Book Lovers’ favorite season is here. Summer.
There is nothing to do but enjoy the heat under the shade of your favorite tree with a sundae on your left hand and a book on the other one. Once you open that first page, the impossible becomes possible. That’s how powerful books are. Most young readers are big fans of the YA genre, and I salute YA for proving that YA is not just about sleepovers, crushes, and prom. Topics such as domestic violence, bullying, sex, and other deep issues are tackled in YA books. Many argue that bringing out such topics leads to misbehavior of the young generation, but what YA books actually does is the complete opposite; it actually helps the young generation to be better thinkers.
Homophobia is still present today. It is like a disease that can spread faster than the speed of light. The younger you are, the chances of you catching this disease is bigger. But, luckily, there is a strong, powerful vaccinations available now. And they are available at book stores and libraries.
LGBT characters used to be like aliens in books– we didn’t know whether they really existed or not. Now, most books are aiming the spotlight at them:
Some YA books still focus on LGBT themes, and that is wonderful. It gives pure attention to what really is needed, but lately, another giant step has been made by the YA genre– LGBT characters are just characters and nothing else. What kind of impact does this move create? It paints a picture of what a beautiful world looks like. In Winger by Sir Andrew Smith, a gay rugby player is just a gay rugby player– the character’s sexuality is not a big deal. Don’t you think it is wonderful world where if someone tells you he/she is gay, you are as bored as someone telling you he/she likes the color green?
It is still wonderful and magnificent to focus on LGBT themes on YA books, because we are still in a society that being LGBT is not okay. With Sir Bill Konigsberg’s Out of The Pocket and Miss Nancy Garden’s Annie On My Mind, LGBT youth will have the strength to see that they are stronger than what the society tells them about who they should be.
I believe that the more LGBT books we read, the closer we are to show the world that sometimes religion and homophobia are just excuses to show hate.
“The rest of the world is black and white, but we are in screaming colors”
— Taylor Swift
Fearless Kurt 