Am I blue? : coming out from the silence

One of the best books to give a teen who is questioning his or her sexuality. This is a collection of short stories about gay and questioning youth that ranges from the profound to the humorous. See especially the short by Bruce Coville where a boy gets a wish from his fairy godfather, and everyone

who is gay turns blue for a day.

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LibraryThing member heinous-eli

Contained in this volume are some of the gentlest, most matter-of-fact stories about LGBT youth that I have ever encountered. This is one for general lovers of short stories and those concerned with LGBT and youth issues.

LibraryThing member knielsen83

Finally made my way through and read some of the stories in the book by my favorite YA authors. It's a book that contains 16 separate stories dealing with coming out of the closet. Some of the stories were really sweet and some even made me cry.

LibraryThing member EmScape

This collection of short stories about homosexuality has something for everyone. This is not to say that one person can't enjoy all of it, though. As with most young adult fiction, these stories featured a teen or tween protagonist. But these are not all 'coming out' stories. Some characters are

out and comfortable with that, some are struggling with coming out, and some are not even sure that they're going to. The collection, though variations on a theme, are quite diverse. I cannot name any story that I did not enjoy, but I do have a favorite. The title tale, "Am I Blue?" is easily the best of them all in my opinion.
One thing I found interesting was that there was an 'about the author' page at the end of each story which most authors used to flog their current books. All of them made sure to state whether they were gay as well. Most of them were not, but they were all able to write a realistic and resonant story. I recommend this collection to everyone on the planet. The perspective will do anyone good.

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LibraryThing member mathqueen

This book is an anthology of stories centered on a glbtq theme. The book features many famous authors, such as M. E. Kerr, Lois Lowery, and Jacqueline Woodson. All the stories included in the book provide an open, honest approach to the topic and allow older students to identify with characters in

a way few other books can. The most important job of this book is to show young people that they are not alone in their choices or fears. The story Am I Blue is a great demonstration of the number of people you would never expect who have had alternative sexual experiences. According to the introduction, in every classroom across the country, there is one student at risk of committing suicide due to lack of information and support regarding his or her sexuality (Bauer, 1994). These numbers are staggering! This emphasizes the need for support and empathy for young people as they enter into the realm of sexual exploration.
Library Implications: Stories in this anthology could be used independently to study and explore alternative lifestyles and the impact they have on families, communities and even the broader American culture. Librarians could recommend this book to guidance councilors who have particular student needs in mind. Even parents who know or suspect their child is struggling in this area would benefit from the stories presented in the book.
References:
Bauer, Marion Dane. (1994). Am I Blue: Coming Out From the Silence. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

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LibraryThing member hardcastle

I've wanted to read this since I was a kid and finally at twenty-one my best friend and I are finally getting to it. "Am I Blue?" is clearly a groundbreaking and important collection of LGBT youth short fiction, addressing issues of sexuality and identity from many different angles - it's not all

about confusion and coming out, but about LGBT people as just people, with stories not always placing primacy on their sexual identity. While it kind of has a dated feel to it, it's stories and messages are still very current and applicable to today's youth. And even as a 21-year-old, it's still a great read. A must for any curious kid and maybe more importantly, parents of and adults who know LGBT children.

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LibraryThing member ACleveland

i honestly keep reading some of these stories over and over. the things that they wrote about, a lot of them have happened in real life. it makes you look through other peoples eyes and see hoe cruel. sweet, nice, warm, horrible, understanding, and closed minded people can be. the book also shows

you that we are all people.

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LibraryThing member misskittystryker

This book is a sometimes fun, sometimes sad collection of short stories about coming out. Some, like the title story, are definitely fictional- others seem a bit more autobiographical. They all offer something to the teen who is struggling with their identity. One of my favourite books on this

topic, ever..

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LibraryThing member kikotomo

Honest, open, and beautiful.

LibraryThing member benuathanasia

A wonderful collection of short stories about teenagers dealing with their own sexuality and that of those around them. The collection is fairly well balanced between gay/lesbian/bi/questioning/confused (no transgender, sadly enough). I wish the book didn't so blatantly advertise its contents,

though. For many teens, it's a very frightening and confusing thing to think about sexuality, so they might not be as apt to pick this book up if all their friends can see what it's about.

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LibraryThing member VikkiLaw

Well, this was actually my book, but now my daughter is old enough to read it. I read it as a high school student and really really liked it. My daughter read it as a 5th grader and, while some of the stories went over her head, some of them provoked some really good discussions about sexuality,

sexual orientation, homophobia, etc.

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LibraryThing member csoki637

A good collection of short fiction by a variety of authors: a good mix of styles and topics. None of it is depressing or explicit, which is nice.

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