Annie on My Mind

Garden, Nancy.  Annie on My Mind. New York: Ferrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2007.

Liza met Annie at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Though they attended different schools and lived in completely different neighborhoods, Liza was enchanted.  She and Annie quickly became friends, and as they spent time together, their friendship blossomed into love.  However, as Liza school is facing a possible closure, the reputation of every student soon becomes very important.  When her classmates find out that Liza is a lesbian, the school's reputation and Liza's relationship with Annie are on shaky ground.  Liza has some rocky ground ahead of her as she tries to choose between what is right and what is easy.

This book was originally published in 1982 and caused no small amount of controversy at that time.  Obviously if Liza and Annie had met each other in 2011, things would have been different and hopefully much better for them.  Annie on My Mind opened the door for more LGBT lit to be published, reaching teens across the spectrum and helping those who love them to understand where they're coming from.