Title

Conceptions Of Sexuality And Coming Out In Three Young Adult Novels: A Review Of Hero, Sprout, And In Mike We Trust

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-1-2013

Publication Title

Journal Of Lgbt Youth

Department

Education

Abstract

Reviews the books, Hero by Moore (2007), Sprout by Peck (2009) & In Mike We Trust by Ryan (2009). Three award-winning young adult novels with gay protagonists, Hero, Sprout, and In Mike We Trust, are examined to understand how the books portray sexuality and coming out. All three novels treat (homo)sexuality as natural and self-evident—the protagonists struggle with whom to tell about their sexual orientation and with the discomfort of others, but they do not struggle with whether or not they are gay. Such representations of sexuality construct sexuality as a binary—people are either gay or straight—and the idea that gay men are usually White is reinforced with the absence of gay men of color in any of the books. The difficulties of coming out are treated with sophistication as the protagonists face the complexities of sharing intimate information in an often-hostile society.

Volume

10

Issue

3

pp.

249-255

ISSN

1936-1653

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