Rookie on Love

January 1, 2018
Curated from Rookie, an online magazine dedicated to teens and founded in 2011 by a then-15-year-old Gevinson, this anthology offers tales of love from 45 different, diverse voices.Janet Mock professes unrequited love as a transgender girl of color who has an intense crush on the boy who lives two doors down from her. White writer Emma Straub describes the love affair she has with stories and how literature has been the soundtrack to her life, influencing her personal choices as well as her approach to writing. A delightful chapter, "Binary Planets Writing," chronicles the relationship of black sisters Ogechi and Ugochi Egonu, growing together and then apart, showing that the love that exists within twinship doesn't always mean sameness. Queer artist Sunny Betz offers a three-page comic about finally meeting an online friend in person when they decide to hit the road to see their favorite band. In "Karma," African-American actress Gabourey Sidibe crafts a confessional of how, when true love escaped her at a young age, she chose to use her partners to get the attention and affection she felt she needed with a boomerang effect that she feels has led to her current lonely, single status. Containing poetry, essays, interviews, graphic short stories, and fiction, covering doggie love, Arthurian love, and grandmother love, the book offers a niche of love that all women can connect to.A thoughtful, light read celebrating a universal emotion. (Anthology. 12-18)

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January 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 Seeking to expand their presence, the online magazine Rookie has devoted all-new content to this print edition. Wanting a subject that would be totes chill, v. simple, and easy to understand, they, tongue in cheek, went with love. The result of the open-ended prompt is this anthology of short stories, essays, poetry, interviews, comics, and more by teens of all ages. The contributors, diverse in race and sexual orientation, range from current teens to adults who vividly remember their teen years, including a few celebrities such as Gabourey Sidibe and Rainbow Rowell. As one would expect on the topic of love, there are pieces on first love, romance, unrequited love, and breaking up, while other pieces address intimacy, sisterly love, friendship, and even our love of dogs. The overarching and most powerful theme, however, is self-love. The writers aren't talking narcissism, but the self-respect that goes into a healthy relationship. Each voice lends itself to universal truths about love, sometimes in no-holds-barred language, making this a good choice for YA and new adult collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)