Portrait of a Woman: Lesbian Teen Novels Week

Hi people!

I will be organising a Lesbian Teen Novel Week from July 25th to 31st.
To read the introductory post to the week and the programme, head over here.

The main idea for the week is to spotlight young adult novels featuring lesbian characters and to raise awareness on the need for diversity in literature in general and in YA even more. So many young adult books have characters who are white, middle class, christian, healthy and heterosexual and how many people feel they don't relate to this because they have a medical condition, are gay or from a different ethnic or religious background?

Diversity in YA still has a long way to go, but it doesn't mean there are no books on the subject. When I was a teen, there were very few YA novels (I grew up in France) and none of the books I have ever read had a lesbian character in it. But last time I walked into Foyles in London, there was a Lesbian Teen Australian novel on the promoted books table and I thought things were really starting to change!

There is a real need for those novels since sometimes one can feel the need to ask questions or talk about something with someone, but they can't talk to their parents, or someone from the school staff, and a lot of times, they can't even talk to their own friends. Besides being fantastic reads, those books can also help people see that they are not alone.

The week is also a way to show people who are not gay that a novel with LGBT themes is pretty much like any other novel and that you don't need to be a lesbian to appreciate Malinda Lo's books for example!

The week is pretty much like the one I organised for World Aids Day (HIV/AIDS in YA Literature Week). If you would like to participate in the week by reading any young adult novels with lesbian themes in it, please do! I'll link to your reviews or posts on my post for the week! And if you want to support the week without reviews, you can put the logo (cute pic at the top) on your blog!

Some suggestions (all links to Goodreads):

(If you have other books to suggest, please feel free to comment/email!)

Ash, Malinda Lo (my review here)

Huntress, Malinda Lo (my review here)

Kissing Kate, Lauren Myracle (my review here)

Mothernight, Sarah Stovell (my review here)
About A Girl, Joanne Horniman (my review here)

Sugar Rush, Julia Burchill

Keeping You A Secret, Julie Anne Peters (my review here)

Between Mom and Jo, Julie Anne Peters

Rage: A Love Story, Julie Anne Peters

Annie On My Mind, Nancy Garden

Empress Of The World, Sara Ryan (my review here)