Over the next few days Liza finds herself in the midst of a controversy that threatens the very existence of Foster Academy, the private school she has attended since kindergarten. Because Liza failed to report an incident she witnessed which resulted in an injury to a student, she will be the subject of a disciplinary hearing. Liza is staking her future on being accepted into the MIT school of architecture, and a disciplinary blot on her school record could ruin everything.
Meanwhile, her friendship with Annie grows, and the girls spend more and more time together. Ultimately, Liza and Annie realize that they are in love, and their relationship becomes increasingly physical. When Liza is asked to feed two of her teachers� cats while they go on vacation, the young lovers have a place to spend undisturbed private time together. They are discovered in a compromising situation and their secret is made public. Not only does it threaten Liza�s school standing, it ultimately results in the firing of the lesbian teachers whose home was used for the girls� rendezvous.
The action in the story is told from Liza�s limited point of view, providing ample opportunity for the author to develop her character and show the evolution of her thoughts. Liza had never considered that she might be gay, and the reader experiences her confusion and dawning awareness that this relationship is different from any previous friendship she has had. Annie�s character is depicted as seen through Liza�s eyes, with her thoughts revealed only through dialog and the notes she writes.
The plot follows the same general story line as any romance, with lovers dancing around the big question before finally acknowledging that they are in love. Heterosexual lovers have one less roadblock to maneuver, however. The acknowledgment that a friendship could ever be more than that is a major hurdle for gays, especially for a teen experiencing her first love. �It was like a war inside me; I couldn�t even recognize all the sides. There was one that said, �No, this is wrong; you know it�s wrong and bad and sinful,� and there was another that said, �Nothing has ever felt so right and natural and true and good. . .�� (p. 93)
Liza is on a romantic quest, making sacrifices and negotiating crises before reaching a satisfactory resolution. She finds love as a reward, but the reader is aware that the sacrifices will not end there. The continuing struggle that the two lovers will face is foreshadowed in that which occurs at Liza�s school, where Ms. Stevens and Ms. Widmer are fired from their jobs. The lesbian couple continue to sacrifice for their love, and Liza and Annie fully realize that they will be called upon to do the same.
The central theme is that which every teen faces: �Who am I and what am I going to do about it?� (Donelson, p. 3) That issue is at the heart of the narrative, and it is not until the last two pages of the book that Liza is able to make the decision to acknowledge who she is and live life honestly. When she finally makes the phone call to Annie, she lays claim to a major piece of her adult identity.
Publisher�s Weekly describes the book as �an especially well-rendered tale.� In a society which is still coming to terms with homosexuality, homophobia, and gay rights, this adds to the literature of a culture that is often ignored or castigated. Teens, whatever their sexual orientation, will be able to identify the first stirrings of love in the characters. Homosexual teens will be gratified to find that their stories are at last being written.
Awards for Annie on My Mind
ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults
School Library Journal Starred Review
Booklist Young Adult Reviewers� Choice
Related Websites
Nancy Garden�s Website: http://www.nancygarden.com
Author Profile: http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-garden-nancy.asp
Sources
Donelson, Kenneth L. 2005. Literature for today�s young adults. 7th ed. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
Books in Print [database online]. Available from http://www.booksinprint.com. Accessed 24 September 2004.
School of Library and Information Studies
TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY