Jammin' Read! GLBTQ: Am I Blue

Jammin' Read!

Am I Blue? Coming Out of the Silence

Bauer, M. D. (1994). Am I blue?: coming out from the silence. New York: HarperCollins.

 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
Horn Book Fanfare
ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults
New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
ALA Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Book Award
Minnesota Book Award
ALA Best Book for Young Adults Am I Blue? Is an anthology of 16 stories about young people trying to find their sexual way in a world that is not trustful or accepting of those that do not follow the heterosexual pathway.

Annotation: 16 stories are all written about teens and young adults and their process of discovering their sexual identities.

Am I Blue, is about a young man name Vince that is trying to deal with discovering his own sexuality, and how the world is dealing with him. Vince after being tossed into a puddle by the handsome school jock, is comforted by Melvin, “a tall slender man. With dark hair, a neat mustache, and a sweater slung over his shoulders. He was kind of handsome- almost pretty,” and he was claiming to be Vince’s “Fairy godfather.”  Who has come to help him by showing him that he is not as alone as he thinks in trying to figure out his sexuality. 

These 16 stories are all written about teens and young adults and their process of discovering their sexual identities. Wrapped around their struggles to fit in and find themselves, rampant hormones, decisions on whether to share or not to share with family and friends, repercussions of when they do and don't, and finding friends in strange places. The stories run from humorous to despairing, but all provide insight in the struggles and real life situations that gay teens face each day.