Transgender Warriors

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

"In this fascinating personal journey through history, Leslie Feinberg - one of the most prominent transgender rights activists today - unearths a vast body of evidence that throughout history there have always been people who defy cultural boundaries of sex and gender.

During an embattled childhood and teenage years as a gender outlaw, Feinberg began a search for others struggling to assert an identity. What s/he found was a long tradition of individuals fighting back against injustice - from Joan of Arc to the Welsh peasants who cross-dressed to protest taxes, from the Black and Latina drag queens who led the Stonewall rebellion to transsexual parents fighting for custody today. Traditional society often exacted a terrible price from these transgender warriors, and Feinberg urges us now to receive them as hero/ines and visionaries.

Illustrated with many previously unpublished historical images and contemporary photographs, Transgender Warriors is an eye-opening excursion through the history of sex and gender expression and a powerful testament to the resilient and rebellious spirit." Reviewed here.

Gay Men and Women Who Enriched the World

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

This is a biographical resource which includes portrayals of 47 gay men and women who are outstanding in art, literature, philosophy, economics, mathematics, music, and entertainment.
1996
Cowan, T.

My Gender Workbook

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

"In My Gender Workbook, Kate brings theory down to Earth and provides a practical guide to living with or without a gender. Using a unique, deceptively simple and always entertaining workbook format, Kate gently but firmly guides you to discover your own unique gender identity. She also takes aim at recent efforts to naturalize gender differences, putting books like Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus squarely where they belong: on Uranus. If you don't think you are transgendered when you sit down to read this book, you will be by the time you finish it!"
1998
Bornstein, K.
Read other Reviews here.

Coming Out to Parents

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

Coming Out to Parents: A Two-Way Survival Guide for Lesbians and Gay Men and Their Parents
"For gays and lesbians she explores the fears and misgivings accompanying the revelation of themselves to their parents, providing suggestions on how and when to come out, what reactions to expect, and how to deal with the awkwardness that follows. For parents, she guides them through the reactions of grief and loss and shows how understanding, compassion, and insight can lead to an even deeper love between the parent and the finally whole child."
1993
Borhek, M.V.

Bad Boy

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

"This insightful book about violence in hockey, male teenage friendship and homosexuality created some controversy when it was published, provoking varied reactions both positive and negative."

Read the full article about this Award-winning book .

1989
Wieler, D.

Happy Endings are All Alike

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

"This suspenseful yet touching love story looks at the relationship between Jaret and Peggy who spend their last summer before college together and in love. Jaret's sense of forboding is not unfounded as her worst fears turn into brute reality. Scoppetone addresses issues of discloure, safety and violence against women in a simply told story that affirms teenage same-sex love."
1978,1991,2004
Scoppetone, S.

Rainbow Boys

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

Three teenage boys, coming of age and out of the closet. In a revealing debut novel that percolates with passion and wit, Alex Sanchez follows these very different high-school seniors as their struggles with sexuality and intolerance draw them into a triangle of love, betrayal, and ultimately, friendship (from amazon.com)

2001
Sanchez, A.

What Happened to Lani Garver

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

The close-knit residents of Hackett Island have never seen anyone quite like Lani Garver. Everything about this new kid is a mystery: Where does Lani come from? How old is Lani? And most disturbing of all, is Lani a boy or a girl?
Popular Claire McKenzie isn't up to tormenting Lani with the rest of the high school elite. Instead, she decides to befriend the intriguing outcast. But within days of Lani's arrival, tragedy strikes, and Claire is left questioning herself, her friendships, and, most interesting of all, the possibility that angels may exist on earth.
2002
Plum-Ucci, C.

Luna

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

A groundbreaking novel about a transgender teen's struggle for self-identity and acceptance.
2004 National Book Award Finalist: Young People's Literature
excerpt
Peters, J
2004

Night Kites

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

from amazon.com

"What do you do when your best friend's girlfriend makes a pass at you?

Erick Rudd isn't sure how it happened -- he did nothing but look. It was Nicki who made the first move. And if that doesn't complicate things enough, Erick is about to get some news that will blow his safe world apart: Pete, his older brother and idol, has fullblown AIDS."
Kerr, M.E.
1986

Not the Only One : Lesbian and Gay Fiction for Teens

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

From amazon.com:
"Gr. 7-12. This revised edition of Alyson's groundbreaking anthology for gay and lesbian teens features new original fiction which reflect both the tension and relief of being true to oneself. Contributors include Gregory Maguire (Wicked), Brent Hartinger (The Geography Club), Claire McNab (The Wombat Strategy), Michael Thomas Ford (Last Summer) and Bonnie Shimko (Letters in the Attic). These stories provide hope and inspiration to gay and lesbian teenagers as they take the first exciting, often difficult steps toward accepting their sexuality and emerging from the shadows as open and proud individuals."
Grima, T (ed)
1994

Stone Butch Blues

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

"Published in 1993, this brave, original novel is considered to be the finest account ever written of the complexities of a transgendered existence.

Woman or man? That's the question that rages like a storm around Jess Goldberg, clouding her life and her identity. Growing up differently gendered in a blue--collar town in the 1950's, coming out as a butch in the bars and factories of the prefeminist '60s, deciding to pass as a man in order to survive when she is left without work or a community in the early '70s. This powerful, provocative and deeply moving novel sees Jess coming full circle, she learns to accept the complexities of being a transgendered person in a world demanding simple explanations: a he-she emerging whole, weathering the turbulence.

Leslie Feinberg is also the author of Trans Liberation, Trans Gender Warriors and Transgender Liberation, and is a noted activist and speaker on transgender issues. " (from amazon.com)
1993
L Feinberg

Lucky

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

Grade 9 Up–"This is de Oliveira's first novel, and he's a writer to watch. Sam Smith is a young, sexually confused teen living in Surrey, England. He enjoys hanging out with his friends, Brenda and Pod, and is passionate about playing on the local football team. Then he meets self-confident Toby, another gifted player, who happens to be gay. Toby introduces Sam to the contemporary gay scene in London, which includes Soho nightlife. Sam is intrigued and wonders if he might be gay, as well, especially after he notices mysterious and attractive "Him," a young stranger who occasionally shows up at football games. Eventually Sam comes to the realization that "These are the facts. I'm attracted to boys and girls.... I'm just Sam. I was born like this." De Oliveira has a mature, concise writing style and an excellent command of narrative pacing and dialogue. Sam and his friends are believable characters, flawed but likable, and the author's examination of contemporary British youth will probably intrigue American readers. "–Robert Gray, East Central Regional Library, Cambridge, MN
2004
E. De Oliveira

Baby Be-bop

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

This is Dirk's story.
It begins way back before he met Duck. And even before he was Weetzie's best friend.
It's about a time when Dirk was much younger. He didn't have the cool hair, or the cool car. He wasn't pogo-ing through the mosh pits at gigs. And he didn't have a slinkster dog loping along at his side.
But he did have a secret. A secret he'd forced deep down inside himslef. It was the truth about the real Dirk, something he'd always known but was afraid to share with the world.
This is the story of Dirk before he told the world he was gay. And what happened after.
1995
Block, FL

Gravel Queen

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

Life gets complicated when Aurin and Neila start getting very close. As well as handling her own feelings, Aurin has to maintain her existing friendships, despite her excitement about the uncertain future.
2003
Benduhn. T.

Am I blue? Coming Out of the Silence.

[ Categories: Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

16 short stories address different issues for gay and lesbian youth: coming out, friends, hopes, parents and grandparents, relationships, even a "fairy godmother".
1994. Bauer, M. (ed)

Diversity Learning

[ Categories: Aboriginal Issues : British Columbia : Canada : Vancouver : Anti-homophobia : Anti-racism : Books : Film/Video : Learning Resource Guides : Websites  ]

Designed for and by teachers, this website has links to hundreds of resources, lesson plans and learning activities on eliminating racism and promoting diversity that have been catalogued by subject/curricula and grade level. These lessons and activities cover a variety of topics, including multiculturalism, human rights, gender equity, global awareness and many other related issues.

Dangerous Territories: Struggles for Difference and Equality in Education

[ Categories: Outside Canada : Anti-racism : Books  ]

Leslie G. Roman and Linda Eyre, eds. Dangerous Territories: Struggles for Difference and Equality in Education. New York: Routledge, 1997. Pp. 288.

"This timely collection contributes richly detailed and perceptive analyses of how educational policies and practices have come to be constituted so that questions of effectiveness and efficiency now prevail over “other” concerns, rendering many of the authors and the students to whom they feel accountable are marked as marginal and different. At the same time, many papers offer exemplary illustrations of a range of conceptual strategies and methodologies, useful both for their content and for how their approaches might be modified and applied elsewhere. Most of all, Dangerous Territories raises important and troubling questions for anyone who wishes to practice and promote critical education in contemporary schools and universities."
(from Historical Studies in Education review)

Pacific Educational Press - anti-racism and multicultural book list for teachers

[ Categories: British Columbia : Canada : Anti-racism : Books  ]

The Pacific Educational Press has a good list of books in their collection that can be ordered online.

Note Many Threads: Weaving a Country (Edited by Wilma Maki)
"This book is a collection of authentic writing for students in grades 5-7 about the wide range of people's experiences as immigrants to Canada. A carefully chosen selection of excerpts and short pieces from a variety of genres-poetry, novels, journals, newspapers-is included. They are arranged thematically so that readers can explore the reasons people have for leaving their original homes, their journeys to a new land, the strange, often exciting, and sometimes unpleasant experiences they have adjusting to a new social milieu, and the impact they have on this milieu. Accounts from both past and present add a historical dimension to the book. The original writing and documents are accompanied by short factual accounts to provide context for readers."

Parentbooks

[ Categories: Canada : Anti-racism : Books  ]

Toronto-based Parentbooks has an excellent selection of anti-racist & multicultural education books for educators and parents.

Where I Come From

[ Categories: Canada : Anti-racism : Books  ]

Vijay Agnew'a newest book, Where I Come From 2003, Canada, 299pp.) is "a reflective memoir of an immigrant professor's life in a Canadian university. It covers the period from 1967, when Canada was opened up to third-world immigrants, to the present. The book illustrates the ways in which identity is socially constructed by tracing some of the labels that were applied to the author at various stages during her thirty years in Canada — “foreign student,” “Indian woman,” “immigrant,” “Indian feminist,” and “third-world woman.”

She shows how each of these names has affected her relationships with other people and contributed to making her the woman she is now perceived to be: a feminist, anti-racist, activist professor. This multilayered story reveals the complex ways in which race, class, and gender intersect in an immigrant woman's life, and engages readers in a conversation that narrows the distance between them, showing not only what is different, but what is shared."

(details from above site)

"Two Teenagers in Twenty..."

[ Categories: Outside Canada : Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

Two Teenagers in Twenty: Writings by Gay and Lesbian Youth

( read an exerpt )

"Twelve years after compiling One Teenager in Ten, the first book ever to allow dozens of teenagers to describe what it’s like to be gay or lesbian, Ann Heron asked for stories from a new generation. She found that their sense of isolation and despair runs every bit as deep as it did a decade earlier. Two Teenagers in Twenty combines these new voices with many essays from her first book. It will greatly ease the way for teenagers just now coming out and the adults who seek to support them."

"Free Your Mind... "

[ Categories: Canada : Anti-homophobia : Books  ]

Free Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth--And Their Allies / Bass, Ellen; Kaufman, Kate. -- New York: HarperPerennial, c1996.

"Free Your Mind speaks to the basic aspects of the lives of gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth: self-discovery, friends and lovers, family, school, spirituality, and community. Alive with the voices of more than fifty young people, rich in accurate information and positive practical advice, Free Your Mind talks about how to come out, deal with problems, make healthy choices about relationships and sex, connect with other gay youth and supportive adults, and take pride and participate in the gay and lesbian community. Free Your Mind also presents detailed guidance for adults who want to make the world safer for lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth."

Oyate.org - list of books for high school

[ Categories: Aboriginal Issues : Canada : Outside Canada : Books : Websites  ]

For a listing of books for 'high-school up' and 'Books to Avoid'.

Green Grass, Running Water

[ Categories: Aboriginal Issues : Canada : Books : Learning Resource Guides  ]

King, Thomas (Cherokee), Green Grass, Running Water. 1993 (Blackfoot).

Discussion package for teachers about the book available online (in word .doc format)

"Green Grass, Running Water is set on a Blackfoot reserve in Alberta, Canada. The title refers to a phrase found in old treaties in which the U.S. government promised the Indians right to their land "as long as the grass is green and the water runs." (summary from above website)

April Raintree

[ Categories: Aboriginal Issues : Canada : Books  ]

Culleton, Beatrice (Métis), April Raintree. 1984.

"Perhaps because of the immediacy of the first-person narrative, the reader is inevitably drawn into the controversy regarding attitudinal ethics and the question of foster homes and adoption of native children. April Raintree is an important addition to the supplementary reading list for native studies, Canadian family, and people in society courses, as well as thematic units in Canadian literature." (review from above site)

Reservation Blues

[ Categories: Aboriginal Issues : Outside Canada : Books  ]

Reservation Blues by Alexie, Sherman (Spokane/Coeur d'Alene). 1995.

"In the 111-year life of the Spokane Indian reservation, not one person has arrived by accident-until the day the black stranger appears with nothing more than the suit he wears and the guitar slung over his back. The man happens to be the legendary bluesman Robert Johnson, in flight from the devil and presumed long dead. And when he passes his enchanted instrument to young Thomas-Builds-the-Fire-storyteller, misfit, and musician-a magical odyssey begins. From reservation bars to small-town taverns, from the cement trails of Seattle to the concrete canyons of Manhattan, Thomas and his Coyote Springs bandmates careen through ancestral nightmares and rock-and-roll dreams, sounding chords of celebration and survival as timeless as their tribe." (summary from website)

kstrom.net : Native American Books

[ Categories: Aboriginal Issues : Outside Canada : Books : Websites  ]

NATIVE AMERICAN BOOKS: Reviews of Books by, about Native Americans.

Also, List of children's books that Teachers must have.

The people these reviews are intended for are currently seen primarily as educators and librarians in K -12 schools, and for college Native Studies. But of course reviews are useful to students, too, as a guide to research.