17. Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger

Wittlinger, Ellen. (2007). Parrotfish. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN- 13:978-1-4169-1622, p. 287

Genre: Fiction/GLBTQ
Interest Age: 15+
Curriculum: NA

Reader’s Annotation

Angela is making the biggest decisions of her life. She decides to live the way which seems right to her, as a boy named Grady.

Plot Summary

Angela feels she is and has always been a straight boy who was born in a girl’s body. After years of preparing herself, she finally makes the switch and begins to live her life as Grady. But getting a new haircut, new clothes, and a new name are the easy parts. Grady must now come out and explain his new identity to his family, friends, and everyone at school. Simply choices like which bathroom to use become complex. How does Grady explain his situation to the girl he’s slowing falling in love with? Grady must learn deal with those people who hate who he is and embrace those who will support him for who he is.

Parrotfish examines the definitions of sex and gender and explores the life of someone whose identity is not black and white.

Critical Review

Issues of sexuality and gender identity are skillfully handled by Ellen Wittlinger in this touching story of a transgender youth. As Grady transitions from life as a girl to that of a boy he deals with general questions of gender and identity, like the “Is it a boy or a girl?” question which is always asked of expecting mothers, to more practical questions like, “Which locker room do I use?” The awkwardness, fear, and joy experienced by Grady as he comes out to the world is all made palpable by Wittlinger’s multidimensional characters and keen insight into the trans-gender experience.

Wittlinger writes a diverse cast of characters who all represent the different points of view society has on trans-gender individuals. Although Grady’s father and little brother deal with Grady’s transition fairly easily (to her little brother the change is almost benign), her mother, still loving and caring for her child, is clearly upset at the loss of her daughter. There are the close minded, and vicious girls at school who seek to humiliate Grady simply for being different (and to cover up their own insecurities); Grady’s former best friend Eve, who disowns Grady in order to fit in with the other kids; and Sebastian, a sort of outsider in his own way, who accepts just about everyone around him for who they are.

Along with the important GLBTQ themes, Parrotfish also address several other themes which are universal to the teen experience. Grady struggles with feelings of love for a friend. Eve deals with peer pressure, loyalty to her oldest friend, and fitting in at a new school. Grady’s family has to deal with a changing family dynamic (which plays out through a hilarious reenactment of A Christmas Carol). These themes transcend gender and sexuality and make Grady’s story relateable to anyone who survived the mine field of high school and battled the pressures of fitting in vs. the desire to be one’s self.

Author Info

Ellen Wittlinger was born in 1948 in Belleville, IL. She attended Millikin University for her B.A. and University of Iowa for her M.F.A. As well as being a writer, she has also worked as a children’s librarian and a writing instructor. Wittlinger had her first YA novel Lombardo’s Law published in 1993. She won major praise for her novel Hard Love (1999), the story of 16 year old dealing with his parents divorce and feelings for a girl who is gay; the novel won the Michael R. Printz Honor Book designation, Lambda Literary Book Award, and Best Books for Young Adults selection and Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers selection.

Wittlinger generally writes about the teen experience through the eyes of outsider and loners. The author notes, “I find I'm most interested in those kids who are on the fringes….the slight oddballs and lovable misfits who aren't quite comfortable in their own skins, or if they are, their differentness makes those around them uncomfortable. I want to celebrate their differences because they are likely to be the most fascinating people the rest of us will ever know”.

"Ellen Wittlinger." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 May 2010.

Book Talking Ideas

1. How are gender and sex defined? What are the differences? How does Grady define herself?
2. What are the different reactions to Grady’s coming out as a boy? Why do these characters have these responses?
3. What does the juxtaposition of the Christmas play and Grady’s actual life mean? What does the play mean to different characters in the story?

Challenges

There have been no well publicized challenges to Parrotfish but the novel deals with issues of sexuality and gender which are often cited as reasons for challenges.

Why I choose this title

Providing well written GLBTQ materials serves a group of readers who are unable or reluctant to talk about such issues. Giving them materials that address issues they face every day is important.

11. Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole

Dole, Mayra Lazara. (2008). Down to the bone. New York: Harper Teen. ISBN: 978-0-06-084310-6. p. 351

Genre: Fiction/GLBT
Interest Age: 13+
Curriculum: NA

Reader Annotation

After being outed in front of her classmates, expelled from school and disowned by her mother, Laura must find a new family and a new place she can call home.

Plot Summery

Lauri is an average 16 year old Cuban American girl living in Miami, FL, until her Catholic nun teacher reads a love letter from Luara's girlfriend and "outs" her in front of her entire class. She is quickly ostracized by her friends and classmates for being a tortilleria (slang for lesbian), expelled from school, disowned by her mother and finally kicked out of her home. If that wasn't enough, Laura's love is quickly shipped back to Puerto Rico and quickly becomes engaged to man. Within a matter of weeks Laura's life goes from perfect to complete chaos.

Lauri moves in with her understanding and supportive friend Soli and her mother. Here she meets an eclectic mix of new friends, struggles to understand her own sexuality and redefine her definitions of family and home. All of this takes places within the Cuban American culture of Miami.

Critical Review

Mayra Lazara Dole paints a colorful gallery of diverse characters. Not only do these characters allow the reader to explore numerous GLBT issues like "coming out", family tensions, homophobia and prejudice, but the reader is given a window into Cuban American culture. Dole's writing is filled with Spanish (so much so that a Spanish glossary is included), and references to Cuban culture. Ultimately this is what distinguishes Down to the Bone from other GLBT, "coming out" stories.

Lauri's story isn't an unusual one: She is "outed" before she really even understands her own sexuality and feelings; she is is forced to confront homophobic teachers, parents, friends and co-workers; she struggles with reconciling her new life with the desire to return home and live the life she was "supposed" to live. Although the story has been done before and Dole occasionally lets the events descend into soap opera like melodrama, the Cuban/Miami backdrop and a collection of diverse characters who don't readily fit into stereotypes keep the reader engaged and thoroughly entertained.

The dialogue is fast and fun although for those readers who do not speak Spanish, it can be challenging at times. Even if the reader is not passionate about GLBT literature, Down to the Bone works equally as well as a story about Cuban American culture in Miami. It is interesting seeing a GLBT story told through a different cultural lens.

Author Info

Born in Havana, Cuba and currently living in Miami,FL, Mayra Lazara Dole has worked as a translator, drummer, dancer, landscape designer, hairdresser, Cuban chef and library assistant. She is the author two bilingual children's books including Drum, Chavi, Drum!/¡Toca, Chavi, Toca! (2003) and Birthday in the Barrio/Cumpleanos En El Barrio (2004) and one young adult novel Down to the Bone (2008). She also contributes to the various gay and lesbian magazines as well as other periodicals including Cipher Journal: A Journal of Literary Translation, Palabra: A Magazine of Chicano & Latino Literary Art, and Velvet.

Dole admits that Down to the Bone is slightly biographical as well as being inspired by her love of her "Cuban heritage/culture and a desire for Miami Cuban homophobia to be exposed so it can be discussed openly." She feels that writing for children and teens gives her a chance to "help change the world".

"Mayra Lazara Dole." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Literature Resource Center. Web. 4 May 2010.

Book Talking Ideas

1.
How was Lauri's "outing" at school in the beginning of the novel different from her proclamation, "I'm gay!" at the end of the novel? What were the affects of those events?
2.
How does Lauri's Cuban heritage affect her "outing"? How do different people in her life react to the letter?
3.
Even though they are both Cuban, how are Lauri and Soli's families different?


Challenges

There are no current challenges but books with themes of homosexuality are common targets for challenges especially when younger readers are involved. The novel deals with several GLBT characters and contains some profanity and homophobic slurs.

Why I choose this Book

The novel was nominated for ALA Best Reads for Young Adults 2009 as well as making the ALA's 2008 GLBT Round Table/ SRRT Rainbow List. I also liked the idea of a GLBT themed novel set in a culture different than my own.

8. Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers

Brothers, Meagan. (2008). Debbie Harry sings in French. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC. ISBN: 978-0-8050-8080-3. p. 232

Genre: Fiction, LGBT
Interest Age: 15+
Curriculum: NA

Reader’s Annotation

Johnny’s had a rough life: his father’s death, a distant mother, a drug overdose, rehab, and being shipped to a new school in a new town. But through the power of Blondie and Debbie Harry, Jonny begins to learn how to take control of his life and understand who he really is.

Plot Summary

Johnny McKennzie’s father died in a car accident when he was 12. His mother became distant and removed from reality. Johnny was left to figure out how to pay bills and take care of himself as well as his mother. He coped using the music of Joy Division, The Cure, New Order, Bauhaus and by drinking. One night he goes to a Goth club with some friends and inadvertently overdoses. While in rehab he first hears the music of Blondie and his obsession with lead singer Debbie Harry begins. He’s fascinated by her music, beauty, and strength. Upon completing rehab his mother ships him to live with his uncle in South Carolina.

Even though he never really fit-in in his home town of Tampa, FL, he has now officially become an outsider; he is constantly being picked on by the school jock bullies and everyone assumes he is gay. Although he is pretty sure he isn’t gay, he can’t help feeling an attraction to Debbie Harry. More than just loving who she is and her music, Johnny finds that he kind of wants to be her. This only complicates his growing relationship with Maria, a girl whose past is as troubled as his.

Critical Review

Debbie Harry Sings in French deals with issues of broken families, homophobia, love, and finding out that sexuality is not as simple as straight or gay. Meagan Brothers provides the reader with a cast of very likeable characters. Johnny is a self described “goth” kid who has had a rough family life and nearly killed himself after drinking heavily and taking what he thought was Aspirin at a club; he gets taunted at school and his mother is over protective to the point of suffocation; Johnny very easily could be a whining, angst-ridden, depressed teen. But he is not. He’s fairly positive, deals with his hardships with a sense of humor and never descends into a state of self loathing.

What is most interesting about Johnny is the way he struggles with his fascination with Debbie Harry and his desire to embody all of the positive qualities which she exemplifies. Although Johnny knows he is straight (even though he is constantly taunted and harassed for being “gay”) he doesn’t exactly understand his desire to be Debbie Harry. He wants to be sexy, beautiful, and strong like Debbie but is unsure how to do that. What do these desires make him? Gay? Bi? A freak? Brothers handles these issue masterfully through humor and wit. She never becomes overly didactic with the themes of homophobia or tolerance; the message is stated through her characters’ thoughts and experiences.

Debbie Harry Sings in French is a well constructed story which uses humor to introduce the reader to issues of sexuality, homophobia, and self discovery. Brothers’ writing is concise and to the point. Although everything about the story and themes seem to lend themselves to preachy melodrama, Brothers’ never lets the story or her characters become needlessly dramatic. The sense of fun and wit make Debbie Harry Sings in French a very accessible story.

Author Info

Meagan Brothers was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina and first had success as a spoken word poet in New York City. Her chap-book, 1978 was published by CafeMo Press in 2001. Debbie Harry Sings in French (2008) is her first novel and she is currently working on her second.

Brothers states that the inspiration for Debbie Harry came from imagining a Blondie fan and a Patti Smith fan having a discussion and teaching each other about music. The idea grew and eventually was fleshed out into a full length novel.

"Meagan Brothers." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Literature Resource Center. Web. 2 May 2010.

Book Talking Ideas

1. What is the difference between Gender and Sex? Are Johnny’s identity issues more about gender or sexuality?
2. How does Debbie Harry help Johnny deal with the adversities and addictions in his life?
3. Why is Johnny perceived to be homosexual? How does he deal with these perceptions?

Challenges

I have not found any examples of this book being challenged or banned but it is still relatively new. Issues that might lead to a challenge: profanity (including many homophobic slurs), LGBT themes, sexuality, drinking and drug use.

Why I choose this title
This novel made the ALA Rainbow Project’s 2009 GLBTQ Books for Children and Teens. It was also recommended on readingrants.com for those who enjoyed Parrotfish.