Homosexual Characters in YA Novels

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Summary: Gay/Lesbian YA Characters
Review: In this book, first published in 1987 as a doctoral dissertation, Cuseo thematically analyzes those books with gay/lesbian young adult (YA) characters published between 1969 and 1982. The text is a valuable resource for anyone interested in comparing the development of contemporary gay/lesbian YA literary characters with earlier characters and for those individuals interested in documenting the evolution of the gay/lesbian young-adult character. Each chapter heading reflects an area of analysis, such as the homosexual character as teacher and the homosexual character and suicide. What Cuseo does best is illustrate the ways in which societal myths wend their way into young adult literature. Cuseo talks about the societal myth of the homosexual as a child molester, for example, and then references fictional texts in which this myth is perpetuated. In a similar vein, he identififes myths of the homosexual as mentally ill or lonely or suicidal and points to texts that bear out the mythology. In general, Cuseo found that "authors of realistic novels for young adults with homosexual characters will make use of myths, instead of research findings on the life of the homosexual" (396). As a result, Cuseo found few positive portrayals of gay/lesbian YA characters. He suggests recommendations for more accurate representation or development of gay/lesbian characters (in ALA guidelines) along with ideas for future study. I recommend this text as a foundational study for those interested in writing, reviewing, and selecting gay/lesbian YA texts.