glbtq

Dylan has felt—and denied—fireworks between herself and her best friend Jocelyn for years. The past couple years their friendship has grown strained, as each has pursued romantic relationships with boys. Now Dylan has had it with denial and wonders what it would be like to finally give in to her sexual feelings for girls. But she’s having trouble confronting Joc, Dylan’s jock pals are openly homophobic, and she’s dating the most wonderful boy in town – a boy she’d love to marry and have children with, if only her groin were in synch with her heart.

Hello, Groin is affirming to queer and questioning youth, as well as very sex-positive in general, as Dylan discovers it’s okay to be a sexual being and explore sexual urges, both in fantasy and real life. Recommended for teens.

In this poignant coming-of-age graphic novel, high schooler Kim (called Skim because she's often overlooked) comes to grip with life in the wake of a fellow teen’s suicide. She seeks to define her identity through her diary and exploration of goth culture and Wicca. Her best friend, Lisa, seems to be drifting away. Kim’s hopelessly in love with her English teacher, Ms. Archer (significantly complicated by Ms. Archer seeming to reciprocate). She feels terribly out of place among the phonies at her all-girls school, all of whom seem to think she's suicidal just because she's different and on the morose side.

The writing is beautifully spare with plenty of wry humor, and the brushy illustrations are gorgeous. The characters are sympathetic and fully realized. Highly recommended for teens and adults.

Nicola has always been firmly in the boy-liking camp, until she attends a pre-college program across the country and meets Battle. As the attraction between them grows, Nic is suddenly faced with the possibility that she's not straight after all—but not necessarily gay, either. Empress of the World stands out as one of the only novels available starring a bisexual teen. Recommended for teens.

Eighteen-year-old James has always been a loner, always been a little depressed, but at times lately he’s been wondering if he wants to live. At the very least, he’s decided he doesn’t want to live the way his family and peers expect him to—namely, going to college, where he’ll be surrounded by all those dreaded people his own age. Working in his mother's art gallery the summer after senior year, James reflects on his life and contemplates the future, while poring over midwest real estate ads, trying to attract the attention of John, the gay gallery manager, and deflecting his parents' attempts to talk.

The book is definitely character-driven; it’s quiet, only a couple of things could be said to “happen,” action-wise, and James often lapses into poetic musing and metaphor. Yet it's never boring and often hilarious. This is one of those deeply touching books I wanted to pass on to all my friends. Highly recommended for teens and adults.