Luna

By: Julie Anne Peters

Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Regan's brother Liam can't stand the person he is during the day. Like the moon from whom Liam has chosen his female namesake, his true self, Luna, only reveals herself at night. In the secrecy of his basement bedroom Liam transforms himself into the beautiful girl he longs to be, with help from his sister's clothes and makeup. Now, everything is about to change - Luna is preparing to emerge from her cocoon. But are Liam's family and friends ready to welcome Luna into their lives?

Compelling and provocative, this is an unforgettable novel about a transgender teen's struggle for self-identity and acceptance.

©2004 Julie Anne Peters (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

A story of transition in a difficult world.

Elizabeth Evans was phenomenal. Story was shockingly accurate, occasionally triggering, some problematic language (GG-genetic girl)

loved it!

I read this book when I was in high school (2006). I thought it was a great story. This book also gave me more knowledge understanding about the transgender community.
I just happened to think about this book randomly 14yrs later, and decided to listen to the audiobook version this time. It is still an amazing story.

good shit!

Lovely, relatable, and depressingly accurate. The description makes it sound more supernatural than it is. It's a good book, but the setting is definately reality. No gender transformation, Jekyl-Hyde duality here. No sir, but it good. Banned in Texas for some reason.

Would have liked a better ending

Could have been so much better with a different ending. Maybe fast forward a few years to see what happened.

Wonderful story

The story was amazing, and the way it was all out together and read where great. But the story it’s self ended a little abruptly for me, 4 stars because I think it should have had at least another chapter. Other wise 5 stars across the board.

still one of my favorite stories.

Issa good listen. I loved the narration and subject matter. 😍 ❤️ ♥️ 😊

drove gender issue into ground, little creativity

could have been a deep emotional topic but was so predictable and base. i was disappointed

Feels

I cried, this is such an emotional journey that relates to me so much. I feel so sad, but happy at the same time, the reader really sold it, like such a good book, 10/10 oh my God, such a rollercoaster ride of pure unadulterated emotion..

Ozzie and Harriett meet Twisted Sister

A probing reflection of families evasion, denial, and coping mechanisms when the presence of a transgender child brings out 'issues.'

Excellent, though dated

Julie Ann Peters’s LUNA, published in 2004, was one of the first stories about a teenager transitioning.

Liam is transitioning from his birth gender to her desired identity as Luna. Only her younger sister Regan knows. Regan tells the story of her brother’s transformation, suicidal feelings, eagerness to live authentically, bullying and parental gender expectations. Regan risks everything to support her brother (she uses brother and sister/he and she, interchangeably depending on whether her sibling is dressed as a boy or girl).

As sympathetic as I was to Liam/Luna’s struggles, my heart went out to Regan. Her entire life revolved around supporting Liam, whether he woke her up in the middle of the night for fashion advice, protecting him from their father, concerns for his mental health, lying to friends and family. At times Regan realized her sacrifices, though Luna was in so much pain she put her own needs ahead of her sister’s every time.

Their parents her a hot mess, dysfunctional with a capital D. Their father pushed gender stereotypes onto Liam, their mother pretended everything was fine. Both parents threw passive aggressive barbs to each other.

Readers who only understand transgender rights and life from a 2018 perspective may see LUNA as very dated. Calling 15 years ago a period piece may seem premature, but those who remember 2004 know that gays weren’t allowed to serve openly in the US military (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell) and couldn’t marry. A few states had domestic partnership laws, but they were far from the norm. Transgender was about as foreign to most families as if a kid said he was actually a pilgrim from the 1600s who wanted to dress in pilgrim garb and spout puritanical beliefs. I’m not equating mental illness and transgender, just using a hyperbolic simile. At least in 2018, most people have heard of transgender and many teens have classmates who are gender nonconforming. They may enjoy a story that shows how far we’ve come in their life time while still knowing how far we still need to go.