Book Talk Handout

Luna by Julie Anne Peters

Background

·      Published in 2003 as the first young adult novel to have an explicitly transgender character

·      Highly controversial and banned in many schools

Text Description

·      It focuses on the main character, Regan, a sixteen-year-old girl in a conservative family.

·      Her sister, who has chosen the name Luna, is transgender. To her family and everyone else but her sister and close friends, she is Liam.

·      The novel is told through Regan’s point of view.  

·      The story focuses on the relationship between Luna and Regan, and Regan’s growth that she is forced to come to through her sister.

·      The book explores religious upbringings, and a family that is unaccepting of their child. At the end of the book, it is revealed that Regan and Luna’s mother knew all along that she was transgender and refused to acknowledge it. Most of this refusal stemmed from the fear of their father.

Rationale

·      This text would be more suitable for high school students, because it does reference sex and drugs.

·      However, since it is told from the point of view of a non-LGBT person, many students could connect with the story. This would help students who are not exposed to transgender issues see that all people should be treated with love and dignity.

·      This novel does require an open mind, so I would not teach it in an extremely religious school, unless I am trying to make a statement. If I knew that there was homophobia and transphobia going on in my school, I would try to teach it.

·      Even though the book is controversial, it would be essential to have in your library to help students who may be coming out as transgender.

Obstacles

·      Despite this being a great novel, administration, parents, and some students would have issues with it. It is considered a “controversial” subject, but I think that teachers could normalize the topic through this book.

·      Depending on the school, many administrators may not allow teachers to share this book with students. Because of this, teachers would need a strong rationale and unit surrounding it. I would also foresee many parents being upset, if they saw it on an attack of their religion or other beliefs. This would reflect directly on student reactions, which teachers can combat or foster through discussion.

Teaching Ideas

·      This novel would be perfect for many open discussions, before reading, during reading, and after reading.

·      To end the unit, I think a reflective, personal narrative style essay would be an appropriate choice. Students would explore how they view the importance of family acceptance and their personal tolerance.

·      A written reflection of how students have faced or witnessed any prejudice or intolerance in their lives would make students think critically about how other people affect their lives, and how they can do the same.