Annie on My Mind

by Nancy Garden

Book Overview

Liza never knew that falling in love could be so wonderful . . . and so confusing. "'Liza,' Mom said, looking into my eyes, 'I want you to tell me the truth, not because I want to pry, but because I have to know. This could get very unpleasant . . . Now--have you and Annie--done any more than the usual experimenting . . . ' 'No, Mom,' I said, trying to look back at her calmly. I'm not proud of it, I make no excuses--I lied to her."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374404143
• ISBN13: 9780374404147
• Release Date: September 1992
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 234 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.2" x 6.9"
• Age Range: 14 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 9 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Probably One of My Favorite Books Now!

Oh my gosh! This book was SO GOOD! I'm still not over it. The book came in such good shape and I was also in love with the size of the book! It is very cute and small, you can fit it in your purse and I love that! The story is so cute and wholesome and it is so worth reading!

Excited then disappointed

I was so excited to get this book because I've heard many great things about the storyline. I was flipping through to check the quality and in the last few chapters of the book, the pages were ripped almost all the way down. I would have been okay if it was just a few pages, however it was 2 full chapters that were completely destroyed. I haven't attempted to read the book yet because I need to try to repair the pages first. 🥺

One of my favorites

I loved the love story about the 2 girls. Haven't read it in awhile but it's one of my favorites originally read it when I was figuring out I'm bi

Simply Beautiful

This book means a great deal to me since reading it at age 14. Now, as a college senior, I read it again only to find that it still holds a place in my heart. I consider myself a picky reader, but this is my absolute favorite. The tenderness and hope it creates is unmatched in today's and yesterday's LGB stories.

A Must Read!

I sat down and read this book in about three hours and it was sheerly amazing. I can not find a bad word to say about it. It moved me, almost to the verge of tears. This is a must read for any one. Especially young lesbian and bisexual women. This was good literature, hands down.

A little dated, but a classic

At this point, Annie on My Mind is dated. I suspect most teens would find it corny. However, it is the young adult novel that began a trend of high quality YA lit with homosexual protagonists who are not punished for their sexuality. The world of Annie and Liza is a far cry from today's world where gay teens populate WB dramas and teen movies (not to mention are out and proud in high schools everywhere). These girls had no role models on TV, in novels, in movies, or, really, in life. They depended on each other to explore questions of sexuality--I won't say they actually explore their sexuality, as there is little more than a chaste kiss in all of the novel. They were isolated and made mistakes. Anyone reading this can see how far the country has come in its attitudes towards homosexuals. Annie on My Mind is a bittersweet love story worth the read.

Poignant tale of first love

I have to start by stating that I thought this was a well written, and quite inspiring tale of love developing between two teenage girls. I know a lot of people who think that romance stories are trash, but they are usually the people who have never seemed to have picked one up and read it, particularly one as well done as this one. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't technically perfect, but it had a good story to tell, and within that framework, it did a good job. I myself was in high school at the time this novel was published, since I saw the copyright was originally in 1982. I attended private(catholic) school for ten years, and switched to public school for my last two years so I could associate with what both girls were going through. Not living in New York, my public school was not quite as bad as Annie's, but we had our share of violence and drugs there too. The prvate school was also more restrictive and selective than the public school, with the snobs and rich kids, so I could identify with some of the problems that Liza had too. Those who have never attended a private school might have thought that some of the things Liza went through there were exaggerated, and to a degree, they may have been, but a lot of it seemed very true to life to me. I particularly liked the way that the girls slowly developed their bond of love, instead of jumping right into it. So many novels feel that they need to throw their characters together too fast, or treat love like a kleenex, something easily disposable when you're through with it. I had quit reading teenage type romances years ago because they had all seemed to be so much alike, without any real substance to them. This novel is different, and I can recommend it to anyone, gay or straight, teen or adult, because it has something worthwhile to say about both love and acceptance. I looked at the trial aspect as a sort of allegory of life. To me it represented more than just a trial of whether Liza would be let back into school, and if she would get a mark against her that would be reported to the college she was trying to get into. I looked at it as a sort of trial of life, the way that friends, family, and even the world can seem to judge us by what we do or who we are, without really knowing us. It's these trials that we have to overcome constantly, but getting through them always makes us stronger, and teaches us something about ourselves. The story also does a good job of showing the girls hesitancy in acknowledging their relationship to their families, or even to themselves for awhile. I can sympathize with that, even though I've never had to go through it. I can just think back and imagine the reaction I would have gotten from my family and friends if I had ever come home, and announced that I was gay. It's really not a pretty picture, even in my mind. If I had to list the single biggest complaint I had about the book, it would have to be the way in which the girls were discovered. Th

Annie on my mind for 4 years

I first read this book over the summer between 8th and 9th grade. That was four years ago. At that time, I was struggling with my sexuality. I immediately fell in love with this book and I read it over and over. The experiences between Annie and Liza in the early stages of their romance were exactly what I had been dreaming about. For those of you who have not read this book, it is told alternately third-person limited and first-person, as a retrospective journey through the senior year of a young girl. Eliza, or Liza, is a thoughtful, outgoing girl who meets Annie, an introspective thinker in a museum. Through a series of events, they realize their mutual attraction, following a kiss on the beach. Their romance is mired by cover-ups and secrets, but, as they profess their love for one another in central park, they know they'll try to make it work. When Eliza has the opportunity to house-sit for two of her teachers, she invites Annie along. What follows is a story of injustice, close-mindedness, and the desire to "Know the truth and the truth will set you free". This book has inspired me to seek the truth, and it has been an experience I will not soon forget. I recommend this book to everyone and anyone. You cannot leave your teens without having read this book. and i

Heartbreaking and beautiful

My school psychologist managed to find me a copy of Annie on my Mind after I told him that I was desparately searching for books that dealt with gay teens coming to age. I found, to my delight, that this book was different than any other that I had read. It told what it was actually like for two girls to fall in love. When you are a teen and in the closet like I am, books like these are treasured. Don't mistake Annie for a gay book, however. It is much more than that. It is a beautifully crafted love story that makes its message known without being preachy. It puts faces and names on people that some would have remain nameless. Everyone should read it and remember its messages- the most touching one being: "Know the truth, and the truth will set you free."