Back of Book: 

A groundbreaking work of LGBT literature takes an honest look at the life, love, and struggles of transgender teens.

Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference. Portraits, family photographs, and candid images grace the pages, augmenting the emotional and physical journey each youth has taken. Each honest discussion and disclosure, whether joyful or heartbreaking, is completely different from the other because of family dynamics, living situations, gender, and the transition these teens make in recognition of their true selves.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Nonfiction | Informative | Biography | Short Stories | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

An eye-opening look into the diverse lives of trans and nonbinary teenagers and the different experiences they've had with their identities as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. 

"Beyond Magenta" is one of those books that initially crossed my radar due to the amount of times it has been challenged/banned in schools and libraries. I am always down for reading about queer teens, so this is one that has sat on my TBR until I finally just plucked it off the library shelf one day. The author, Susan Kuklin, pieced this book together using a series of interviews and photographs of teenagers who identify as transgender or nonbinary. I think the diversity of the youths chosen were well selected, and each section had me excited for what I would discover in the next person's story. 

The first story in the book follows Jessy. I think there were a few elements that made his story really interesting. One being the fact being that his family is from Thailand. This brings in an element of how different countries and cultures deal with the complexities of being trans and everything it entails. The relationship that he has with his girlfriend is also very interesting, because Nan is traditionally a lesbian, but she makes an exception for Jessy. Nan may refuse to use the he/him pronouns when referring to Jessy, yet their relationship still strives on. I feel this does a great job of highlighting how unique everyone's circumstances are and that love can really come out of nowhere and defy all expectations. Jessy's story was a great starting point for this collection, because his story is mostly positive, despite the many hurdles he had to overcome. 

Next up we have Christina's story. Christina is a trans woman who attended an all boys high school. This lent itself to some unheard of circumstances with her being the only girl in the entire building and lead to much bullying and harassing from fellow students. I especially enjoyed the segment in which Christina talked about how she has been in both guys' and girls' shoes, allowing her to have a unique perspective on many things. It allows her to relate to both parties and form her own ideas that others can't possibly even begin to image. The section where Christina talks about how the hormones changed her physically and how they altered her sex drive was also enlightening, due to the fact that many people tend to shy away from such intimate subjects. The fact that Christina also has a gay brother added some additional depth, especially because her mother gave an account about what it's like having a gay son and a trans daughter. 

Mariah's story was often hard to read. Her life has been really difficult and she still hasn't one hundred percent came to terms with her identity. I thought it was smart to include a story that was filled with more hardships than the others to really showcase how harsh these things can be when a person doesn't have a stable support system. Mariah's confusion about her body and self image were only enhanced by the fact she grew up in foster homes and didn't have anyone to care for her long term. Mariah also experienced elements of both female and male puberty, so it was cool getting a casual dosage of intersex information in her story. 

"Variables" explores Cameron's story and gives great descriptions of the gender spectrum and what it means to be transgender, nonbinary, or gay. The way that Cameron describes these things are a great resource for people who have a hard time grasping the complexity of the three-dimensional concept of gender. Their story is also filled with a series of images that really brings their messages to life (and are really entertaining to observe). Cameron's story is overall the most positive, due to the fact that they often exhibit male privilege (leading to minor amounts of bullying and harassment) and that they have a really good support system in place. Their tale is brimming with positive energy, and shines a hopeful light on the LGBTQIA+ community. I like how Cameron takes a stand saying that all marginalized groups need to take a stand to help each other out. They also point out the fact that sometimes the LGBTQIA+ community tends to drag each other down rather than pull each other up. This is an issue that I don't think many realize exists, so I'm glad that they alluded it here. And plus, their smile just lights up the cover of this book. 

I was very intrigued by everything that Nat shared. They are intersex and they identify as a third gender that is neither male nor female. I know fairly little about intersex people, so it was very enlightening to read Nat's story. They've struggled severely with mental health issues their entire lives, so their story is filled with challenges. I'm glad to see that they're moving in a more positive direction, but I think it's important to share stories as honestly as possible, even with all the bad parts. 

The final section features a shy boy by the name of Luke. He is a poet, performer, and actor, which made me feel a kinship with him immediately. I am a quiet girl who also love theatre, so I was hooked by page one. I thought it was really cool that Luke got to explore his sexuality through his performance. He booked the lead role in "Do It Yourself" which features a trans boy much like himself. Truly a once in a lifetime experience. Seriously, good for Luke. 

Every one of these brave teens who were willing to come forth and share their stories with the world are incredibly brave and I highly respect each and every one of them. They all have unique, interesting experiences that will hopefully help educate many people who are ignorant about many aspects of the LGBTQIA+ community, especially those with questions about what it means to be trans. 

Overall, the author did a wonderful job of weaving all these stories together into one coherent volume. I love how we are given a glimpse into each of these youths lives, but the book makes it very clear that their journeys to get where they are today were often not easy and will take a lifetime of courage to thrive in. "Beyond Magenta" is highly educational, induces empathy, and lets these brave teenagers shine in the spotlight in a way that they are comfortable with. This will be one I recommend every banned book week, that's for sure. 

Back of Book: 

This groundbreaking illustrated YA nonfiction title from two-time National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Eliot Schrefer is a well-researched and teen-friendly exploration of the gamut of queer behaviors observed in animals.

A quiet revolution has been underway in recent years, with study after study revealing substantial same-sex sexual behavior in animals. Join celebrated author Eliot Schrefer on an exploration of queer behavior in the animal world—from albatrosses to bonobos to clownfish to doodlebugs.

In sharp and witty prose—aided by humorous comics from artist Jules Zuckerberg—Schrefer uses science, history, anthropology, and sociology to illustrate the diversity of sexual behavior in the animal world. Interviews with researchers in the field offer additional insights for readers and aspiring scientists.

Queer behavior in animals is as diverse and complex—and as natural—as it is in our own species. It doesn't set us apart from animals—it bonds us even closer to our animal selves.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Nonfiction | Informative | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

"Queer Ducks" is a nonfiction account filled with heart and humor that showcases the natural world and the overwhelming amount of queerness that it exhibits. 

I think most everybody picks up this book due to the click-bait nature of the title, but I found the subject matter to be completely fascinating. I love learning about members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and exploring this group through the sexual relationships of animals was a unique experience that I couldn't imagine being easily replicated. 

I really enjoyed the illustrations that went along with this book. The GSA (Gender-Sexuality Alliance) meetings established characters, which I think is fun, especially because one of the main purposes of this book is to inform people about the uniqueness of animals. Each animal had its own personality, and I found it fun coming back to the same group of quirky characters as each chapter progressed. The commentary that the animals gave throughout the book were quite humorous and added to the already quite comical nature of the book. Schrefer has a great sense of humor, especially when it comes to a little bit of dark, gay humor. 

I really enjoyed reading about the history of homosexual animals, but the portions that I found to be extremely eye-opening were the last couple segments, specifically the ones that highlight asexual and poly-relationships in birds. I think Schrefer has some really unique opinions, and I found it really interesting to be presented his take on these types of relationships and then presented the facts on how these relationships happen organically in the natural world. I feel that those who are supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community often forget about both of these types of relationships, which only makes me view these topics as all the more important and interesting. 

Overall, "Queer Ducks" is an interesting surface level look into different types of queer relationships that animals exhibit in nature told in a lighthearted, funny, and inclusive way. I feel like I learned a whole bunch from Schrefer's book, and I am interested in dabbling in some of his fictional works after reading this book. He did a great job of making a book entirely about animal sex palatable and easy to read, which is no easy feat. Schrefer wrote this book to help other's feel validated, which really warms my heart. I totally can see how this book would be super beneficial to LGBTQIA+ youth, but it is also really informative for anyone with a bit of a curious streak. I would most definitely recommend checking this one out if you think it sounds interesting; I mean, there are queer ducks, after all!