Season 2, Episode 13: Let's Talk Non-Binary Identities in Books!

Marisa and Mary are back with a new episode of The Book Jam!  We love to highlight LGBTQIA+ voices and authors and today’s books are all about non-binary and gender non-conforming characters. Marisa’s book, Both Can Be True by Jules Machias, is a middle grade debut that “explores identity, gender fluidity, and the power of friendship and acceptance in a dual-narrative story about two kids who join forces to save a dog.” Mary speaks about Gender Queer: a Memoir by Maia Kobabe; this is a graphic memoir that relates-with sometimes painful honesty-the experience of growing up gender non-conforming. If this title sounds familiar, it is because it has been in the news lately as some try to ban it from school libraries. Both books are a great read if you are queer or questioning, OR if you want to develop a better understanding of the world around you. Check out the Books Mentioned below to add even more books to your To Be Read pile. Marisa’s book: Both Can Be True by Jules Machias. Middle Grade, Grades 4-8. Published by Quill Tree Books, June 2021. Mary’s book: Gender Queer: a Memoir by Maia Kebabe. High School, Grades 9+. Published by Oni Press, May 2019. Books we talked about this episode: Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender The Quick and Easy Guides: A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities by Mady G. & J.R. Zuckerberg A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni & Tristan Jameson A Quick & Easy Guide to Consent by Isabella Rotman & Luke Howard A Quick & Easy Guide to Asexuality by Molly Muldoon & Will Hernandez A Quick & Easy Guide to Sex & Disability by A. Andrews If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo Once & Future by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy Sword in the Stars by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackson I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver Amelia Westlake Was Never Here by Erin Gough Get It Together Delilah by Erin Gough Luna by Julie Anne Peters Cemetery Boy by Aiden Thomas Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir Manifesto by George M. Johnson