Bibliographic Information:
Title: The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School
Author: Sonora Reyes
Publisher: HarperCollins
Copyright Date: May 17, 2022
ISBN: 9780063060272
Genre/Format:
Prose: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ+ Lit
Awards or Honors:
National Book Award Finalist
William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist
Walter Honor Award Winner
Pura Belpré Honor Book
Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Young Adult Winner
Reading Level/Interest Level:
13-17 Years (According to Amazon)
Citation:
Reyes, S. (2022). The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School. HarperCollins.
Plot Summary:
Yamilet Flores wants to be known for her unique style and confidence, not for being the only Mexican American at her new Catholic school. And especially not for being the only lesbian on campus. After being outed by her ex-best friend and crush at her last school, Yami sees attending a new school as a chance to rebrand as the perfect sister, daughter, and straight girl. All she has to do is not fall in love. But when Yami meets Bo, an out and proud student at her school, pretending to be straight proves difficult, and not falling in love even more so. But Yami can’t risk the rejection by her religious mother and the safety of her brother. She refuses to relive the mistakes of her past, and dedicates herself to being studious in school, finding the perfect job, and being a supportive big sister. Yami faces the trials of high school and being who you are and finds out there’s a lot more to her school and her own family than even she has figured out.
Author Background:
Arizona native Sonora Reyes is the author of popular contemporary YA novels The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School and The Luis Ortega Survival Club. They write fiction full of queer and Latinx characters in a variety of genres. Sonora contributed to the Transgender story anthology Transmogrify! and is a co-founder of QPOCfest, a virtual book festival celebrating queer and trans BIPOC authors and books (Reyes, n.d.).
Critical Evaluation:
Once I picked up The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School I didn’t want to put it down. This book is an engaging, hilarious, and heartfelt story of a queer teen surviving and eventually thriving in her new Catholic school. Lesbiana’s Guide provides an honest look into navigating the pressures of life as a Mexican American queer teen in a mostly-white ultra-conservative religious school, as well as the eldest daughter of a strict mother. The topics of homophobia, religious trauma, and mental health are thoughtfully explored without shying away from the harsh realities of teen life. Yamilet’s personal struggle with her family’s religion and her identity was really relatable to me personally. I also appreciated the accurate depiction of what it’s like as an eldest daughter, having to shoulder the expectations placed on her by her mother and take care of everyone, including her parents and younger brother. Lesbiana’s Guide also celebrates found family and the diversity of experiences modern teens experience in high school. Teens will see themselves reflected in this book, and will love joining Yami on her journey to living her life out loud.
Creative Use for a Library Program:
Friendship bracelet weaving! Yamilet makes friendship bracelets and beaded jewelry with her mother that they sell on their online store! The traditional Mexican jewelry making process makes Yamilet feel connected to both her mother and her cultural heritage. All that’s needed is embroidery floss and instructions. The teen librarian could put together a presentation on the cultural significance of friendship bracelets in Central American cultures. This resource provides the cultural background of friendship bracelet making and a tutorial on how to make them. This website has a very in-detail tutorial for different designs that I find easy to use.
Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer:
Yamilet is the perfect, studious, straight, Catholic school girl. Except she’s a lesbian in love with her best friend. After being outed at her old school, Yami has a plan to survive her new Catholic school. She just has to ask herself WWASGD?: What would a straight girl do? Yami’s story is a hilarious coming of age story that explores the ups and downs of being your authentic self.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:
Potential challenges for LGBTQ+ content, discussion of mental health, and BIPOC representation. All teens deserve to see themselves represented in media, and Lesbiana’s Guide highlights a diverse range of identities and struggles that many contemporary teens face in everyday life. Libraries seek to present content that reflects a diverse community of readers where everyone can see themselves represented.
Reason for Inclusion:
The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School is an authentic representation of the struggles many modern teens face. Teens of color and LGBTQ+ teens will see their experiences reflected back to them in Yami’s story. Sonora Reyes writes in a fresh voice that provides teens with a relatable protagonist. Serious topics such as bullying, homophobia, religious trauma and suicidal ideation are addressed in accessible and realistic ways. Lesbiana’s Guide is a hilarious and heartfelt book that can be enjoyed by all teens.
Bonus:
Recommended:
Sonora Reyes’ brand new book, The Luis Ortega Survival Club
A note on Content Warnings
If you are sensitive to certain topics and may be looking for content or trigger warnings, please check out this book’s StoryGraph page for potential triggering content. Unfortunately this site may not be comprehensive, and I recommend conducting as much research as possible for you to feel comfortable consuming this title. Thank you!
References
Dymocks Books. (2022). Sonora Reyes on The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School. In http://www.youtube.com. https://youtu.be/4P57xR768Ec
gabten. (2018, February 20). Knot Yours to Colonize. | ARTH 290: Making Material Histories. Makinghistory.web.unc.edu. https://makinghistory.web.unc.edu/2018/02/knot-yours-to-colonize/
Guerrero, P. (2022). Sonora Reyes on the coming out journey || THE LESBIANA’S GUIDE (…) author interview. In http://www.youtube.com. https://youtu.be/71WhI7hylFc
Reyes, S. (n.d.). ABOUT | Sonora Reyes. Sonora Reyes. https://www.sonorareyes.com/about
Reyes, S. (2022). The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School. HarperCollins.
Stearns, S. (2023, March 15). How to Make Friendship Bracelets. Sarah Maker. https://sarahmaker.com/how-to-make-friendship-bracelets/
Image Sources:
Balzer + Bray. (2022). The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School Cover. In Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Lesbianas-Guide-Catholic-School-ebook/dp/B09CQ3KFCJ?ref_=ast_author_mpb
Balzer + Bray. (2023). The Luis Ortega Survival Guide Cover. In Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Luis-Ortega-Survival-Club/dp/0063060302
Materials For Young Adults 