Heart Has Its Reasons - (Studies in Young Adult Literature) by Michael Cart & Christine A Jenkins (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Society does not make it easy for young people, regardless of their sexual orientation, to find accurate, nonjudgmental information about homosexuality. It makes it even more difficult for young homosexuals to find positive role models in fiction either written or published expressly for them or-if published for adults-relevant to them and their lives.

The Heart Has Its Reasons examines these issues and critically evaluates the body of literature published for young adults that offers homosexual themes and characters. Cart and Jenkins chart the evolution of the field of YA literature having GLBTQ (gay/lesbian/bisexual, transgendered, and/or queer/questioning) content. They identify titles that are remarkable either for their excellence or failures, noting the stereotypic, wrongheaded, and outdated books as well as the accurate, thoughtful, and tactful titles. Useful criteria for evaluating books with GLBTQ content are provided. Books and resources of all types are reviewed based on a model that uses the category descriptors of Homosexual Visibility, Gay Assimilation, and Queer Consciousness/Community. An annotated bibliography and a number of author-title lists of books discussed in the text arranged by subject round out this valuable reference for teachers, librarians, parents, and young adults.

Review Quotes

"...[an] overview of gay/lesbian themes and characters in young adult literature." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Both a comprehensive overview and a lively, detailed discussion of individual landmark books, this highly readable title...discusses 35 years of YA books with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (GLBTQ) content....this is a valuable YA and adult resource, sure to be in great demand for personal reference and group discussion." --Booklist

"This Scarecrow series continues to impress...Essential." --Choice Reviews

"Cart (young adult literature, UCLA, and Assembly on Adolescent Literature of the National Council of Teachers of English) and Jenkins (library and information science, U. of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign) trace the development of young adult literature with gay, lesbian, and queer content, beginning in 1969 with the first novel incorporating that theme, by John Donovan. They evaluate character portrayal and themes-also illustrated in a chart at the end-using three categories: homosexual visibility, gay assimilation, and queer consciousness/community. In addition to the chronological bibliography, the chapters, organized by decade, included annotated references to books published during those periods, up to 2004." --Reference and Research Book News

"...a definitive work on the subject....Thoughtful and insightful analysis is a real strength of the book....This book will be important for those wishing to make their library holdings more inclusive or who want to understand the changes that have occurred in this YA genre from the 1970s through the year 2004." --Silive.com

"...charts the growth in young adult novels with gay content...Michael Cart and Christine Jenkins...comment on the meager amount of critical analysis of YA literature on their theme. Their book redresses this dearth considerably." --Feminist Collections: A Quarterly Of Women's Studies Resources

"The authors do a fine job of applauding what is 'accurate, thoughtful and artful, ' while chastising what is 'stereotypic, wrongheaded, and outdated, '..." --The Horn Book Magazine

"Cart and Jenkins's incredibly detailed and researched historical survey provides a starting point for any critical, contextual, and theoretical examination of young adult GLBTQ literature. And...there is great potential in such examinations." --Children's Literature Association Quarterly

"...terrific and long-overdue...Well organized and easy to read, Heart is a valuable, semi-scholarly reference for both collection development and research." --School Library Journal

About the Author

Michael Cart is a past president of the Young Adult Library Services Association of the American Library Association and the current President of the Assembly on Adolescent Literature of the National Council of Teachers of English. He teaches young adult literature at UCLA, he is the former head of the Beverly Hills Public Library, and the author of several books on children's and young adult literature, as well as a young adult novel, My Father's Scar, a gay coming-of-age story selected as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

Christine A. Jenkins is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.