Give You The Sun Reflection

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I’ll Give You the Sun is a YA coming of age novel, written by Jandy Nelson. The story focuses on two twins, Noah and Jude. The book has multi-strand story lines, from the point of view of both twins at the ages of 13, 14 and 16. Up until the age of 13, the twins were inseparable, but major differences set them on different courses. This novel raises the idea of how people respond differently to tragedy, the novel also makes me think about how young LGBTQ+ individuals are treated in today’s society. From Jude’s point of view at the age of 16, she reveals to the reader, quite suddenly, that her mother died in a car crash when Jude and Noah were 13. “I study the time on Mom’s old watch - she was wearing it when her car sailed off a cliff two …show more content…

Noah falls in love with Brian, who has just moved into town. Noah finds Brian fascinating. We soon learn that Brian feels the same about Noah, but Brian believes that if anyone were to find out he was gay, there would be major consequences for him. Brian is the captain of a sports team, the previous captain came out as gay, and as a result, was physically abused and ridiculed to the point where he had to leave the team. Brain is terrified this could happen to him. This made me think about how young LGBTQ+ individuals have to their lives in secrecy, or face ridicule. Although society today has become more understanding of such topics as LGBTQ+ rights, it makes me wonder about how many teens there are out there like Brian, who fear for their reputation and even safety because of something as simple as their sexual orientation. For me, this also raised the subject of Heteronormativity. Why is it so normal to assume everyone you meet is heterosexual? Why is heterosexuality seen as the ‘default orientation’? Society today may be more accepting than in was in the past decades, but things like heteronormativity and prejudice are still prevalent and as toxic as ever. Forcing children and teens into this ‘mould’ at such a young age is disgusting, and is the reason so many LGBTQ+ individuals find it hard to be themselves around their friends and

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