The Evolution of Ethan Poe
Against his intentions, Ethan Poe, 16 and gay, lands in the center of a crisis in his rural New England town when long-time neighbors and residents enter a pitched and violent battle with each other over whether to allow Intelligent Design to be taught in public school science classes. Seeking elusive balance, Ethan finds his way through a maze of lost friends, new love, and the mysteries of tattoos and power animals, with help from quarters where he never expected to find it. And he gains something better than balance.
AWAKE / A Line In The Sand
What could have been just another summer vacation on Hilton Head Island for 15-year-old, out-and-proud Dustin Hamilton takes turn after turn as his infatuation for the exotic Randy Aziz spins him in different directions. Dustin's clear but unspoken challenge to Randy, "Come out of the closet for me, just for a week," receives first a tentative and then a joyful "Yes!" from Randy.
The boys spend days, and a very special evening, on the beach together, learning that their lives are similar in some surprising ways. But coming out takes Randy in a direction neither boy predicted. It's a summer the boys—and their families—will never forget.
A Question of Manhood
Sixteen-year-old Paul Landon adores his older brother Chris, a decorated hero who dies in Vietnam after a brief leave at home when he burdens Paul with a heavy secret: Chris is gay.
Tortured by grief and guilt, haunted by terrible knowledge he can’t share, Paul changes from a kid who’s no angel but not bad, to a boy whose parents fear the worst. But that summer he meets another boy: JJ O’Neil, a gay high school grad heading to Cornell in the fall, who teaches Paul not only how to be a leader to misbehaving dogs, but also how to stand up for himself, even when it means standing against his father, his friends, and his own fears. Through JJ, Paul finally begins to understand who his brother really was and to find a way toward becoming the man he wants to be.
Thinking Straight
If only Taylor Adams had kept on lying to his parents, none of this would have happened. He wouldn’t have been shipped off to Straight to God, an institution devoted to “deprogramming” troubled teenagers and ridding them of their vices—whether those vices are drugs, violence, or—in Taylor’s case—other boys.
This is a story of accidental heroism, of loyalty, and of faith—and, if Taylor has his way, of seeds of understanding falling on fertile ground.
A Secret Edge
In many ways, Jason Peele is like any other teenager. He hits the books, hangs with his friends, flirts with girls, and omits the full truth of his life from his Aunt Audrey and Uncle Steve, who've raised him since his parents died. But there's one way that Jason is very different: when he dreams at night, it isn't about girls; it's about David Bowie. At sixteen years old, Jason is just beginning to understand that he might be gay.
A Secret Edge is a sexy, sensitive coming-of-age novel about identity and courage, love and honor, anger and hope, and the many ways the truth can set you free.