Far From You

Sharpe, Tess. Far From You. 2014

Three years ago Sophie was in a car accident and nearly lost her life. Her subsequent recovery sparked an addiction to narcotics, which her parents attempted to cure by sending Sophie to live with her aunt for several months. Soon after Sophie's return, there's another accident, but this one involves murder. Used to Sophie's lies, no one will believe that she hasn't relapsed. Sophie needs to find her best friend's murderer before it's too late, and she might have to do this all by herself.

This book is told in chapters which alternate between present-day and stories from the past which relate to whatever's happening in the present. The labels at the beginning of each chapter, in addition to a change in font, make it fairly easy to follow along. I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of this story, and I tried to follow along and guess who the murderer was before the end of the book. (I was wrong.) This is a great, suspenseful story of a girl who happens to be bisexual; the focus is not on Sophie's coming-out but rather on her attempt to solve her best-friend/almost girlfriend's murder.

Recommended for: young adults
Red Flags: drug use, alcohol, sexual abuse
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alike Suggestions: The Name of the Star, Confessions of a Murder Suspect

Teaching the Cat to Sit

Theall, Michelle. Teaching the Cat to Sit: A Memoir.Gallery Books, 2014.

In alternating chapters, Theall tells the story of growing up in a very religious Catholic family and realizing that she is a lesbian while also telling the story of her son, Connor, and the choice she and her partner made to remove him from his Catholic preschool. Throughout her memoir, the theme of what makes a family - whether it be our family of origin or our family of choice - prevails.

As a lesbian who grew up in a very religious family, I can relate to Theall's story of her family's repeated rejection of her "lifestyle" as well as her struggle to reconcile the faith tradition she was raised in with her sexual orientation. Theall's story will ring true with many readers, and not just those among the LGBT community. This book would be an excellent addition to a public library's collection.

Recommended for: adults
Red Flags: Theall is raped by a neighbor when she is 11. The rape scene in this book is not graphic, but it is sudden, so readers who are abuse survivors should take gentle care in approaching this book.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alike Suggestions: Rapture Practice: A True Story About Growing Up Gay in an Evangelical Family, Love Makes a Family

God and the Gay Christian

Vines, Matthew. God and the Gay Christian. Convergent Books. 2014. 

After the viral success of his video lecture on the Bible and homosexuality, Vines has continued his study of the topic and compiled his findings into a book. Starting with introductory comments and continuing through the six “clobber passages” from the Bible most commonly used to condemn same-sex relationships, Vines draws from biblical scholarship, language studies, ancient history, and other texts contemporary to biblical writings to show a different way of looking at the arguments against homosexuality. The factual information is punctuated with snippets from Vines’s own coming-out experience with his father. The final chapter highlights modern church reformers such as Kathy Baldock of Canyon Walker Connections and Justin Lee of the Gay Christian Network, as well as discussing Vines’s own work in the Reformation Project. Extensive endnotes indicate that Vines has, indeed, put much time and effort into thoroughly studying this topic. Rather than giving pat answers or simple slogans, Vines walks the reader through the historical context of the arguments against same-sex relationships and explains how the church (and the world) has viewed this issue throughout history.

An excellent academic read and companion to Lee’s Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gay vs. Christian Debate and Shore’s Unfair: Christians and the LGBT Question, Vines avoids the common pitfalls of resorting to numerous “human interest” stories to prove his point and instead focuses on the logic and history behind the religious arguments against same-sex relationships. Readers who expect an in-depth look at biblical themes and passages will not be disappointed. Evangelical and other conservative Christians will appreciate Vines’s approach to the topic as well as his stance on church doctrine. Vines asserts his belief in the absolute authority of the Scriptures, and in so doing he invites those who have turned away from previous attempts at reconciliation between the two camps to look again at what the Bible itself has to say on this very controversial topic. This book would make an excellent addition to a public library’s collection in conservative communities as well as academic libraries at religious institutions.

Caught in the Crossfire

Rich, Juliann. Caught in the Crossfire. Bold Strokes Books, 2014. 

Jonathan is spending his seventh summer at Spirit Lake Bible Camp, but things have become complicated for him. The appearance of the new camper, Ian, has shown Jonathan that he isn't like the other guys at camp. Ian, who was sent to Bible camp by his foster parents, gladly chooses his orientation over his faith, but Jonathan isn't so sure. He's caught between what he was taught is right and what he feels is right.

This is a well-written summer camp story, complete with all the typical camp hijinx, s'mores, pranks, and plenty of mosquitoes. However, as a survivor of many summers of Christian camp in the Midwest, I was a bit confounded by the author's depictions. This camp seemed like a stereotypical summer camp with a few serious Bible-based discussions thrown in. But there was alcohol available for kids to sneak out of the cafeteria, and one boy smuggled in a huge stack of porn to look at. The campers went skinny dipping. One girl, who is described as being homeschooled with her nine siblings, is expected to "dance seductively" in a play that some of the campers are performing on Parents Day. There was only mention of a brief Sunday service, rather than daily or twice-daily services that are typical at Christian camps. None of these things describe the Bible-based camps I attended, so the story didn't ring true to me for a Bible camp, but instead a standard summer camp with a few Christian discussions thrown in.

The conflict between those who believed that being gay is a sin and those who did not rang true, however, as did Jonathan's internal struggles with wanting to please god and struggling with his feelings for Ian. This is still a major issue in American society, so this book, while not filling an empty niche, fits well with others of its ilk, and may appeal to religious readers who might not otherwise pick up a book about LGBT characters.

Recommended for: teens

Red Flags: a few homophobic slurs, the campers steal wine and get drunk at a bonfire, several teens make out at the same bonfire, Jonathan and Ian have sex in the woods, some campers go skinny dipping, one camper brings a stack of [his dad's] porn for his bunk mates to enjoy

Overall Rating:3/5 stars

Read-Alikes: The God Box,   The Order of the Poison Oak,  Rapture Practice: A True Story About Growing Up Gay in an Evangelical Family,

Pantomime

Lam, Laura. Pantomime. Strange Chemistry, 2013.

Gene (Iphigenia to her parents) lives in a land not so different from Victorian times, except that there is mysterious Penglass all around as a remnant of older times. Gene is intersex, but for the sake of simplicity I'll use female pronouns as that is how she was raised and she does not choose to change her pronouns later. Gene doesn't fit the mold of a typical female - she hates sewing and would rather be climbing trees and chasing after her brother. When Gene overhears her parents talking one night and discovers that they are going to make her get surgery to become a "real female," she decides to run away and join the circus. Literally. But how long can Gene hide the truth about herself?

This book is excellent for many different reasons. The fantasy side of the story is great - the storytelling and narration read like many other fantasy stories. The diversity in characters is also wonderful - many of the circus performers that Gene meets are gay/lesbian/bisexual, although they don't wear rainbow shirts or have fabulous parades. Gene herself is very real and is dealing with very real problems. It's pretty obvious from the end of this book that there will be a sequel, but the book stands alone well itself. Absolutely this is a must-have title for libraries that want diverse books; there are too few YA books featuring intersex characters.

Recommended for: young adults
Red Flags: Gene is nearly raped twice; both times the man stops when he discovers her unusual genitalia; there is talk of her binding her breasts; the man who runs the circus is an alcoholic who beats his wife; there is some minor violence
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Graceling for the fantasy and GLBT content; Etiquette & Espionage for the Victorian-esque feel, Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite for another intersex character.