The Heart Has its Reasons: Young Adult Literature with Gay/Lesbian/Queer Content, 1969-2004 (Studies in Young Adult Literature): 18

…[an] overview of gay/lesbian themes and characters in young adult literature. Published On: 2006-10-01

Both a comprehensive overview and a lively, detailed discussion of individual landmark books, this highly readable title…discusses 35 years of YA books with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (GLBTQ) content….this is a valuable YA and adult resource, sure to be in great demand for personal reference and group discussion. Published On: 2006-09-01

Cart (young adult literature, UCLA, and Assembly on Adolescent Literature of the National Council of Teachers of English) and Jenkins (library and information science, U. of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign) trace the development of young adult literature with gay, lesbian, and queer content, beginning in 1969 with the first novel incorporating that theme, by John Donovan. They evaluate character portrayal and themes-also illustrated in a chart at the end-using three categories: homosexual visibility, gay assimilation, and queer consciousness/community. In addition to the chronological bibliography, the chapters, organized by decade, included annotated references to books published during those periods, up to 2004. Published On: 2006-08-01

…a definitive work on the subject….Thoughtful and insightful analysis is a real strength of the book….This book will be important for those wishing to make their library holdings more inclusive or who want to understand the changes that have occurred in this YA genre from the 1970s through the year 2004.

…charts the growth in young adult novels with gay content…Michael Cart and Christine Jenkins…comment on the meager amount of critical analysis of YA literature on their theme. Their book redresses this dearth considerably. Published On: 2007-12-01

The authors do a fine job of applauding what is ”accurate, thoughtful and artful,” while chastising what is ”stereotypic, wrongheaded, and outdated,”… Published On: 2007-02-01

Cart and Jenkins”s incredibly detailed and researched historical survey provides a starting point for any critical, contextual, and theoretical examination of young adult GLBTQ literature. And…there is great potential in such examinations. Published On: 2006-12-01

…terrific and long-overdue…Well organized and easy to read, Heart is a valuable, semi-scholarly reference for both collection development and research. Published On: 2007-01-01

Christine A. Jenkins is associate professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a PhD and MS in library and information studies and an MA in children’s literature. Jenkins is recipient of several teaching awards and has a decade of experience as a school librarian/media specialist. She is co-editor of the Handbook of Research on Children’s and Young Adult Literature (2011), and co-author (with