Being Emily

Last updated
Being Emily
Being Emily.jpg
Author Rachel Gold
Cover artistKristin Smith
LanguageEnglish
Genre Young adult
Publisher Bella Books
Publication date
2012
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint and mobile
Pages264
ISBN 978-1594932830

Being Emily is a 2012 novel by Rachel Gold. Gold, who has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Religious Studies from Macalester College and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Hamline University, spent a decade as a print reporter in the LGBT community and is currently a marketing strategist and public speaker. It is the first young adult novel written from a transgender girl's point of view. [1] In the story, Emily (born Christopher) begins to come out during her junior year of high school, first to her girlfriend Claire and then, with the help of an understanding therapist, to her family. [2] [3]

Lydia Harris describes the novel as "extraordinarily poignant" and says that "the chapters chronicling [Emily's friend] Claire's struggles with religious, emotional and social mores are worth the price of this novel alone." [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Blume</span> American author (born 1938)

Judith Blume is an American writer of children's, young adult, and adult fiction. Blume began writing in 1959 and has published more than 26 novels. Among her best-known works are Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (1970), Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), Deenie (1973), and Blubber (1974). Blume's books have significantly contributed to children's and young adult literature. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanne Harris</span> British author (born 1964)

Joanne Michèle Sylvie Harris is a British author, best known for her 1999 novel Chocolat, which was adapted into a film of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand literature</span>

New Zealand literature is literature, both oral and written, produced by the people of New Zealand. It often deals with New Zealand themes, people or places, is written predominantly in New Zealand English, and features Māori culture and the use of the Māori language. Before the arrival and settlement of Europeans in New Zealand in the 19th century, Māori culture had a strong oral tradition. Early European settlers wrote about their experiences travelling and exploring New Zealand. The concept of a "New Zealand literature", as distinct from English literature, did not originate until the 20th century, when authors began exploring themes of landscape, isolation, and the emerging New Zealand national identity. Māori writers became more prominent in the latter half of the 20th century, and Māori language and culture have become an increasingly important part of New Zealand literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesca Lia Block</span> American writer (born 1963)

Francesca Lia Block is an American writer of adult and young-adult literature. She wrote the Weetzie Bat series, which she began while a student at UC Berkeley.

Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as friendship, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world building than adult literature as it seeks to highlight the experiences of adolescents in a variety of ways. There are various genres within young adult literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lydia Millet</span> American novelist (born 1968)

Lydia Millet is an American novelist. Her 2020 novel A Children's Bible was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction and named one of the ten best books of the year by the New York Times Book Review. She has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Salon wrote of Millet's work, "The writing is always flawlessly beautiful, reaching for an experience that precedes language itself."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Levithan</span> American author and editor (born 1972)

David Levithan is an American young adult fiction author and editor. He has written numerous works featuring strong male gay characters, most notably Boy Meets Boy and Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List. Six of Levithan's books have won or been finalists for the Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, making him the most celebrated author in the category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Jane Anders</span> American science fiction author and commentator (born 1969)

Charlie Jane Anders is an American writer specializing in speculative fiction. She has written several novels as well as shorter fiction, published in magazines and on websites, and hosted podcasts; these works cater to both adults and adolescent readers. Her first science fantasy novels, such as All the Birds in the Sky and The City in the Middle of the Night, cover mature topics, received critical acclaim, and won major literary awards like the Nebula Award for Best Novel and Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Her young adult trilogy Unstoppable has been popular among younger audiences. Shorter fiction has been collected into Six Months, Three Days, Five Others and Even Greater Mistakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesbian literature</span> Subgenre of literature with lesbian themes

Lesbian literature is a subgenre of literature addressing lesbian themes. It includes poetry, plays, fiction addressing lesbian characters, and non-fiction about lesbian-interest topics. A similar term is sapphic literature, encompassing works that feature love between women that are not necessarily lesbian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Perkins (novelist)</span> New Zealand author (born 1970)

Emily Justine Perkins is a New Zealand novelist, short story writer, playwright and university lecturer. Over the course of her career Perkins has written five novels, one collection of short stories and two plays. She has won a number of notable literary awards, including twice winning the top award for fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards. In 2011 she received an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Award.

The AML Awards are given annually by the Association for Mormon Letters (AML) to the best work "by, for, and about Mormons." They are juried awards, chosen by a panel of judges. Citations for many of the awards can be found on the AML website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Vaye Watkins</span> American author and academic (born 1984)

Claire Vaye Watkins is an American author and academic.

<i>The Girl on the Train</i> (novel) 2015 novel by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train is a 2015 psychological thriller novel by British author Paula Hawkins that gives narratives from three different women about relationship troubles and, for the main protagonist, alcoholism. The novel debuted in the number one spot on The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2015 list dated 1 February 2015, and remained in the top position for 13 consecutive weeks, until April 2015. In January 2016 it became the #1 best-seller again for two weeks. Many reviews referred to the book as "the next Gone Girl", referring to a popular 2012 psychological mystery, by author Gillian Flynn, with similar themes that used unreliable narrators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Legrand</span> American writer of childrens and young adult literature

Claire Legrand is an American writer of children's and young adult literature, including novels and short stories. She is best known for her New York Times bestsellingEmpirium trilogy, published by Sourcebooks Fire.

Claire Zorn is an Australian writer of young adult fiction. She was awarded the CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers in 2015 and 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kekla Magoon</span> American author (born 1980)

Kekla Magoon is an American author, best known for her NAACP Image Award-nominated young adult novel The Rock and the River, How It Went Down, The Season of Styx Malone, and X. In 2021, she received the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association for her body of work. Her works also include middle grade novels, short stories, and historical, socio-political, and economy-related non-fiction.

Lydia Kang is an American author of adult and young adult fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. She is also an internal medicine physician, and practices internal medicine in Omaha, Nebraska.

<i>SLAY</i> (novel) 2019 young adult novel by Brittney Morris

SLAY is a young adult novel by American author Brittney Morris published in 2019.

Claire Joanna Skuse is an English novelist and lecturer in creative writing at Bath Spa University. She began her career writing young adult (YA) fiction, publishing five novels, and was named a key figure in the "rise of YA antiheroines" by The Guardian. She then moved into adult thrillers with the release of Sweetpea (2017) and its sequels.

References

  1. "Is Rachel Gold's "Being Emily" the first young adult novel to tell the story of a transgender girl from her perspective?".
  2. 1 2 Harris, Lydia (12 September 2012). "'Being Emily' by Rachel Gold". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  3. Orsi, Clarence Harlan (16 July 2019). "Saying Something: Trans Characters in YA Fiction". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 12 June 2020.