Reflection on LGBT book Reviews

The group I chose to write about was Same Sex Couples, with an emphasis on families and parenting. I chose this group mainly because I have a personal interest in the topic. I have two newborn nieces and I am a person who identifies with this culture. I wanted to find books I could read to my nieces when they are older to help them understand our family. I was very surprised when I went in search of these books. Though I could find them on bookstore websites, many of the stores did not have them on the shelves. I was shocked to have a store employee tell me that they did not carry them because there was “not a demand for them.” I was able to finally find books at the Capital Area Public Library. The books I chose for my set, after reading about 12 books were: Emma and Meesha my Boy, One Dad Two Dads Brown Dad Blue Dads, and The White Swan Express. I chose these books because I really like how they portrayed LGBT families in a positive light. I also wanted to find books that other students had not already written about regarding this topic. From my set I learned a lot about the different types of books representing LGBT families. My books talk about the issue of the parents being gay in different ways. In One Dad Two Dads Brown Dad Blue Dads the focus of the book is on parents being different. In White Swan Express and Emma and Messha My Boy the focus is the story and it just so happens to involve LGBT characters. I chose both views because I wanted to see how each worked in breaking down or building up stereotypes of this community. I think that by reading these books one can gain an understanding of the typical LBGT household, how they grow and evolve, and what stereotypes these households face everyday. Each book helps to provide the information for gaining these understandings.