Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence

I wasn't sure what to expect from a gay YA anthology from 1994, in fact I was surprised such a thing had been published. I found the stories just as poignant and moving as modern ones, and not as dated as I expected. There is a good mix of themes, self-discovery, acceptance of others, the experience of having gay family members, the AIDS crisis... and only a few are coming out stories! The anthology features a diverse array of writers, some of whom wrote some of my most beloved childhood books. Although it's an old anthology, I would say it's definitely one to check out!

The introduction states that the editor hopes in 10 years, a specifically gay anthology will not be needed because gay and lesbian characters will be commonplace in show more children's literature. Well, sadly, in 2004 we hadn't reached that point. Now, nearing 2024, we're at risk of losing what little ground we've gained. But if a book like this was possible in 1994, then we'll certainly keep fighting to make sure it's possible for all the years to come. show less

3 3/4 Stars. This is one of those collections of which it is very difficult to let go. Finishing this book was like saying goodbye to a dear friend. I never expected that a collection of LGBT stories published almost a decade ago could still ring so true today. Even with the differences between now and then, this book still manages to be extremely relevant. The authors in this collection did a beautiful job of showing that no person is one label, one descriptor, one identity. We are all a collection of intersections. I am so grateful that someone suggested this book to me, and I will forever hold it in a special place of my heart.

I've wanted to read this since I was a kid and finally at twenty-one my best friend and I are finally getting to it. "Am I Blue?" is clearly a groundbreaking and important collection of LGBT youth short fiction, addressing issues of sexuality and identity from many different angles - it's not all about confusion and coming out, but about LGBT people as just people, with stories not always placing primacy on their sexual identity. While it kind of has a dated feel to it, it's stories and messages are still very current and applicable to today's youth. And even as a 21-year-old, it's still a great read. A must for any curious kid and maybe more importantly, parents of and adults who know LGBT children.

This is my second time reading this book. Then I adored it. I am not implying I don't still love it, but the way I read the stories, especially these two, was very different.

In "Winnie and Tommy" by Francesca Lia Block the title characters have father issues. Winnie's father is dead and Tommy's father is extremely abusive.
"I wish I could be your dad," Winnie whispered into Tommy's hair.
"We can be each other's dads."
They were also each other's moms, each making sure that the other had eaten, was dressed warmly enough. Once, while Tommy was teaching Winnie to do a special skateboard jump, he said to her, "You're the son I never had."
She loved that. It was better than if he had said "I love you."
I don't know if I can really articulate how show more that made me feel. It has something to do with my issues with my father, particularly his death, my experiences with father/daughter roleplaying (which have not been positive), the ambiguity I feel towards my gender identity, and the tendancy of certain friends of mine to parent one another. Even if I did read That's the best I can explain.

My reaction was also noticably different to the story "We Might As Well All Be Strangers" by M.E. Kerr. I was a bit astonished by how much I enjoyed it, considering that M.E. Kerr and I don't have the greatest track record. A girl comes out to her Jewish grandmother as a lesbian. The grandmother relates a story about a trip to Germany she made in 1933 with a school friend and the prejudice she encountered there. The grandmother is incredibly supportive and says, "I'm proud that you told me first." The girl then comes out to her mother, who is not supportive or understanding at all and warns her daughter not to tell her grandmother, as it would kill her, after all the suffering she has experienced in her life.
I never came out to my grandmother. I really regret that. She once angrily chided my aunt for making fun of one of my cousins, regarding what she (my aunt) perceived (erroneously) as his sexuality. She said that when she was growing up in Greenwich Village, people were out and it wasn't an issue. When I first came out to my mother, she didn't understand. Once, when we were visiting my grandmother, she asked me if I had any girlfriends or boyfriends. I cheerily responded, both! and my mother told me not to confuse her. I responded that I was quite sure she wasn't confused at all. Before my grandmother really started to lose it, in the last year or so of her life, I wish I had talked to her about being queer. I wish I had asked her more about her life in the Village. I think it would've been better if I had come out to her first. show less

A wonderful collection of short stories about teenagers dealing with their own sexuality and that of those around them. The collection is fairly well balanced between gay/lesbian/bi/questioning/confused (no transgender, sadly enough). I wish the book didn't so blatantly advertise its contents, though. For many teens, it's a very frightening and confusing thing to think about sexuality, so they might not be as apt to pick this book up if all their friends can see what it's about.

Well, this was actually my book, but now my daughter is old enough to read it. I read it as a high school student and really really liked it. My daughter read it as a 5th grader and, while some of the stories went over her head, some of them provoked some really good discussions about sexuality, sexual orientation, homophobia, etc.

This collection of short stories about homosexuality has something for everyone. This is not to say that one person can't enjoy all of it, though. As with most young adult fiction, these stories featured a teen or tween protagonist. But these are not all 'coming out' stories. Some characters are out and comfortable with that, some are struggling with coming out, and some are not even sure that they're going to. The collection, though variations on a theme, are quite diverse. I cannot name any story that I did not enjoy, but I do have a favorite. The title tale, "Am I Blue?" is easily the best of them all in my opinion.
One thing I found interesting was that there was an 'about the author' page at the end of each story which most authors show more used to flog their current books. All of them made sure to state whether they were gay as well. Most of them were not, but they were all able to write a realistic and resonant story. I recommend this collection to everyone on the planet. The perspective will do anyone good. show less