"Luna": Transformative novel for the modern teen.

Luna is the tale of a 17-year-old male who seems to have it all:  he's brilliant, handsome, responsible, smart with his money, techno-saavy...there's just one problem:  he's really a girl.  Liam O'Neill was born a male on the outside, but emotionally and cognitively, he's always known he was supposed to be a girl.  The novel, as told through the eyes of  his younger sister Regan, details the emotional struggles of both Liam (or "Luna") as he wavers on the precipice of his gender transformation, and Regan as the sole secret keeper and constant witness to Liam/Luna's transitioning to her new life as a female.

The story's conflicts are pretty straight-forward:  hiding a life-long secret from dysfuntional parental units, questioning socially-accepted gender roles and identities, coping with the the cruelty of high school peers, and struggling for acceptance from the community at large.  As one might predict, Liam's revelation doesn't go over so well on any of these fronts, leading him (and Regan) to moments of heart-wrenching despair, seemingly trapped in a world unlikely to ever accept Luna for who she really is.

At the same time, Regan struggles with the intense pressure of being her brother's secret-keeper and sole advocate, while still navigating and surviving her own high school hell of peer misconceptions, sexist teachers, and a budding romance that turns disastrous at every turn.  Add to that a brother who is about to burst forth from his cocoon of gender oppression and you've got a recipe for a teenage meltdown.  Which happens - eventually.

Frankly, I struggled to really like or connect with any of the novel's characters - I felt as though I never really got to know them intimately.  Even our narrator, Regan, is vague and secretive about herself - even with her audience.  Despite my frustration, I chalked it up to being accurate and effective writing from the teenage perspective, where nothing is certain and everything changes from moment to moment.  Nonetheless, it made me angry.  Especially when it seemed that Regan's choice to suffer endlessly and silently on behalf of her brother, sacrificing her own life for his, would never end.  However, as aforementioned, the meltdown did come and it was both justified and satisfying to finally see Regan completely go off on Luna for her selfish and self-centered behavior that has cost her so much of her own freedom. 

Regardless of my personal frustrations with the writing style, I give this book major kudos for broaching the topic of a transgender teenager.  Statistically, I don't know how common this situation is within the average high school, but I suspect that it is more common than I think.  Despite the specificity of Luna's struggle, the emotions and adversities both she and Regan face are still relevant and relatable.  Any teenage reader will be able to make a connection to the emotions of the two main characters:  the pain of being misunderstood and ostracized for being different; the pressures from parents and teachers to be something they're not; the struggle between siblings to find identity and independence; the sense of utter isolation and despair a young person feels when the world seems to turn against them at every turn.

While I would not necessarily use this novel as an anchor for a unit, I would absolutely have it in my personal classroom library.  Furthermore, this novel inspires me to create a unit with a teenage slant on "Human Issues" or "Human Rights" topics where the students have Lit Circles, making this novel one of the options the students could choose to read and focus their topic upon.  I am guessing I would need to have Parent Consent forms signed for this unit, as it would revolve around more "controversial" topics such as LBGT issues, bullying, eating disorders, cutting/self-mutilation, teenage pregnancy, rape, family problems, gang violence - to name just a few topics our children face today.

I discovered that Julie Anne Peters has quite an impressive collection of YA novels, many involving LGBT themes, but all involving coming-of-age struggles.  Additionally, in doing my research for our Literacy Study Group, I came across related other YA titles that I would be interested in reading and possibly incorporating into the aforementioned unit, or carrying in my personal classroom library.  I have included a short list, both as reference for myself and as suggestions for my fellow classmates to get some ideas for our future classrooms:

By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead - JAP (Bullycide)
Define "Normal" - JAP (Teen Tolerance) 
Rules - Cynthia Lord (Autism)
No More Dead Dogs - Gordon Korman (Student vs. Teacher)
Yummy:  The Last Days of a Southside Shorty - G. Neri (Gang Violence)
Scars - Cheryl Rainfield (Cutting, Sexual Assault)
Tamara's Child - B.K. Mayo (Teen Mother, Family Drama)


This short list just barely scratches the surface of relevant YA novels that run the gamut of relevant teen issues and topics of debate.  Although the hero/heroine of Luna is a more marginalized student, the themes of struggle and acceptance are universal and well-worth talking about in our classrooms.