A review by literarymatcha
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden

emotional hopeful relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book, I felt, became a part of me from the very first page. It contained my favorite poem, Invictus (I had it taped on my wall for the longest time), and most of all, I saw myself in the pages: a terrified, gay kid about to go to college.

I saw myself in the pages, in the way Liza talked and thought, most of all. Many years ago, I, too, was in love with a friend who sang like the sirens crafted her voice themselves. I went to all her recitals. And when Liza described Annie's singing, and how she felt at the recital, I thought,  'was this book written for me?'  because that was how it felt like. And in my opinion, how phenomenal books always feel like.

I like that it ended on a happy note. With the letters and the whole house thing that happened, I was scared that it would end sadly. If it did, it would be a loss to the gay community and I would take it very personally.


Another thing that caught my heart was in the
'trial' they held for Liza
scene, her dad told her "Steady". I fixated on that word for a while, because I remember going through something similar and my dad also said something similar. 

ALSO I absolutely adored
our gay teachers, Kah and Iza! I loved how they made a life for themselves and how human and real they are, and how absolutely in love with each other they were, and still are. long live my queens


I would tattoo this whole book on my skin if I could. I mean, it's already in my heart, so ink on skin is naturally the next step.
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