It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living Edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller 306.7660835 IT

In September of 2010, in response to several stories of teen suicides in response to bullying and harassment made national news, author Dan Savage and his husband, Terry Miller, uploaded a video to YouTube called "It Gets Better." It was their personal story of how they were bullied and how coming out and surviving eventually allowed them to make their dreams come true. They called for other people to upload their stories of how life got better. In 24 hours, someone uploaded a second video. In less than 3 days, there were several hundred videos. By the end of one week, there were 1,000. In less than a month, the White House called with a request to add a video from President Obama. This book is a collection of messages from people of all walks of life and touches all aspects of growing up gay, bi, or trans. Everything from faith, family, romance, friendship, jobs, dreams, and anything and everything in between. It shows that as long as someone doesn’t give in to despair it really does get better.

This is an absolute must read. Not just for teens that deal with issues of sexuality and gender, but their families, anyone that has friends that deal with these issues, anyone that feels like an outsider, anyone that knows what is like to be an outsider, or just anyone that wants to be inspired by stories of overcoming pain, hatred, intolerance, bigotry, loneliness, and confusion to achieve dreams they once thought impossible. This is a truly powerful book and wonderful companion the Youtube channel’s videos. Definitely take a look at both, because they really do complement each other very well. You can find the Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject

I am J by Cris Beam YP FIC BEAM

J always felt different, always knew there’d been a mistake. He was supposed to have been born a boy and not have a girl’s body. Now he uses oversize clothes and wraps his body so that he can look how he feels, but it’s starting to cause problems. His best friend just called him a lesbian and threw him out of her life. J decides to start living his life honestly, but isn’t sure he can live with the consequences.

This is a tough and real look at what it is like to be a transgendered teen. J is an amazing character that feels like a real human being and not just a metaphor or stand in for all transgendered kids. His problems and reactions are so genuine that anyone can relate. After all, all teenagers feel trapped in bodies they don’t want or fully understand at one time or another, but J has things even harder. This is a tough sad read. J is rejected by almost everyone he knows after he decides to tell people who he really is. It’s made sadder by how realistic a situation it is. However, the book ends with a positive and hopeful note. I think this is a good read for anyone that would like to understand someone’s life that is different than their own. You may be surprised by how much you have in common.