Tips from a survivor of the LGBT literary void
Ian Eagleton’s selection of titles to help young readers navigate diff erent family structures and sexuality - to see their own identies refl ected or to identify with someone else’s experience.
A
As a teenager who was struggling to come to terms with his sexuality, I often retreated into books.
I would sit in the library, which was a safe place, and escape. I was desperate to fi nd someone, anyone, in a book that refl ected what I was going through. I wanted to be able to connect with a character or author who had been through the same thing, safe in the knowledge that if they could work their way through this strange, new world then perhaps I could too. I read endlessly and found nothing. I was searching for something that would help me understand my identity. Indeed, as Professor Teresa Cremin (2007) notes:
Reading for pleasure is oriented towards fi nding personal meaning and purpose and related to the human need to make sense of the world, the desire to understand, to make things work, to make connections, engage emotionally and feel deeply. Stonewall’s report (2017) into the experiences of lesbian, gay, bi and trans pupils in Britain’s schools has revealed that almost half of all LGBT pupils still face bullying at school and more than two in fi ve trans young people have tried to take their own life. With the recent protests against the No Outsiders programme and the
teaching about diverse relationships to school children, I would argue that books which shine a light on all types of relationships, sexualities and gender identities are vital. Indeed, books that subvert and challenge traditional social structures are now more important than ever. Here is a list of books which explore diff erent family structures, sexuality and gender. It is of course vital that you read these books before sharing them and ensure that they are appropriate and suitable for your children.
The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoff man and Ros Asquith
Ian Eagleton (@reading_realm) is the creator of The Reading Realm iPad app, an educational resource to promote reading for pleasure
www.thereadingrealm.co.uk
This colourful, bold picture book is perfect for younger children. It sensitively explores the changing structure of the family unit and acknowledges how families have traditionally been portrayed (‘Once upon a time most families looked like this…). The book joyfully celebrates diff erent families doing diff erent everyday things and encourages young readers to see if they can fi nd a family like their own. The simple, but beautiful, watercolour illustrations capture family life in all its complexity, investigating hobbies, jobs, holidays, clothes and food shopping, never ignoring the hardships and pain some families face (‘And some people can’t fi nd anywhere to live’). The book concludes by asking readers to create their own family tree and think about what their family is like today. It recognises that every family has a wide variety of emotions and experiences. A skilfully executed and thought provoking book which is bound to raise many questions.
Autumn-Winter 2019
Ian Eagleton
pp.22-23.indd 2
09/10/2019 15:53
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
