Annie on My Mind

by Nancy Garden

book data

1,296 ratings, 3.84 average rating, 215 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		33%
4		31%
3		25%
2		7%
1		2%

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published

February 20th 2007 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (first published 1982)

details

Paperback, 272 pages

characters

Liza Winthrop, Annie Kenyon, Ms. Stevenson …more

isbn

0374400113 (isbn13: 9780374400118)

description

This groundbreaking book, first published in 1982, is the story of two teenage girls whose friendship blossoms into love and who, despite pressures fr…more

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May 28, 2007

Andrew rated it:

Read in April, 2007

No surprise that this is a challenged book, as it's a lesbian coming-of-age tale set (and published) in the early eighties. The bulk of the relationship is well-developed, tender, and affecting, although the author shies away from writing legitimate and involving scenes when it comes to the girls' sexual experiences. It's sad to see an author resort to such prudish "...I moved closer to annie and soon felt glad. Later, as we lay together..." depictions of moments that could have truly ...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

1 comment

May 28, 2007

Sara rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

i didn't read this book until i was in my mid-twenties, though it is a book written for a teen audience. it was published in 1982, but i never even heard about it until i was in a queer women's book club in dc. we decided to read this as one of our selections (as well as "are you there, god? it's me, margaret.") it is truly a beautiful story and perfect for teens struggling with their sexuality. the author, nancy garden, doesn't shy away from many of the difficulties of being queer,...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

1 comment

Jan 31, 2009

Amy rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

bookshelves: margaret-a--edwards-award

Read in January, 2009

This book is a love story about a teen who finds her soul mate and finds out she is gay at the same time. It deals not only her internal struggle with this realization, but the sometimes misguided effort of those around her to deal with it. It seems very cutting edge for it's time. Written in the early 1980s, it is a pretty realistic account of how the world reacted to gays at the time without losing the love story and focusing too much on gay discrimination.

I think this book woul...more This book is a love story about a teen who finds her soul mate and finds out she is gay at the same time. It deals not only her internal struggle with this realization, but the sometimes misguided effort of those around her to deal with it. It seems very cutting edge for it's time. Written in the early 1980s, it is a pretty realistic account of how the world reacted to gays at the time without losing the love story and focusing too much on gay discrimination.

I think this book would appeal to teens because it is mostly a beautifully written love story about two teens in love for the first time. Teens will definitely relate to that part of it. What they may have trouble relating to is the gay discrimination being so intense. Being called in front of an inquisition at school for having sex (whether homosexual or heterosexual) is pretty far fetched today. They did do a good job of setting the stage for this by referring to a heterosexual couple who were expelled from the school because of a pregnancy. The teachers being fired because they live together and have books about lesbianism does not seem very realistic for today, but was pretty realistic when the book was written in the early 1980s.

The Developmental markers that were addressed are Parent Involvement in Schooling and Achievement Motivation. Her parents do not do a perfect job of accepting and embracing her lesbianism, but they do stand behind her against the school and fight for her school record to remain clean. They still incourage her to go to college and do well in school.

I found the characters very believable because at the end of the day this was a love story. It focused more on the emotion than sexual orientation and I found that very convincing because emotion is what love is all about, especially for a teen. It also showed how people were trying to be nice and help, but weren't and I think teens go through that a lot.

I would promote this book to teens as a well written love story that would appeal to teens who like romance. I think it is a mistake to focus too much on differences and would choose to focus on the common emotions that teens go through with their first romance, whether it is homosexual or heterosexual. This book could also be promoted as an interesting look at predudice and how they change over time. Not only of homosexuals, but also of the heterosexual pregnancy. The view of acceptable sexual conduct at different times in history would appeal to some teens, even if it is just because the topic of sex in general appeals to teens.

VOYA codes: 5Q, 4P, S
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Jan 15, 2009

Miss CC rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

bookshelves: queer, young-adult

Read in January, 2009

recommended to Miss CC by: Jessica Gish

Jessica Gish recommended this book to me when I told her I was reading all children's and young adult books this month.

This is a sort of slow, old-fashioned book, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I am not sure what exactly I mean by old-fashioned...that's the description that comes to mind, even though I can't really explain it.

The book's copyright date is 1982. but I can't tell if the book is set then, or in some earlier year. There aren't a lot of pop culture refer...more

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Aug 07, 2009

Arlene rated it:

bookshelves: read-2009, vbc_rc_1, young-adult

Read in August, 2009

Annie on my Mind, by Nancy Garden, is one of those reads that serves to up your sensitivity and awareness level on topics that society hasn't always accepted quite so easily. This book was written in the 1980's and is about the internal and emotional struggle a teenage girl goes through as she discovers she is a lesbian. I've read books that push the boundaries and others that truly dive into and explore controversial subjects, and some I've categorized as exceptional reads. This book is more...more

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2 comments

Dec 22, 2008

Matthew rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

bookshelves: gay-fiction, young-adult

Read in December, 2008

Not a bad book, but not a really great one, either. Everything is done competently -- the characters, the dialogue, the writing itself -- but nothing is done stupendously. As I read it, I kept checking the pages, waiting for it to end... not because it was bad, simply because I wanted to read something else, something that really drew me in, whether through the characters or the style or the plot or something. This book didn't draw me in. It's good enough that I kept reading rather than putting ...more

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Aug 20, 2008

Heidi rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

bookshelves: fiction, ya

Read in August, 2006

Had to read for controversial/banned books lesson for YA lit. class. Review: Dated (1982) book about a girl in high school who falls in love with another girl. Aside from being confused about their sexual orientation, the girls are not very good at practicing restrain or self-control. Personally, a disturbing subject and more so because of the point of view.

I am forever grateful for my friends in BYU 32nd ward who were with me throughout the day helping me get through this book. It w...more

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17 comments

Feb 01, 2009

Amy B rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

bookshelves: kent-ya-class

Read in January, 2009

Annie on My Mind is a Margaret Edwards Award winner. Liza at the age of seventeen meets a girl at a local museum to whom she is very attracted. They hit it off right away and have a wonderful time together. Neither is completely happy at either of the high schools they attend. The two girls strike up a very important friendship that turns into love. The girls begin a physical relationship which they know would not be looked well upon by outsiders. Everything comes out into the open b...more

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May 21, 2009

Skyler rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

Read in January, 1995

I'm not sure I'm qualified to write much of a review on this book, as I was never an adolescent lesbian. But I will say that it was incredibly easy to relate to--even for an adolescent hetero male--and the situation is touching, if not incredibly sad.

Liza is a teenager who finds a companion in a fellow museum-goer one star-struck day. Cautious and excited, she pursues her romance, despite the fact that many around her do not seem to understand. Through the help of a teacher, she f...more

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May 04, 2009

Emily rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

bookshelves: edwards-award, kent-ya-class

(Edwards Award)

I know this book was ground breaking in its day, but it is slightly out-dated now. Annie’s struggles with her sexuality and her first love experiences will never be out of date, but the consequences she faces are not as realistic today. I’ve read this book multiple times, but it has not been as good as the first time I read it. Perhaps I’ve had time in between readings to read newer, updated books that handle this same issue. Still, as one of the first books to...more

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Apr 15, 2009

Melissa added it (review of isbn 0374404143)

5Q 2P S
Chapter One begins with the first meeting of Liz and Annie, “starting with the first important or exciting incident, and then filling in the background”. As their intense friendship begins to develop into more, both are forced to face their sexuality and being gay. When their relationship is exposed they must endure the reactions of their family, their friends and peers, and even Liz’s private academy. Will their relationship survive the consequences? Will they remain toge...more

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May 13, 2009

Andrew Backs rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

bookshelves: margaret-a--edwards-award, to-read, young-adult-titles

4Q 4P JS

While I never really got into this book at any point, I cannot deny the importance of the message that it portrays. The fight of the two girls is very moving, and I think that will make this book appeal to both male and female readers. It might take some pushing, however, if the potential reader does not know a lot about homosexuality and its culture. Parents may also take issue with the book and its topic. This reflects the titles ranking in the top 100 most controversia...more

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1 comment

Mar 05, 2010

Caris rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

Read in March, 2010

Okay, it’s about as cheesy a plot as can possibly exist, but I had to remind myself that this is a young adult romance written in the early eighties. I can’t help but experience the feeling that no matter how bad some of the writing is, you don’t go into another person’s house and make fun of her drapes.

It reminds me a lot of the books I read when I was in junior high, like R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series. Like a silly hairstyle, the words in this book are representative o...more Okay, it’s about as cheesy a plot as can possibly exist, but I had to remind myself that this is a young adult romance written in the early eighties. I can’t help but experience the feeling that no matter how bad some of the writing is, you don’t go into another person’s house and make fun of her drapes.

It reminds me a lot of the books I read when I was in junior high, like R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series. Like a silly hairstyle, the words in this book are representative of an era. This kind of stuff wouldn’t get published today, but that doesn’t mean it never should have been. I feel the need to get all of that out because of how harsh I was on the book in the very beginning (Are you there, Lord?). I was wrong. I admit it.

This book has a message. A really good message. And I’m glad it exists. It gets me to wondering, though, where the hell was all of the YA queer lit when I was there? I read a lot about boys and girls getting all hot and heavy, but it wasn’t until I was an adult that I started to experience this sort of writing. It seems crazy to me that I’ve read so much gay writing from people who grew up in more conservative times than I did, but my own generation hasn’t done anything of note. Am I just missing it? The book is still relevant today, but there needs to be an updated version; the social climate of the eighties is vastly different from what we’re presently living in. I want currency, dammit.

The real value of this book, I think, is therapeutic. It shows the journey of discovery that these two girls go through, drawing particular focus on the love they share in spite of the troubles they face. Society doesn’t really accept them and they’re not particularly sure if they accept themselves, but they are able to support one another through the process. At one point, they even discover a book and detail how they use that book to deal with their situation. Not terribly subtle perhaps, but sometimes a brick does what a pebble cannot.

Being however old I am, I have to admit that I felt a little voyeuristic reading this book about two teenaged girls’ fumblings in the dark. It wasn’t descriptive in any way, but it still had a bit of an ick factor. The problem, I think, was that I could see these people as real girls. Having finished it, I think that works in the book’s favor. This was written for teenagers, not their fathers. The feelings I encountered were very nicely paired with the reactions to the situation of nearly every other character in the story: I realized pretty quickly that what was happening between these girls was none of my goddamned business, and I continually wished that the nosy principal and the conservative classmates would recognize that, too.
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3 comments

Feb 23, 2009

Joe rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

bookshelves: 60626-ya

Read in February, 2009

I think Annie on My Mind will appeal to teens, although perhaps more to high school teens. The fact is relationships are a huge aspect of social lives when people are in high school. A book about this subject will appeal to a lot of teens. To go with this, a story about a controversial relationship may be even more interesting for teens. Many teens may know people in similar relationships or may perhaps be thinking about whether or not they would like to be in one. Therefore, it may intrigu...more

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Jan 09, 2009

Sunny rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
5/10. Boring, boring, boring. This may have been shocking in 1982 when it was written, but I felt the story was dull and predictable. You could care about the characters, and it was well written, but the plot was just not interesting at all.

I will summarize: Liza, a private school girl from a "nice" neighborhood, meets Annie, a public school girl from the skids, at a museum. They become fast friends, despite living in different worlds,...more

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Mar 12, 2009

Lonica rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

bookshelves: ya-class

This book would appeal to teens that are experiencing conflicts with their sexual identity. If they were questioning their homosexuality, this would be a book they might be interested in. It could also be interesting to someone who wanted to read a (rather unconventional) romance, as well.

The book addresses the following developmental markers: establishing life-long relationships, exploring sexual identity, making life-long decisions (college, relationships, etc), and redefining ...more

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May 13, 2009

Leni rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

VOYA Book Review Code: S, A.YA; 2P; 3Q

Reading Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden gave me the feeling that I had a front row sit into the life of Liza Winthrop, and it reminded me of two friends of mine (one female, one male) that had shared their story with me – please note: my friends are open about sharing her story.
My female experience with coming out about her sexual orientation to her family and friends was like a Liza except she did not come from an upper-middle class fam...more

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Feb 19, 2009

Penny Ziegler rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

bookshelves: kent-ya-class

Margaret A. Edwards Awards Book

VOYA Book Review Codes ~ Quality 5A; Popularity 2P; Grade Interest S

Developental Assets: 24, 28, 40

This book is about two girls and their senior year in high school. Annie, who attends a private school quite by accident meets Liza, who attends a public school at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The friendship grows and blossoms into a romantic relationship during a mirade of events occurring in Annie's lif...more

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Mar 04, 2009

Virginia rated it:

(review of isbn 0374404143)

The author's ability to construct consistently captivating characters in this book is exceptional. Immediately, the book presents a mysterious letter oozing with sentiment and undiscovered conflict. The plot develops will all of the tenderness and magic that you should hope for when addressing a first love. Liza often finds herself personally examining the rules that everyone claims are intended for her success. Her need to establish her own sense of correctness and adhere to self appointed ...more