Synopses & Reviews
This groundbreaking book, first published in 1982, is the story of two teenage girls whose friendship blossoms into love and who, despite pressures from family and school that threaten their relationship, promise to be true to each other and their feelings.
Of the author and the book, the Margaret A. Edwards Award committee said, "Nancy Garden has the distinction of being the first author for young adults to create a lesbian love story with a positive ending. Using a fluid, readable style, Garden opens a window through which readers can find courage to be true to themselves."
The 25th Anniversary Edition features a full-length interview with the author by Kathleen T. Horning, Director of the Cooperative Children's Book Center. Ms. Garden answers such revealing questions as how she knew she was gay, why she wrote the book, censorship, and the book's impact on readers - then and now.
Review
"Brings this classic of the genre to a whole new generation of readers."--
Publishers Weekly “The body of adolescent literature has waited for this book a long time . . . Gut-level believable.” -
VOYA
“An eye-opener (maybe ‘heart-opener is a better term) . . . Just the thing to provoke some honest conversation.” - The Milwaukee Journal
Review
"The story of two young women who love each other. It is an honest portrayal of their love with an ending that is in keeping with, and worthy of, the rest of the book."--
The Baltimore Sun"Annie on My Mind was an eye-opener (maybe 'heartopener' is a better term)."--The Milwaukee Journal
"A tender, bittersweet love story."--Booklist
"Departs from the fact-packed preachiness of the problem novel to become instead a compelling story of two real and intriguing women. There have been many books for teenagers, fiction and nonfiction, that give lots of useful and accurate information about homosexuality; here's one that tells what it feels like, one that has, finally, romance."--School Library Journal
Synopsis
Liza never knew that falling in love could be so wonderful . . . and so confusing.
"'Liza,' Mom said, looking into my eyes, 'I want you to tell me the truth, not because I want to pry, but because I have to know. This could get very unpleasant . . . Now--have you and Annie--done any more than the usual experimenting . . . '
'No, Mom,' I said, trying to look back at her calmly. I'm not proud of it, I make no excuses--I lied to her."
About the Author
Nancy Garden is the author of young adult novels including The Year They Burned the Books and Endgame. She is also the author of the YA nonfiction book Hear Us Out!, as well as novels for children and the picture book Molly's Family. Garden was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and has lived most of her life in New England and New York. She spent her early adult years working in theater, doing office work, teaching, and editing. During that time, she wrote in the evenings, on weekends, and on vacations, as well as at odd moments while working. Now she writes as close to full-time as possible. When she isn't writing, visiting schools, or making speeches, she enjoys reading, gardening, hiking, the outdoors, and anything to do with dogs. She has received the Margaret A. Edwards Award, the Lambda Book Award and the Robert Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. She and her partner of over twenty years divide their time between small towns in Massachusetts and Maine.