Annie On My Mind is the story of two New York girls whom after meeting become friends. Liza is from an affluent family and attends a private school. Annie is the daughter of Italian immigrants. She lives in a poor neighborhood and attends public school. Despite their differences, the girls' friendship grows into more of a relationship. The girls' relationship is discovered which in turn causes two lesbian teachers at Liza's school to be discovered and fired. Liza struggles with the guilt of her involvement in the two teachers being let go, which causes her and Annie to break up. In the end, Annie and Liza are able to reconcile and accept themselves and who they are.
I feel like the message of this book comes from Liza's teachers telling her that everything is OK. This book is about acceptance of yourself and others, not just in relation to sexual orientation. I feel like the message is that it is OK to be who you are. I read about the controversy surrounding this book, and I am happy that it has remained on library shelves. Teens struggling with feeling different need an outlet to explore and accept those feelings.
No comments:
Post a Comment