YA book question - asexuality

[rm]

I promised some folks in a panel the other day that I'd ask here.

Does anyone know of any YA books with asexual characters or plot themes. Not non-sexual/non-romantic, although the recs might be welcome, but asexual.

Thanks!

Comments

[delicatetbone.livejournal.com]

Not asexual, but did you see the jezebel.com review about the new YA book in which the main character changes gender once a month? I can't seem to find it right now as I believe it was called "Change" and well googling that pulls up WAY too many search results

[kessie.livejournal.com]

I believe Cycler may be the book you're referring to? It looks fascinating and is on my to-read list. :D

[delicatetbone.livejournal.com]

that is the one! thanks!

[kessie.livejournal.com]

No problem!

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, that looks really interesting. And also reminds me that one of these days I should get around to actually reading Orlando.

[kessie.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is!

...damn, where is my copy of Orlando?

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

Follow up, I ended up going to a bookstore today and while I was there I found the one copy they had and bought it. But I also got a used book in good condition for $3.99, so I think the overpriced hardcover evens out, yeah?

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

Not sure whether it'd count as YA, although I think it'd be appropriate, but the Tarma and Kethry trilogy from the Valdemar series; Oathbound, Oathbreakers, and Oathblood, I believe. Tarma's a celibate warrior-priestess. Initial reasons for this involve some pretty negative stuff (murder of her clan and gang-rape), so if you're looking for it being portayed as normative, this wouldn't be it.

I like the character enough that my dog's name is Tarma, though.

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

I'm not quite sure if it would be considered asexual (because I'm not exactly sure what other kind of themes you're looking for or what that would necessarily entail), but maybe The Perks of Being a Wallflower? The protagonist is very stunted sexually and is pretty much willing to do things because he thinks it will make his friends happy, even if it's not particularly what he wants. It's been a few years since I read it though, so it's all kind of fuzzy.

[trifles.livejournal.com]

Are you looking for stories about characters who either act as if or proclaim their sexuality as "asexual," or are you looking for stories about characters who have nonsexual relationships, or about characters who have chosen celibacy/abstinence, or something else altogether?

-Beth

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

the paksenarrion books. again, she was pretty horrifically raped and then ended up being asexual.

[ekatarina.livejournal.com]

I think it was the other order. If I recal she was attacked at the military base but not raped. The rape was later on the altar.

In any case she is defeinitely portrayed as someone who has no interest in a romantic or sexual relationship with anybody.

Ekatarina, a big fan of Paks

[sdn.livejournal.com]

do you mean someone who explicitly identifies as asexual (in which case, i don't think so), or someone who hasn't figured out which sex s/he is attracted to yet, or someone who is sort of pre-sexual (in which case, going a little younger will find you lots of examples)?

[king-chiron.livejournal.com]

FYI, there's an asexuality community here - http://community.livejournal.com/asexuality/

[barbed-whispers.livejournal.com]

Thanks again for asking your flist for me. The more I look into this, the more I realize I'm going to have to write this for myself (or find someone I can bully into writing it for me, heh). It looks like most of the books recced are about characters who went through some kind of trauma (abuse, rape, molestation) that turned them off sex, which is a really big issue in the asexual community (both in the "a lot of people have gone through this" sense and the "everyone thinks this is why we are all not into sex, which is untrue" sense). I'm definitely looking for more of an asexual coming-of-age story, although asexual/non-sexual (and aromantic/non-romantic) characters are also of interest, even if they never identify themselves as such. (And there is a short list of recs here (http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?showtopic=9289), although it seems to be totally lacking in YA and is more "here are some characters who don't have sex" than anything else.)

And if you have any other readers looking for more info on asexualty besides the comm and AVEN (http://www.asexuality.org/home/), I can't rec glad_to_be_a enough. She's very articulate and comfortable talking about her sexuality (and explaining it, as the need arises), which, to me, is almost as good as having a book.