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Moms Must Read:
LGBT Books for Teens

Since June is LGBT Awareness month we at Good Enough Mother thought it would be a great idea to introduce you to a few books on this topic that are geared toward teens. Yes, it’s true, there are good mainstream LGBT titles for teen readers. Regardless of orientation teens are much more receptive to the LGBT community than their adult counterparts usually are. Plus, like I always say, kids want to read books about people who are like them.  LGBT Young Adult titles are good. They explore the issues that most teens struggle with: identity, growing up, friendships, and relationships. What I’m most often pleased with about literature today is that just because a teen character identifies as LGBT, the character is not wholly that one quality. Teens won’t tolerate stereotypical depictions; they want characters who are comprised of many qualities.

Here are 5 must read titles that depict LGBT characters who are more than their sexual orientation.

3.  If You Could Be Mine By Sara Farizan

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Imagine being in love. And imagine not being able to profess your love for someone for fear of severe punishment or death. Heartbreaking right? That's the situation in Iran for our heroines Sahar and Nasrin:

Seventeen-year-old Sahar has been in love with her best friend, Nasrin, since they were six. They’ve shared stolen kisses and romantic promises. But Iran is a dangerous place for two girls in love—Sahar and Nasrin could be beaten, imprisoned, even executed if their relationship came to light.

So they carry on in secret—until Nasrin’s parents announce that they’ve arranged for her marriage. Nasrin tries to persuade Sahar that they can go on as they have been, only now with new comforts provided by the decent, well-to-do doctor Nasrin will marry. But Sahar dreams of loving Nasrin exclusively—and openly.

Then Sahar discovers what seems like the perfect solution. In Iran, homosexuality may be a crime, but to be a man trapped in a woman’s body is seen as nature’s mistake, and sex reassignment is legal and accessible. As a man, Sahar could be the one to marry Nasrin. Sahar will never be able to love the one she wants, in the body she wants to be loved in, without risking her life. Is saving her love worth sacrificing her true self?

Did you catch the twist? What if you could change your sex to be with the one you loved? Is it worth it? This leads to further questions of what do you do when you feel uncomfortable in the body you were born in? Questions of identity that all teens can relate to.