Banned books revisited
My friend Paige read my entry about the 100 most challenged books and she brought one over that I hadn’t read, Annie on my Mind. This copy had a terrible cover and I figured it to be another teen Issue book about Homosexuality, meant to Educate Impressionable Youth. But it’s not. It’s a very good portrayal of first love — beautifully written — and it gave this 35-year old straight woman an idea of what it must be like to be a teenage girl realizing that she’s gay.
I highly recommend it. My friend got it for a buck at a used book store so maybe you can, too.
(And here is an interview with the author, Nancy Garden. I think I just became a fan.
I read this book when I was in high school, and if I’m not mistaken, it was published by an offshoot of your “green books” - Virago Upstarts (which seems to be now defunct). I remember because my Mum was a fan of the green books too, she would check them out of the library and try to make me read them. In my opinion (aged fifteen) many of them were very dull, but I was excited to find the light green collection in the young adults section - and in particular this book, which made a profound impression on me. Thanks for reminding me of it!
I really liked this one in high school too.
I, too, love this book. My step-grandmother got it for me when I was in 5th grade. I think she just picked up a bunch of books off of the discount shelves and didn’t ever look at the descriptions, because there is no way she would have gotten me it had she known the content. I loved it then and have read it a dozen times since.
It sounds interesting. I remember reading Hey Dollface by Deborah Hautzig a hundred years ago and really loving it - but I can’t be sure if it was because it was so good, or because the subject was so thrilling. Has anyone else read it?
I’ll try to get hold of this one, too.
Oh, I loved this book when I was young– I must have read it a dozen times. Well, maybe not a dozen, but definitely two or three…
I read Hey Dollface; I remember feeling like it didn’t go far enough.
Ooh ooh! It sounds a it like the book I wanna write next November!
I want a copy for sure.
Hey Dawn,
I have another book by NG ‘Lark in the Morning’ and I have ‘The Arizona Kid’, which is another one of the banned books on the list (with, shhh, a gay uncle). I’ll send them with Noah today.
paige
hi! i live in mexico and i really want read “hey dollface” by deborah hautzig. in mi country it doesn’t exist. i try and try and try and try and try to dowload for internet but i can’t, i don’t found :’( if one of us have the book PLEASE send me it ,in a mail. ivonne296@hotmail.com. thnks!!!