This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson

December 20, 2021 Tiffany Timmons

Title: This Book Is Gay

Author: Juno Dawson

Assigned Genre: LGBTQ+

Publisher: 2015 Sourcebooks Fire

Length: 266 pages

Completed Reading: November 12, 2021

Summary

This Book Is Gay, is a nonfiction YAL book written by Juno Dawson, a transgender white woman. The book is based on a survey conducted by the author on over three hundred participants. It is centered around the idea of what it is like growing up LGTBQ+.

Introduction to Book

This book is badass!

It came into my line of view last month as I’m in B&N shopping for Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon.

I can be pretty one-track-minded at times so, although I know I had assignments that I shouldv’e been browsing books for, nothing else is on my radar at the time.

I find Everything, Everything, grab it, and walk around the bookshelf that it’s on to fast-track it to the register.

I’m with a friend so I take a quick glance back and check if they’re in my sight.

I’ve got stuff to do.

My glance is captured by a jacket of beautiful, vibrant colors perched up on the YAL display table. From where I’m standing, I have no idea what the words read. All I see is color. I have to touch this book. I walk back over toward the table and begin to make out the title: This Book Is Gay.

“My father’s going to kill me”, I think to myself.

“But I need it for the choice reading for class”, I justify.

I grab it. Smooth. Shiny. Bold.

I’m in love.

I flip it over. Read the back. I’m sold.

Relevance to Teaching

Besides fulfilling a class requirement, what really urged me about needing to purchase this book was the thought of students I will encounter throughout my career who identify as LGBTQ+. I spend lots of time considering my approach with my students who identify differently than I do. I often worry that I will say the wrong thing out of ignorance. The touchy, heated climate of today’s culture doesn’t help. So I figured, if nothing else, I could at least learn something that could prove useful to my approach.

I mean, the book is for everyone, right?

YES, IT IS!

While reading this book, I realized, as the author promises, how useful it is as a guide to navigating self-identity and realizing personal and societal truths.

Two of the hardest realizations our scholars are struggling to understand and come to terms with at this stage in their lives.

I would highly recommend this text to my students and plan to do so after returning from break. I may even introduce it in our next after-school book club as reading this text can:

Help students make sense of thoughts and feelings they or their friends may be experiencing.
Offer students insight and guidance on how to navigate through topics they may be too uncomfortable or embarrassed to ask.

Structure

Students will like that the author is funny. She unpacks really heavy topics in a way that is humorous using fun analogies relatable to young adults. Her writing style makes the reader feel welcomed and supported. Students need this. They need to interact with texts that offer these types of reading highs.

Personal Connection With Text- Reader Response Strategy

This Book Is Gay has challenged me to confront my own perspectives. It helped me realize my own unhealthy communication patterns that I’ve been searching to put into words. As a lover of words, I must also say that I really enjoyed the play on words and the double entendres that appear throughout the text.

Fun read.