Stark McClellan (aka Stick) and his older brother Bosten are just your average teen guys in so many ways. They’re obsessed with jacking off, smoking pot, blowing things up, and getting into all kinds of shenanigans. But there are some things about the brothers that keep them from ever fitting in. Stick is extremely tall [...]

Tags: brothers, child abuse, family problems, homosexuality
Filed under: Book Review

Pearl (aka Bean) and Henry are the best of friends. Having grown up as social outcasts in a small town, they have only each other to turn to when times get tough. For Bean and Henry, times are pretty much always tough. As the children of eccentric single mothers, life is often messy and complicated. [...]

Tags: coming of age, death, family problems, friendship, homosexuality, mothers and daughters, secrets, small town
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Lauren Myracle’s Shine is a departure from much of her other writing. Starting off with a news article about a hate crime in which a gay teen is beaten, tied up, and left with a gas hose shoved down his throat, this book wastes no time in getting to the heart of matters.While the teen [...]

Tags: coming of age, drugs, friendship, hate crime, homosexuality, mystery, social classes
Filed under: Book Review

This review was written by Isaiah Vianese. Isaiah is a poet and writing instructor in New York. You can read his blog and some of his poetry here. Between Mom and Jo by Julie Ann Peters is one of those heart-wrenching books that it is difficult to convince your friends to read; this is to [...]

Tags: depression, divorce, family problems, homosexuality
Filed under: Book Review

This review was written by Isaiah Vianese. Isaiah is a poet and writing instructor in New York. You can read his blog and some of his poetry here. Martin Wilson’s What They Always Tell Us takes its cue from John Donovan’s I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip. Like Donovan, Wilson does not [...]

Tags: family life, homosexuality
Filed under: Book Review