By Amy Blay, Rhys Wright, Shan Heyworth and Rosie Green
The sun is disappearing, leaves are beginning to fall, and over the rain can be heard the sounds of sharpening pencils, polishing school shoes and rehearsing excuses for why you never got around to doing any work over the holidays. But back to school doesn’t have to be all bad. Make sure to leave room in your backpack for some of these excellent LGBTQIA+ novels set in academic settings, exploring the change, pressure and self-discovery that defines life in school.
Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
Popular and perfect, Humaira ‘Hani’ Khan is adored by many at school… Until she comes out as bisexual and then everything begins to crumble. When her friends criticise her identity, questioning how Hani knows she’s bisexual when she’s only ever dated guys, a moment of panic results in Hani claiming she is in a relationship with a girl – not just any girl, but Ishita ‘Ishu’ Dey: intelligent, unpopular and the complete opposite of Hani. However, when it becomes clear that both girls can benefit from this pretence – Hani can ‘prove’ her identity to her friends, while Ishu can boost her popularity and increase her chances of becoming head girl – they agree to help one another. But when the lines between fake and real feelings begin to blur, things get even more complicated.
The second book from the author of The Henna Wars, Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating, is a YA (Young Adult) novel about first loves and coming to terms with one’s identity, with alternating points of view that showcase each girl’s personalities and quirks. Jaigirdar perfectly balances the lighter, heartwarming moments with heavier content, such as discrimination, familial pressure and toxic friendships, making this the perfect read for Becky Albertalli and David Levithan fans.
The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
After being outed at school by her best friend and unrequited crush, Yamilet Flores is desperate for a fresh start. Transferring to a catholic school where no one knows her, she’s faced with the difficult task of fitting in and keeping her sexuality hidden while also being hyper-visible as one of the few people of colour at her new school. Struggling to keep her little brother out of trouble and having to work to pay her own tuition, she has no shortage of problems. But things start to change when she meets Bo, the only openly queer person at Slayton Catholic.
Sonora Reyes’ debut novel is the kind of Young Adult fiction that leaves an impact. With a well-developed cast of characters and a protagonist with a strong and distinctive voice, it’s a novel that’s easy to fall in love with.
What Reyes’ novel excels at is its representation of family dynamics – both blood family and found family. Yami’s fractious but ultimately loving relationship with her mother has all the nuance of a compelling parent-child relationship. Reyes never loses sight of Yami’s identity as a proud second-generation Mexican immigrant with an indigenous heritage, which plays a crucial role in her relationship with her family and community.
It's also a heartening coming-of-age story about self-acceptance that will make the end of summer and the back-to-school season a lot more enjoyable.
The Scent of God by Saikat Majumdar
At a boarding school on the outskirts of Kolkata, India, boys are studying to ace exams and pursue successful careers, but young Anirvan wants to become a monk. Run by a monastic order, school days consist not only of maths classes, football and strict discipline, but also prayers and the vivid sights and scents of the monastery. Anirvan is fascinated by monastic life, but he is also fascinated by another boy, Kajol.
The Scent of God follows Anirvan as he navigates his ambitions, desires and the complexities of the world inside and outside the monastery. Majumdar’s prose is lyrical and evocative, transporting the reader to a world where nothing is as it seems. However, this world is also one based on historical and political reality and Anirvan soon discovers the ugly side of this seemingly idyllic life. Anirvan’s journey of self-discovery and relationship with Kajol is set against a background of political tension in nineties Bengal. Majumdar explores the nuances of sexuality and spirituality and evokes all the senses in this beautiful and powerful coming-of-age novel.
Boy Like Me by Simon James Green
“I feel like this too. Anyone else?”
There is a book in the school library that shouldn’t be there: 1994, Section 28 in effect and behind the covers of Wildflowers of Great Britain lies a love story between two boys. Reading this, Jamie Hampton doesn’t know how to feel, but when he sees the message scrawled in the margins, he can’t help but reply.
After some correspondence and crisis, Jamie’s world is thrown off balance when the book’s two borrowers are summoned to the head’s office, and he is confronted both with the other boy’s identity and the fact that the school has no space for relationships like theirs to exist. Despite this, they find the courage to hope and fight for more.
Boy Like Me highlights the importance of representation and the damage inflicted by ignorance and censorship. It is partially inspired by the recent rise in calls to ban LGBTQIA+ texts in schools. It celebrates those willing to fight against that – the boys, their friends and the librarian who took a risk in stocking the book because she believed it was the right thing to do. Expressing Simon James Green’s usual humour, yet more emotional and personal, Boy Like Me tells a beautiful story of representation, activism and love.
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