A Queer YA Book with a Historical Secret

What happens when a closeted gay teen stumbles across a secret that could alter our perception of one of the greatest figures in American history? That’s the question at the heart of a new young adult novel by a gay dad and award-winning expert on books for LGBTQ youth and their allies.

Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill (Bookshop; Amazon), by Lee Wind, tells the story of ninth-grader Wyatt Yarrow, who is struggling against bullies and homophobia in school and helping his parents run their Lincoln-themed bed-and-breakfast in Lincolnville, Oregon. The book begins as if it’s a simply a tale of a teen learning to stand up for himself—but soon adds an original layer of mystery and complexity.

Wyatt’s history teacher tells his class they must review a book about President Abraham Lincoln and post their thoughts about the book in a blog. The student who gets the most traffic to their blog will be named the ninth-grade grand marshal of the upcoming Lincoln’s Birthday/Valentine’s Day Parade, the biggest event of the year for the president’s namesake town. When the book Wyatt is given for his project (by a knowing librarian) seems to indicate that Lincoln had a romantic relationship with another man, Wyatt decides to investigate further, then spread the knowledge in an attempt to change people’s opinion about gay people—who, he is coming to realize, include himself.

Wind has played a little loose with history in making up this story of how Lincoln’s supposed queerness was revealed to the world. It wasn’t really because of a book project by a gay teen. (A 2004 article in the New York Times notes that “The subject of the 16th president’s sexuality has been debated among scholars for years.”) I’m fine with this alternate history, however, since Wind uses it to show readers the key historical point, that Lincoln is believed by many to have had an intimate relationship with another man, and to get us wondering about other prominent figures from our history who might be queer.

Wyatt’s small town, however, isn’t ready to acknowledge Lincoln’s queerness yet, however, and Wyatt’s revelation—picked up online and spreading like wildfire—leads to backlash not only against him, but also against his parents and their “Lincoln Slept Here” B and B. Wyatt has to find a way to save his grade, help his parents, and figure out what to do about his best friend Mackenzie, who wants the two of them to be romantically involved, just as Wyatt is coming to realize that he’s gay. Then a lawyer for a civil rights organization shows up with her son, who just happens to be Wyatt’s age … and gay … and cute.

Wind blends the interpersonal story lines with the historical mystery to create an engaging tale with compelling characters. And while Wyatt is White, the civil rights lawyer and her son are Black, letting Wind weave in a thread about racism and social injustice beyond just LGBTQ rights. A few of the bullies initially struck me as over-the-top caricatures, but a look at the latest National School Climate Survey from GLSEN reminded me that they’re unfortunately not far off—and that adult instigation (or ignorance) can play a big part, too, as it does in this book. The ending has some of the old Hollywood “let’s put on a show” vibe, but that’s not a bad thing. It always was a fun way to wrap up a story, and Wind has given new life and a rainbow tint to the trope. And LGBTQ youth deserve books with happy endings.

I’m delighted by this first novel from Wind, whom I’ve long admired for his deep knowledge and love of LGBTQ-inclusive literature for teens. Wind is the founding blogger and publisher of I’m Here. I’m Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?, an award-winning website about books and more for LGBTQ youth, which he launched in 2007. He’s also the director of marketing and programming at the Independent Book Publishers Association and the official blogger for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Wind had initially tried to sell Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill to a mainstream publisher, but there were no takers. With some first-time authors, I might put this down to the quality of the book, but I can’t see that as so in this case. Wind knows the queer YA genre as well as anyone and got Highlights Foundation mentoring for the book, he tells us, from National Book Award-winner M.T. Anderson. I think it’s at least as good as most of the queer YA books out there, and manages to find a unique twist that makes it more than just another coming-out story.

Wind did not let publishers’ rejections deter him, however. Last September, he wrote on his blog, “Given the state of our country, our current leadership, and the anti-LGBTQ atmosphere that is directly impacting Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Questioning, and Queer youth, this truth—these books—can’t wait any longer.” He launched a Kickstarter that was funded in less than a week, then doubled its initial funding goal and was able to donate over 800 copies of the book to LGBTQ and allied teens. The book was officially published this October.

Wind has also serialized the book at his blog, explaining, “It feels right to offer the book in a way that eliminates barriers to reading it, especially for those who still feel they have to comment anonymously here on this blog.” Wind thus shows he understands the needs of real-life queer youth, who even today may feel, like Wyatt, that they need to hide the queer-themed books they read in the library. I encourage readers here to purchase the book, however, not only to support writers of queer-inclusive teen literature, but also because it remains important that such books be seen on shelves. Thanks to Wind for writing it.

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