Young Adult Literature: Luna

The genre of Multicultural Literature used to confuse me. All the Multicultural classes I have taken and school books I have read focused on issues associated with race and ethnic culture. For a long time I thought this genre only encompassed stories that dealt with racial inequalities. I think this is a fairly common misconception. When Multicultural Literature is utilized in the classroom, I think it triggers student’s brains to classify the reading as Multi-racial, because that is how this genre generally appears in the classroom.
 
Although I think reading and talking about racial adversity is important, I think it is equally necessary to discuss other types of cultural adversity that appear in our schools that deviate from race. I think Multicultural Literature is an excellent platform in which to explore these minority cultures present in today’s society, and Luna is a great example of a stigmatized culture that students need to be exposed to.

I understand that discussing sexuality in the classroom can be a bit of a sticky situation, but I do think it is a necessary topic to be explored in schools. Just this past month, there has been a significant surge in teen suicides resulting from homophobic bullying. When acts of violence and hatred are taking place in schools in response to a students alleged sexuality, I think it is our responsibility as teachers to educate students on the issue at hand and help them deconstruct the stigma from the culture.

When I read Luna, I immediately thought that this book would be an excellent resource that could teach students about sexuality. I feel like transgender men and women are frequently misunderstood, and that many questions surround this particular gender identity. In the book, it is speculated whether Luna is gay because he’s trans, whether Ally is gay because she is in love with Liam, whether Regan is gay because her brother is and is homosexuality genetic? I think these are all excellent questions that teens may have surrounding such an intense issue. There was a student in my high school who was transgender and he was constantly assaulted by homophobic remarks. His perpetrators did not understand the distinction between homosexuality and transgender, and I think their ignorance, among other misconceptions, directly fueled their hatred and abuse. I think a book like Luna could be a great support for a student who is trans and could also be a great way to expose students to different forms of human sexuality and gender identities.

What I think made this book seem like a credible account was the theme. Throughout the story, Liam faces discrimination from a number of different outlets. He is harassed at school for being a “…freaking fag pervert” (Peters 207), he is harassed at home for being “sick…and dressing like a clown” (Peters 223), and he is harassed in public for being a “…faggy boy” (Peters 94). The theme of a transgender teen seems tragic throughout the majority of the story, as it often can be in real life. Luna faces incredible discrimination for who she is, and she maintains her composure through intolerant abuse. Only at the very end does the story’s thematic thread transform into hope. Although the story ends with Luna’s parents essentially shunning her, she is hopeful for a new life, one that does not include bigotry and rejection. This is an honest message for teens questioning their sexuality. It does not sugarcoat the issue, instead it accepts how difficult the transformation can be and it offers hope to those struggling to come to terms with transgender identity.

Another critical element that I think makes this story, in my opinion, more appealing for students is the narrator’s point of view. I like that it is told from the perspective of a sister supporting her brother instead of through a first person account. I feel like this choice of narrator provides a less biased opinion. If Luna was the narrator, I think the story would shift towards her opinions on gender identity. However, since Regan is documenting, I think she provides an understanding for both sides of the issue. To a certain extent, she can understand why people respond to Luna the way they do. She can sympathize with Allyson’s response, and although she does not agree with how her parents handle their relationship with Luna, I think she can see why they react in such a manner. I think that by having Regan as the narrator, students will be eased in to the complexity of the issue instead of simply thrown in to the protagonist biased view of his own sexuality.

This is a great Multicultural Lit book. I really enjoyed the story and I think it could be an excellent supplement to a sexuality discussion in the classroom. It introduces students to the issue through a narrator that compassionately questions gender identity and can see both sides to this issue. It educates students as to what the gender identity really is and dissociates it from homosexuality in a very clear manner. Also, after introducing students to sexuality, it provides them with hope that it is possible for this identity to exist in a world absent of physical and verbal abuse. I enjoyed reading it for myself, and I would enjoy teaching it in a sexuality lesson to future students.