Book Review: "Annie On My Mind"

It's long been established that Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden is basically considered to be essential reading material among the LGBT crowd. That said, it took me many years to track down the book in its physical format (I once found it in ebook form, but I have a hard time staying focused with ebooks -- I digress). And I'm glad that I finally got a chance to read this classic.

The story of Liza and Annie is quite an honest look not only at teenage love, but at finding oneself during those tumultuous teenage years -- made invariably more difficult when struggling with defining one's sexuality at the same time. It's a confusing, scary, secretive time (and one that I know all too well from first-hand experience) with more layers to it than an onion. And this story explores many of them. (Not all -- everybody's story is different -- but a lot that are fairly universal among the LGBT community.) Add in the additional factor of one of the girls going to an uppity private school and all hell breaking loose for it, being treated as some sort of social perversion (another thing that I identify first-hand with) and you've got an interesting, honest look at what quite a few of us have gone through. I only wish I had known this book existed back when I was a teenager, when it would've make me feel so much better to know I wasn't the only one.

The wrap-up of the story at the ending goes by far too quickly, and I wish it would have delved more into how it got from point A to point B, so I do knock this book down a few pegs for that, but ultimately, it's well-written and I still highly recommend it. 4 out of 5 stars.