A thoughtful story about sibling love, family bonds, and the rippling, sometimes unexpected implications of bias and oppression.
Fifth-grader Talia, who lives in Canada, isn’t quite ready to start thinking about crushes and boys, even though her best friend Carmen is. Talia’s main attachment is to her high-schooler sister Jade, especially after their mom died several years ago. Jade starts wanting her own space, however, and is spending more time with Emily, another high school student, rather than Talia. When Talia sees Jade and Emily kissing, she isn’t sure how she feels.
She knows what being gay is, and her friends seem to think being gay isn’t a big deal. But when one friend relates the story of her cousin who was kicked out of his house by his parents who thought his being gay was a sin, Talia gets frightened. She knows Jade hasn’t yet told their father about her relationship with Emily. What if that’s because he’d kick her out, too? And when Jade and Emily experience homophobic taunting in Talia’s presence, Talia is afraid they’ll get hurt, even though the two older girls try to explain why they don’t want to hide their relationship.
Talia gradually works through her fears, finding support from the therapist she had seen after her mom’s death, and unexpected help from a two-mom couple she didn’t even realize was within a few degrees of separation. There’s also a helpful PFLAG group that makes an appearance. For grown-ups trying to evaluate the book and who want to know, I’ll write Talia’s dad’s actual reaction to Jade’s coming out in white on white on the line below; click and drag over the area to see it:
Their dad is totally fine with it, and had in fact guessed that Jade was queer long ago.
A few references could have been better explained for young readers. For example, Talia tells a queer woman she gets to know about the harassment of Jade and Emily. The woman responds, “It doesn’t end. With Matthew Shepard and gay marriage, you’d think we’d be finished, but it just keeps going.” The book never explains who Matthew Shepard is; even readers who do know may be confused as to why a young man who was brutally murdered is being paralleled with gay marriage, a good thing. (Presumably the authors intended the reference to be about how Shepard’s death has increased awareness about the horrors of homophobia and the need for change, but that’s never stated.)
In another instance, Talia’s saying that a friend has “two moms. Lesbian moms,” might have been better as just “two moms,” leaving open the possibility that one or both could be bisexual. (Talia herself might be at too early a stage of understanding to differentiate, but the authors could have set a good example here for their readers about not assuming.) Additionally, one of the characters mentions that while they’re lucky living in Canada, “it’s not like homophobia just disappeared…. LGBTQ teenagers still have the highest suicide rate in North America.” True, but the fact is, trans youth consider suicide at a rate higher than that of LGB youth, and bi youth at a rate higher than of LG youth. It’s thus not just homophobia, but also transphobia and biphobia. Listing all that out might be a lot (especially since the book doesn’t get into what it means to be trans or bi), but saying something like, “it’s not like anti-LGBTQ activity just disappeared” might have been more inclusive.
These are minor tweaks, though, in an engaging narrative that thoughtfully explores the far-reaching impact that bias and hate can have, even in a community that is generally supportive of queer folk. The mere knowledge that it exists can trigger fears, especially in a child’s mind. That’s a nuance we don’t often see, and it is commendable that authors Gail Marlene Schwartz and Lucie Gagnon, queer moms themselves, center this story around it. At the same time, I love that they show Talia’s immediate family and friends being nothing but supportive of the queer people they know. Bias may cast a long shadow—but the model of how Talia works through her fears within a circle of support, and how the relationship between her and her sister is ultimately strengthened, should be welcomed by readers and their grown-ups. The publisher, Rebel Mountain Press, is an independent queer press in Canada. They don’t have the marketing budget of the industry giants, so if you know someone who might enjoy this tale of sibling love, coming out, and overcoming fear, make sure to pass along a recommendation.
Talia and her family are cued as White. Talia is Jewish on her mom’s side and identifies as “half Jewish.” (The family is culturally Jewish, but casual about observance. They celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas.)
