the final piece offers hope of redemption, as musical partners become romantic partners in "Two-Part Invention." Whether readers are looking for reflections of the other or reflections of themselves, grl2grl presents plenty of opportunities to find both.
(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)