Luna -A great pick!

On Jim's recommendation, I decided to read Luna for this week. As he described earlier in the semester, Luna is a TG (transgendered) teenager. More specifically, she is a female trapped in a male's body. This story is told through the eyes of her younger sister, Regan. Regan has tried to "protect" Luna (formally Liam) "from herself" her entire life, but eventually nothing Regan does can stop Luna from presenting herself to the world.

At first, Regan is upset for her brother and herself as many embarrassing and painful moments result from Luna's public transformation. Eventually, however, Regan understands why this is so important for her "brother" and continues to support him and his decisions. He too realizes how difficult this is for his sister and solves the problem by "setting her free" as he sets himself free by moving to another part of the country where he can begin the process of physically becoming a woman.

I very much enjoyed reading Luna because I have been in situations similar to that of Regan. Never have I had an immediate relative disclose that they were gay or TG, however, I have had several cousins and close friends confide in me their true identity. Like Regan, I have felt extremely scared for them at times, anticipating the hateful reactions of others.

I was raised in an extremely tolerant and respectful environment and really didn't realize how cruel the world could be until I moved from a small seaside community in Massachusetts to Indiana and listened to the way friends and more often their parents, spoke of homosexuality and transgenderism. I have several friends here in Indiana who are gay and feel that I could never bring them around my boyfriend's family. That is especially upsetting for me and often makes me question marrying into the family. -I was just raised so differently.

Even though Regan continues to "protect" what she believes to be her weaker sibling throughout the entire novel, Luna finally breaks through all barriers, working her way through the pain and coming out much stronger on the other side. I though this novel was an amazing testament to the strength of teenagers. I believe it prove to be empowering not only to transgendered teens but also to the friends and relatives that support them. -An excellent book!