Our children are your students : LGBTQ families speak out /

Goldstein (Univ. of Toronto, Canada) has written a must-read book that offers clear and powerful guidance for supporting LGBTQ students and families. The opening chapter offers a model for opening discussions around LGBTQ issues with preservice teachers who have yet to fully grasp what it means to be there for all their students. The book then takes readers directly into the script of a "verbatim play" that draws from interviews with 37 LGBTQ families. It gives voice to many issues that even the most compassionate readers will find eye-opening, topics they may never have thought of before. For example, scene 10 from the play Putting Lipstick on a Pig chastises schools for paying superficial lip service; other scenes examine ways in which teachers inadvertently exclude or embarrass students. Even the excellent 16-page "Unicorn Glossary," compiled by visual artist benjamin lee hicks, offers grist for conversations bound to arise from this outstanding book. It ought to be in the hands of teacher educators, preservice teachers, and professional development providers; it is that good. Summing Up: Essential. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals. --Howard M. Miller, Mercy College