Diversity in sexual identity is currently a hot button issue and reflective of this is the growing body of young adult literature that focuses on characters who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning or asexual (LGBTIQA). This month I will recommend three books that tackle one or more of these issues. Malinda Lo's Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which focuses on a lesbian Asian/American teen in 1950s San Francisco, is the 2021 National Book Award Winner, as well as the winner of the Stonewall Book Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book and a Walter Dean Myers Honor Book. The One True Me and You by Remi K. England finds a fan/fic writer and a beauty pageant contestant crossing paths and falling for each other at a Florida hotel which is hosting a fan convention and the Miss Cosmic USA contest the same weekend. Year on Fire by Julie Buxbaum introduces several prep school teens who are navigating family and friendship issues, while a mysterious arsonist is setting fires at their school.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club is set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the 1950s. 17-year-old Lily Hu struggles to fit into her school and community. She longs to work at the Jet Propulsion lab where her aunt works and is slowly recognizing she is attracted to women. When she and Kath, a classmate whose goal is to fly airplanes, connect over an ad for a male impersonator at the lesbian Telegraph Club, her life changes forever. They sneak out and enjoy the scene at the club, as well as their growing attraction to each other. Fearing her family's disapproval and the very real danger of McCarthyism and the Lavender Scare, Lily struggles to reconcile her identity as a Chinese American and a lesbian in a time fraught with danger for both. The author's notes are a novella in and of themselves. Lo (Ash) explains how Lily's family situation mirrors her own and provides an extensive bibliography and a section on "Lesbians, Gender, and Community." This beautifully written exploration of first love certainly deserves all the accolades it received.
In The One True Me and You Kay, a fanfic writer attending the GreatCon fan convention, and Teagan, a contestant in the Miss Cosmic USA pageant, arrive at the same Florida hotel for the weekend. Kay is hoping to win a writing contest, begin using they/them pronouns, and work up the courage to kiss a girl. Teagan is hoping to win the pageant so she can pay for college and finally come out as a lesbian. When Teagan sneaks out after curfew to attend the convention, their paths cross and they feel an instant attraction. As they begin text flirtations and secret hangouts, they realize they have a lot in common, including a mutual enemy, Miss North Carolina who goes to school with Kay and competes against Teagan. The novel explores the confusion and alienation each feels, although the fan/fic culture is much more accepting of queerness than the pageant world. Teagan and Kay are very relatable as they experience first love and attempt to find themselves in the process.
Year on Fire introduces twins Imogene and Archer Gibson and alpha-girl Paige Cohen-Chen who are an inseparable trio. The twins' loyalty to her and each other is tested when Archie kisses Paige's boyfriend Jackson and Immie claims responsibility to hide his homosexuality from their abusive father. This strains her friendship with Paige, so when Rohan Singh, a charming British teen, transfers to their school and Paige calls "dibs" on him, Immie ignores the growing attraction between her and Rohan. Rohan, whose parents have separated after his father's infidelity, has been forced to move with him to LA. He is angry and homesick, but his crush on Immie keeps him grounded. Meanwhile Archie and Jackson dance around their feelings for each other, as Archie struggles to come out of the closet and Jackson anticipates his father's fifth wedding. Paige, the classic neglected rich girl, strives for perfection in an attempt to gain the attention of her parents, who are never home. When the girls' restroom at school is set on fire, pretty much everyone is under suspicion. This romantic soap opera explores a variety of attractions, as well as family dysfunction, as the mysterious arsonist continues to set fires. Although the identity of the arsonist is of interest, the teens' personal dramas are much more engaging in this surefire winner from Julie Buxbaum. (Admission)
