What does diversity mean? Starting with her personal definition of this concept, in the video Line Baugstø answers young readers’ questions.
In her book Dobbiamo essere leoni, translated by Sara Culeddu, this formidable author conveys a message of equality and respect that instils courage in the many young people who often feel alone and misunderstood.
In a society like ours, it is not easy to be a trans teenager. The very person who inspired the novel, Line tells us, has faced difficulties, but her wish is that society will start to consider being trans as something normal. In order to achieve this, one could start in schools, as Line did in Norway, where she met with many classes talking mainly about gender identity.
Often teachers are not prepared to talk about these topics and that is why it is important that authors like Line can enter schools and stimulate reflection on LGBT issues from a new point of view.
The children, Line tells us, often turn out to be curious and very empathetic towards the novel’s protagonist, Leona. Finally, the author explains where the choice of this name comes from for the book’s protagonist, who combines strength and shyness.

THE BOOK

There’s a new girl in class! Malin is excited: Leona could become her new best friend and help her stand up to Sarah and her wicked classmates. But the new girl is extremely shy and reserved: she speaks little about herself, doesn’t post pictures on social media, keeps to herself, doesn’t explain why her family moved away. The more Malin tries to get to know her, the more obvious it becomes that Leona has a secret to hide. And the secret is unveiled in the most brutal way: in the gym locker room Sarah rips the strange sheet she uses to change out of her. With this lightning-fast gesture, an inconvenient truth is revealed to everyone and the balance of the class is upset. But thanks to the courage of a few, things will begin to change and diversity will no longer be something to hide.

The theme of gender identity told by the teens, FOR the teens

WHERE CAN I BUY THE BOOK?

Click here to buy the book. Don’t forget that there is also a digital edition!