Do you believe in love at first sight? The book Camp, by LC Rosen is about a 16-year-old boy that is sent to a queer summer camp by his parents. Randy Kapplehoff decides to change a lot about himself all for Hudson Aaronson-Lin. This summer, instead of the nail-polish wearing femme boy named Randy, he takes on a new identity as “Del”. Del is an athletic butch boy, or in other words, Hudson’s ideal type. Del is constantly telling himself that it was all going to be worth it in the end when he will be the first one that isn’t just one of Hudson’s two-week conquests. The book is being told in the perspective of Randall AKA Del throughout the whole book. The conflict in this story is how Randall has to completely change everything about himself just to try to get Hudson to fall in love with him for more than just his usual two-week period. Going into this book, I didn’t originally expect it to have as many sexual references as it did.There were some bits of imagery in some of the interactions between Del and his friends in addition to multiple scenes between him and Hudson too. That’s also one of the big things that really surprised me when I started reading this book. After reading this book, I was thinking about how people in the LGBT community are constantly discriminated against even now in the present day. The way that this book centers around the queer kid's time at the queer summer camp is a really nice change in perspective since it's essentially a safe place for all those queer kids in this book. One other thing that was really nice in the book, and that added to the overall read, was the author’s use of writing. The author used plenty of descriptive words throughout the book in addition to tons of imagery that added another level of entertainment to the story. It was very well paced in my opinion too. This book was a very great choice to read. I feel like I can really connect with some of the characters, especially Del. The way he changed himself all for Hudson kind of reminds me of how I’ve tried changing for people. I learned that if you were to change for someone, you would most likely be having a ton of second thoughts about if changing nearly everything about yourself is really worth it. This book changed my perspective of having deep feelings for someone and if it's right or not to change yourself just to appease them and get them to notice you. I feel as though I’m more empathetic since I feel it's easier for me to understand the thoughts going through Del’s head when he decided to change pretty much everything about himself all for Hudson. By Kaylee H.
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The 57 Bus shows development through adversity. The book is based on a true story about an agender teen who got lit on fire because they were wearing a skirt. The 57 Bus begins with introducing someone named Sasha. Sasha began to explore different topics about whom they might truly be, whether it was their sexuality or what gender they might identify as. Sasha was surrounded by many supporting figures in their life. Richard was an African American male who was trying to turn his life around. Richard’s goal was to graduate high school. Richard and Sasha both took the same bus home every day, the 57 bus. One day, Sasha fell asleep on the bus while Richard and his friends were screwing around in the back. Richard was dared to light Sasha’s skirt on fire because they looked like a guy wearing a skirt. Richard thought it would cause no harm, so he lit the skirt, then got off the bus right away. He turned around and saw Sasha engulfed in flames. Richard was arrested the day after the crime was committed, and Sasha began a long recovery process. Eventually, Richard signed a plea deal that imprisoned him for a total of seven years. As for Sasha, they began a long recovery challenge starting the day of the attack. They weren’t able to talk to their friends face to face for over 3 months. Sasha went through many struggles while recovering, but not having their relationships affected them the most. Sasha’s family didn’t get the two written letters until after the case was over, but when they read them, their opinion on Richard changed. Eventually, when Richard was released, he and Sasha met up again and Richard was able to formally apologize. The book being written from the perspective of Sasha and Richard allowed me to see their opinions and thinking on certain events. This allowed me to bond with the characters to a greater extent. Once the middle of the story began, the style of the book changed. After Richard lit Sasha on fire, the book’s rhetoric changed to a more objective tone. This objective tone was still very meaningful. The author was stating facts about the event without a bias. This allowed you to form an opinion for yourself. Not only did this allow you to establish your own opinion, but it also allowed you to critically think and piece everything together. Throughout the book, I was mainly thinking about the end result. Although I was concerned about Sasha’s recovery and Richard’s court case, the main idea I was worried about was what would happen between Sasha and Richard. The book was hinting at a unity between the two. It mentioned the letters Richard wrote to Sasha and Sasha’s family multiple times, but it would also talk about Sasha’s opinions on Richard. Not only would it talk about Sasha’s feelings, but it would also mention Sasha’s family’s feelings. Mostly, the feelings consisted of confusion. “Why would he do that to me,” but every so often Sasha’s family would understand what Richard was currently going through. Eventually, all these hints confirmed my thoughts. Sasha and Richard reunited. The fact that Sasha had the courage to meet Richard formally, and Richard had the courage to face the person’s life he changed forever, surprised me. The beginning of the book changed me in a few ways. I got to see the perspective of an agender person's life. This enabled me to be more open to different types of people because I realized that everybody is living in the same world. Everyone might not be suffering the same problems, but we’re all here together. Reading The 57 Bus caused me to view things differently. It taught me to see where other people are coming from, instead of just centering on my point of view. Throughout the whole book, the opinions that Sasha and Richard have on each other resurface commonly. This taught me to think about the people that I have affected. Before the book pointed this out to me, I didn’t realize how my actions might influence other people’s lives. What are the opinions that they might have on me after I’ve done something? This has made me be more conscious about my actions. I think about what will happen before I do something now. This not only allows me to make smarter decisions, but it also causes me to build better relationships because I’m not angering people through my actions. I’ve also changed to be more considerate of others. By Grant Z. Being gay isn’t a choice, people can not help who they like and they should not have to hide who they are. Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens is a story following the life of Nima Kumara-Clark. Nima is a young teenager with an average life, she lives with just her dad after her mom left with unusual circumstances. Nima has two main friends Charles and Ginny who Nima has a crush on. After Nima’s failed attempt to tell Ginny her feelings she goes through a downward spiral until the carnival comes around. Nima goes to a show called punk poetry where she is captivated by the performer. Nima’s sleepy life suddenly changes when she finds herself at a drag show at the carnival which ends up leading her into what seems to be a whole new world.“But I told myself if I could just get past my house and hammock without being sucked in by the guaranteed comfort, something else might be waiting for me on the other side, something that might color me outside the lines and flow into other parts of my life.” As the story progresses we see Nima struggle to keep her normal life and her new exciting life together along with finding out the real reason her mom left. I was really surprised at the characters of the book each one was so different from anything I had ever read and it made them feel real. I have never read a book that was about characters struggling with their identity and being exposed to the LGBTQ community. I thought that the LGBTQ community was accurately interpreted without over- exaggerating the whole community. It surprised me how much I related to Nima as a character, her anxiety really made sense to me because of the drastic changes her life takes. Gordon Grant’s character development surprised me because, in the beginning, I thought he was the typical bad guy with no character ark. As the story progresses we see him change his views and even learn that he is struggling with his self-identity. It was really refreshing to read a book that accurately presented the LGBTQ in a positive, not over the top way. This reading without walls was supposed to be about finding stories with characters who you don’t relate to, however, while I relate to some aspects of Nima there are other aspects of her life I don’t. Nima had never known how big the LGBTQ community was, I on the other hand knew how big the community was and how for the most part they are very welcoming and friendly. Throughout the book, I saw Nimas’ way of thinking change. In the beginning, she was fine about her sleepy life but after the drag show, she began to want to explore more of the world she thought was small. I also really enjoyed reading about the character Gordon Grant, I felt like he represented people who don’t feel comfortable in their own skin but they aren’t able to explore who they are without judgment from their peers. Overall this story was a great book to read and it really captivates the reader. I would recommend this story to anyone who is struggling with their identity or anyone who wants to read a good book. by Olivia S. Conflict with family is inevitable and can be incredibly difficult to deal with at times, especially if that conflict creates a rift between you and the ones you trust most. Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake is the story of bisexual teenager, Mara McHale, and her inseparable twin brother, Owen. Ever since they were little, they’ve spent nights together on their roof staring at the night sky and sharing stories based on the constellations. After one wild night of drinking and partying, Mara’s friend, and Owen’s girlfriend, Hannah accuses Owen of rape. Despite their parent’s convinced by Owen’s pleas of innocence and how much Mara wants to believe him, she can’t shake the feeling that he’s holding something back. This creates a rift between the two, as well as between Owen and his best friend Alex. Broken-hearted and desperate for comfort, Alex and Mara go from just friends to something more while trying to distract themselves. And to make matters more complicated, Mara’s relationship with her best friend, and former girlfriend, Charlie is strained. Navigating this new terrain, Mara must come to terms with her traumatic past, confront the difficulty of sexual assault, and decide where Charlie, Alex, and Owen fit into her future. Girl Made of Stars addresses the uncomfortable topic of sexual abuse while answering difficult questions surrounding it. However, the book brings so much more into perspective. It also addresses the subjects of complicated relationships, self-identity, and overcoming high school drama. When Owen is introduced, it’s easy to grow attached to him as Mara’s dorky, loveable twin brother. This made it harder for me as the reader to comprehend the possibility of him committing rape because it completely contrasts with his personality. Even so, this conflict allowed me to better understand Mara and the difficult position she’s in throughout the story. I chose to read Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake because I was interested in a book with an LGBT+ main character. The characters show wide varieties of diversity and I was fascinated by how similar yet different they all were. It was particularly interesting to read about Charlie, who struggles with accepting herself while interested in girls. Her parents are aware and supportive of her sexuality, but have no idea she’s questioning her gender identity. This was eye opening for me, as I haven’t thought much about people coming out more than once and how that can be just as difficult and just as scary as coming out the first time. I was also interested in the topic of sexual assault, as it’s sadly common in today’s society. Although being a female and knowing someone who’s been through sexual assault, like Mara, I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in that position. It was also eye opening to read about Hannah’s experience because it never occurred to me that rape could occur within a consensual relationship. This changed my viewpoint on how sexual assault can occur and that the situation isn’t always black and white. Despite the challenges Mara encounters, I admire her audacity and courage when it comes to facing those difficulties head on. Quote: “And I’m not sure I ever will recover from what Mr. Knoll did. Not fully. It’s changed me forever, but changed doesn’t have to mean broken. And I know my family will never be the same either. My brother’s and my connection has been altered, never broken but twisted into something I never expected, never wanted. We’re no longer the twins in the sky, and I have to figure out how to live with that,” (Blake, 270). by Jenna H. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender is a passionate story about finding out who you truly are. This book is told by a high school-age artistic, black, queer, and trans boy, Felix Love. Because of how Felix identifies himself, he faces many challenges within school and society itself. Felix also struggles with relationships with his family, friends, and love interests throughout the book. Felix has good friends that are always there for him, but when school bullies, second thoughts on how he identifies himself, and confusing feelings for his best friend and his enemy come into the picture, Felix has a long journey of finding his voice and finding out who he is ahead of him. Felix Ever After is an extremely well-written book that I would recommend to kids my age. Callender presents conflicts that Felix struggles with that can be relatable to many high school students. Felix is a raw and loveable character that you can’t help connecting with throughout the book, and it is fun to see how Felix grows and comes to have a stronger voice that he lacked in the beginning. The book also shows a lot of diversity between students and their identities that I think students from a small town such as ours could benefit from reading about. Finally, the laid-back voice of this piece of writing causes for an enjoyable read! I chose this book because we were supposed to choose a book about someone different than us. I can’t think of a character that could be any different from me physically than Felix because he is black, trans, queer, and a boy. Though we are very physically different, I related to some of his struggles throughout the book, such as finding out who you are and what you want to do with your life. Throughout the story, it mentioned that Felix didn’t know if what he was doing was what he was meant to be doing with his life. I relate to this because I worry a lot about getting good grades, but I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I find myself wondering if all the time I spend studying is worth it or if my grades will even matter later on. I also learned a lot about the lifestyles and feelings of transgender people and people that are different from me. I have always respected people who are transgender and thought they were brave for being who they know they are, even though some don’t like it. Although this story is fictional, I thought it was cool to learn about transgender people from the point of view of a transgender person. I enjoyed this book because I could relate to some of the struggles that the high school students in the book face, but also because it taught me how to be aware of the feelings and struggles that others face. by Lily I. Quote: “Everything. I’m scared I’m not living my life to my full potential. I’m scared I’m wasting my life when I’m meant to be doing something else, something more.” (Callendar 194) “The truth is, it’s exactly what I want, but I’m scared of wanting it and even more scared of actually having it.” -Angelo Surmelis, The Dangerous Art of Blending In. Evan Panos is a seventeen-year-old boy who is a child of a strict Greek immigrant. He lives with his mom, Vee, and dad, Eli, who encourage him to follow in the strict rules of Christianity, especially his mom. When Evan goes to school, he gets picked on by the school bully, Thommy, and his crew, about his sexuality which makes him question himself. On top of what happens at school, his mom has always seen Evan as a disappointment and she believes that her son seeks evil constantly behind her back. She has abused him since he was five and he possesses many bruises that he tries to hide from the outside world. Although his dad is very loving and supportive, he is very subtle about stopping the abuse that happens constantly to his son. Evan thinks he has no one to talk to, so he writes down all of his experiences and feelings in journals and draws in an old monastery. One day, his mom finds the journals and turns them into their pastor for help. The pastor reads about Evan’s abuse and the discovery of his sexuality. The pastor then talks to him about how he’s just going through a ‘phase’. Evan believes that he can’t hear the word “gay” without the stigma and shame from his mom and his faith. I picked this book for this challenge because I’ve never read a book from the genre of LGBTQ+. Evan and I are very different because of our gender, sexuality, religion, culture, and the location in which we live. All differences aside, we are the same because we both know what it’s like to be a teenager and we both are the only child. Throughout my life, I’ve been really open to meeting people with different cultures, religion, political views, gender, etc, but I’ve never had a true insight of the LGBTQ+ community. I’ve seen parades, marches, and lots of social media posts of people of different ages showing their pride and I really wanted to know what some may go through. Some people go through finding their true self with love and support, while others go through hatred and even worse, abuse. It’s important for people to know that it’s hard to please everyone no matter what, but being yourself is a true way of being the light in the darkness and it inspires others to do the same. Most of the time, other people are going through the same thing you are. You are never alone. In the book, Evan was so worried to love someone because he was scared of what society and his mom would think of him. In the end, his best friend, Henry, was going through the same thing and they end up together. Love is love. I’ve gained so much awareness about the lives of other teenagers from reading this book. This story shows the harsh reality of what happens behind closed doors. I’ve learned some of the struggles of those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Growing up as a teen is hard enough, but trying to figure out your true self without love and support is tougher than others may think. It’s devastating that some people can’t live their life without the stigma that comes with being who they are. It’s sad that society sometimes traps people from being who they want to be. I think it’s important to have opportunities to learn about someone else’s life experiences to join communities together to gain understanding. The world would be such a lovely place if we all took the chance to communicate with each other and learn together. Amanda K. Imagine serving the country you love while being discriminated for your sexual identity. In the eyes of the 1994 American Military; lesbian, gay, transgender, or bisexual men and women should never have the right to serve their country. This sight later turned to reality, and this reality was the outcome of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) policy. For 17 years, this senseless regulation prohibited LGBT service men and women from serving the country they love. These men and women soon formed together to share their stories of how they had to live under the DADT policy while serving in the military. These stories created the book Our Time by Josh Seefried. In this biography, the author shares stories of LGBT service members and how they had to hide their true sexual preference under the DADT policy. These stories are told first hand from past and present service members who took a stand to defend their sexual identity and distinguish the DADT policy. Although I have never had any experience with discrimination, these stories of LGBT servicemen and women showed me firsthand of what it would be like to serve your country, while still being discriminated. This challenged my thinking in several ways, in some stories I would notice how hard an LGBT service member worked every day just to come back to the fact that he could never reveal his sexual preference. Yet, in other stories, some service members could no longer hide their identity and finally came out to their peers, which later formed their discharge from the military. However, throughout all the stories and all the differences, I noticed how each experience had something similar. Each service member was battling the same problem, no matter how hard they worked, all it came down to was their sexual preference. One part of their true self could change their whole career. Before reading this biography, I rarely had any interest in even picking up a book. However, these stories shared by real people, with real experiences, have drawn me into reading more and more. With this, these stories have opened up my sense of thought even broader than I could have imagined. At first, I had no idea what the DADT policy was and how hard it was for LGBT service members to serve their country from 1994-2011. However, I can now happily share my opinion and stories about these service members and how much courage they had in order to endure the discrimination they went through. All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone who agrees or disagrees with LGBT people serving in the military because I know it will change the way you think about discrimination to gays, lesbians, transgender and bisexual people. "My friends who know about me being gay, tell me that not only am I in the closet, but I am living proof that the whole military is a big closet. They think I’m crazy for remaining in the military, yet here I am still doing my job to the best of my ability and proudly serving my country every day” - LGBT Service Member in Our Time by Josh Seefried By Beau H. “I’m really pissed because you swore you would never die and yet here we are. It hurts even more because this isn’t the first promise you’ve broken.” Two young men fall in love after being best friends since they were very young. They are the happiest they have ever been when they have each other to hold. Nothing can separate Theodore and Griffin until Theo chose to go to college across the United States. Griffin and Theo were forced to break up since they were thousands of miles apart. When Theodore was gone, he met a new guy, Jackson. Theodore told Griffin all about Jackson, and Griffin was extremely mad and jealous, and quite devastated. While Theo is at college, he died in a terrible drowning accident. Griffin tells the sad story of his life with, and without Theodore, in a flashback structured writing. Jackson comes to New York, where Griffin and the funeral are, and Griffin tries to avoid him no matter what. No one understands Griffin or Jackson’s pain, besides each other. There are many more puzzle pieces that go together in this amazing page-turner. In this book, I was surprised by the realistic events, everything was thought out well by the author, everything correlates with another part of the book. I was challenged by the harsh “reality” in the fiction book. The events were very realistic but very very extreme. I feel like bad luck played a really big role in the book for the main character. While reading the book it’s extremely noticeable that it’s written in flashback formation. It starts off with a flashback and then it jumps back and forth from history to now. Having a reading assignment is one of the worst things in my eyes. Once in a blue moon, I'll find a great book that I like, but I've never enjoyed one that I've had to read. This book is a very good and interesting read. All the feelings I have experienced from these two characters have really opened my eyes to what it’s like for other people. I thought that I had it pretty bad, and even though this is fiction, It’s very realistic, and a big eye-opener. By Gunnar G. The United States is a country where over four percent of its citizens identify with the LGBTQ community. That’s more than the Russian, Chinese, and Swedish populations living in our country combined. With such a large group, it’s kind of surprising that we don’t know more about how LGBTQ community members feel and what they go through in everyday life. The Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin uses the first person perspective of Riley, a gender fluid high schooler, to shed light on this issue. Riley is starting fresh at a new high school and decides to start an online anonymous blog to vent their every day feelings and struggles. Riley’s congressman dad combined with the harassment from other students leads to internal and external conflicts throughout the story, but Riley always stays one step ahead. Throughout the book, we learn how far a little bit of kindness towards others goes, and how being different isn't always a bad thing. In the book, Riley describes being gender fluid, “It’s like I have a compass in my chest. But instead of north and south, the needle moves between masculine and feminine” (Garvin). While that may seem strange to many people, to me it makes perfect sense. Humans are incredibly complex creatures, so there's no way that all of us fit into perfectly binary sub-groups. We all have our own little quirks, and we all have our own internal compasases. This book made me realise just how big of an impact these issues can have on people. For Riley, this constant polarization is a major everyday struggle, leading to severe panic attacks and depression. This book challenges the way you feel and the way you think, revealing a whole new world to people like me who don’t have these experiences. When I first started reading, I thought the book felt really cheesy (one of Riley’s friends makes his introduction by bursting through the door and playing a crazy air guitar solo, eventually ending by sliding on his knees and breaking the invisible guitar on the ground) but by the third chapter I was surprised by how heart-felt it was. I was suddenly relating to these characters as if I was there with them, going through the same stuff. Seeing through Riley’s eyes sheds a whole new kind of light on these issues, provoking thought about how I affect others around me. Garvin uses the first person perspective beautifully in conjunction with his theme, proving that no matter how different we may be from each other, we are all still human. By Will S. Written by Sara Farizan, the novel If You Could Be Mine describes the lives of Sahar and Nasrin, two young women living in modern-day Iran. They have wonderful families, and have been the best of friends since they were toddlers. However, they hold a life-changing secret. They have been hiding their love for years, knowing what will happen if they come out. In Iran, homosexuality is seen as a crime, often punishable by death. Sahar will do anything to be with her one true love, no matter the cost. She begins to plan how to leave the country with her lover, only to be stopped by Nasrin’s parents arranging a marriage. At this point, there is one option for Sahar and Nasrin: sex reassignment surgery. Sahar dreams up her life as a man with Nasrin, caring for her, loving her the way she was meant to. Unlike homosexuality, sex reassignment is completely legal, and generally accepted in their society. Farizan goes more into detail about how Sahar thinks, acts, and reacts to the seemingly never-ending struggles stopping her from being her true self. Sahar and Nasrin’s life is almost polar opposite of mine. She is an Iranian lesbian woman, and is treated very differently in her society than I am. Iran’s traditions are very strict and conventional, as this is how it has been for decades. As a teen struggling to being herself in a society where they forbid it, Sahar is impacted greatly. She goes through very tough times internally, and only has one person to talk about it with. The amount of hiding and fear these girls went through seemed almost constant, always being very cautious with each other. I really gained a new perspective on what teens all around the world go through, and how individuality in society can be so hard to reach. After reading this book, I have a better mindset on what is means to be yourself. I have learned to be more accepting and understanding. This book also highlighted how cruel and mean people can be to others who are different than themselves. It makes me think about how high school, a place where you supposedly find who you are and be yourself, can be so constricting and judgemental. I think the biggest take-away I got from this book is how society and tradition influences the way you act. Because of the rules and constrictions of society, Sahar and Nasrin changed the way they would’ve acted because of their fear of ridicule and punishment. I got a lot from this book that can apply into my everyday life. I definitely recommend this book to anyone, because there is something in it that everyone can relate to. “I need an answer from you. Please don’t treat me like I’m some silly girl, because we’re too old for that now. If I were a man, would you be with me? Would you leave him for me?” -Sahar in If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan By Payton S. |
AuthorSTenth grade students at Decorah High School share how they're reading outside of their own experiences and how it has changed them. Categories
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