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The Gay Teen Stories That Have Grabbed My Heart

All Here On Gary Lynn's Site 

Beyond The Rain
by Grasshopper
A Gay Teen Love Story - Overcoming The Barriers - A Short Novel ♂♂
This is the story of Billy Carmedy and Aaron Sorensen.  It’s tough enough to be a straight boy in a small town high school looking for the love of your life. But at least your possible loves are all out in the open. It’s much, much tougher when you’re a 17 year-old gay boy, part of only 10% or less of the school population and your possible loves are all in hiding, just as you are, due to the fear of being socially ostracized, laughed at, condemned and physically harassed by your peers. Add to this mix the complete rejection of Aaron by his parents due to religious bigotry when he trustingly came out to them and you have the challenging but beautiful story of how two personable and intelligent gay boys circuitously find each other and somehow survive.  If you're looking for descriptions of hot teen gay sex, this is not the story for you.  Click on the image or Chapter 1, to begin:  

Story Copyrighted by Grasshopper © All Rights Reserved.  Story reposted here with permission.  I am displaying the above image because it expresses the perfect tone for the positive end of this story, "Beyond The Rain".  The image is the copyrighted property of iomfats.org and it is being displayed with the site owner's permission. 

A Gay Teen Short Story ♂♂
Church is so confusing for Zack.  His new pastor preaches nothing but hate and condemnation of gays and lesbians, but no matter how carefully he reads his Bible, he can’t find where it says God hates him.  Will things change when Zach's boyfriend Billy suggests that they all go to his church instead?    Click Here or on the icon to read the story.

And Two Christmas Stories

A Gay Christmas Carol
by Bill W

 Based on an original story of the same name by Bill W; Copyright © 2000-2009 by BW, All Rights Reserved; used by permission; modeled after “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens
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Between Frost and Flames; Lil' Octopus; (The Shack Out Back's Summer Collection 2012); 15; Ethan, 15 and gay, has been raised in a difficult family and has been held in his aunt's Margaret suffocating iron grip for all of his life. He has been made to feel worthless and ashamed; with no freedom, only obedience. Yet this begins to change one day when he meets a boy named Jared at his high school who has drawn the meaningful letter 'C' on his right hand. Now Ethan has hope but his behavioral changes are seen as an act of defiance in his aunt's eyes until she catches Ethan and Jared kissing out back under the school's library windows. Then Ethan's life is unexpectedly transformed. Enjoy.

Out Of My League; Gee Whillickers (AwesomeDude); 15, 16;  After reading this story you'll understand the ins and outs of ice hockey and get a feel for why it's the national sport of Canada, for all ages, from 2 to 92.  You'll also understand why there are no gay ice hockey players there, oh wait . . . . . . . . maybe there are, and they're strapping teen boys secretly holding hands on the team bus.  Enjoy.  No sex. 

 'Say' Tetralogy: What Do I Say? by Graeme; Please Say Something! by Grasshopper; Did He Really Say That? by Aaron; Something My Son Said by Dewey - 17; In order for a gay boy to come out to his family and eventually introduce his boyfriend if he is so fortunate to find one,  he needs to say stuff.  Then the parents need to respond and say stuff too.  And sometimes no one knows exactly what to say even when the family is loving and accepting as these families turn out to be.  These stories from different angles about the same two "strong, masculine, normal boys", Will and Aaron, are touching and humorous because there are so few models to follow in the brave new world of increasing gay equality.  No sex.

Street Life; Graeme (DeweyWriter); 16; What made Craig try to kill himself?  What circumstances led him to believe that becoming an underage boy prostitute was the only way that he could survive?

The Bully (In 3 parts); Cole Parker (AwesomeDude); 13-14;  Life in The Hammil Academy - (A British Boarding School)-1970 - I recommend any and all of Cole Parker's Stories

The Meaning of Living; Dabeagle; 16/17; Everyone was doing it. Chris knew he should've gone home that night instead of going along with Bobby and the rest of the gang. But he didn't, and he got caught for vandalism - spray painting a elderly gay man's garage with unsightly drawings and homophobic taunts. By refusing to reveal the names of the other guilty teens who were with him at the time of the incident, Chris is sentenced to community service to help the older man, Mr. Grantham, with various jobs around the place until he agrees to come forward with the identity of the kids involved. As he is doing his work two important events happen: First, he meets and forms a solid friendship with the Grand Niece and Nephew of Mr. Grantham, Caitlynn and Evan. And secondly, Mr. Grantham slowly leads him to think about his actions, his thoughts and ideas about gay people, and eventually, the meaning of living. Caitlynn and Evan know about the vandalism, but not that Chris was involved. Though Chris is sexually attracted to Caitlynn, things get interesting when Chris discovers that Evan is gay. No sex.  Enjoy.  Review by Lil' Octopus, Oct. 2012.

You Are Not Alone; Dewey (DeweyWriter; 15; Mike had just come back from spending 3 weeks with his uncle. Before the trip he had been a normal happy fun loving teenager. But now after his return, he has become impossible; he doesn't want to be touched, he refuses to talk about his trip or what's bothering him, he is constantly taking showers, he puts on thin, fake smiles for everybody, he hardly eats anything at meal times, he loses his temper so easily, and now he has nightmares every night. Can his best friend Paul on a month long visit figure out what has happened to cause this drastic change and help bring his friend back to the great person he was before the trip?         

click on the image - source: milkboys.org

Longer and Very Long Stories:

Name; Author of Story (Website); Ages of Main Characters; Story Is About:
A Class by Himself; Comicality (Comicality's Shack Out Back - Gay Authors); 14-15; This is one of my favorite all time gay teen love stories and one of Comicality's best.  Derrick was recently forced to leave the comfort of his old school to attend a new prep school for gifted and mostly wealthy students on the other side of town because as Derrick put it, he was "so blasted smart." He may not have their money, or their possessions, but once he finds the love of a boy he meets on the long bus ride . . . he finds something much stronger. This is the story of Derrick and Tanner, two kids you're really going to like.  Sex is a feature of this story, but it is woven in beautifully and naturally. These are normal raging hormone teenage boys after all, ha-ha.

A Mourning Storm; Ronyx; (The Mustard Jar); 15-16; This is an awesome and captivating story that once I started it I couldn't stop until I'd finished the whole thing in one night.  Sometimes life isn’t fair. Fifteen year-old Richie Ferguson, who was named after his police homicide detective father Richard, has to learn this the hard way when his mother dies of cancer and he’s forced to live with this same father who left the family two years earlier for another woman.  And he hates this sperm donor with a passion because he thinks that when his mother needed her husband the most during her fight to stay alive, he stayed away and did nothing. And because of that Richie had to grow up way too soon and become the man of the family. It was he that had to bear the responsibility of his twelve year old sister Melinda and his eight year old brother Andrew both of whom he loves dearly.  And now he has to live with his father and his whore Linda and their two boys, Harley and Freddy who are about the same ages as Andrew and himself in the very same house he grew up in.  And Richie's gay even though he's seeing Becky as a cover.  Poor girl as she thinks that Richie is her boyfriend. And because of his fears of the consequences he can't bring himself to tell anyone about his gayness, even his best friend Gabe.   And so Richie’s life becomes a storm as he gets into a series of verbal and physical fights with his father and finally gets his wish to live with his Uncle Raymond and his Aunt Barbara.  And then he thinks that his step-brother Freddy has taken over his room now that he's not there so on one hand he wants to hate him but on the other hand he finds him really attractive.  And when he has to escape the volcano that is his life he meets Wade, a boy with a ton of problems who becomes his first boyfriend but then Wade gets himself and Richie into a horrific car accident that will forever change their lives.  So the question becomes will these tumultuous winds destroy him or will he find a calm sea in time to save his own life?  Yes, there is some intense unprotected sex for a short interval but that is definitely not the focus of this great tale.  Choose this story.  You won't regret it. 

A Pure and Honest Heart; Zambezi (iomfats); 13-14 & 17-18; A heart-warming coming-of-age story of seventeen-year-old poor Brad falling in love with thirteen-year-old wealthy Richie at an exclusive British Boarding School. But Brad has had a beautiful girlfriend Sarah like forever who he thinks he can't live without and this kid is so young. How can this be? Follow this story as Brad is starting the final Upper Sixth year as the leader of his House known for his intelligence and for always doing the right thing and then there's Richard who is just starting out as a new Third Former and recovering from his parents recent difficult divorce.

A Time; Mihangel Hwntw (iomfats); Tom=1 to 5 & Kim=5 to 9; Tom=13/14 & Kim=17/18;  This story takes place in part in a British boarding school and in the end involves two really likable teen boys who turn out to be serious boyfriends. Now you're probably thinking that you know what this story is all about, nonstop hot gay teen sex. No, actually there isn't any sex here for a couple of good reasons. Firstly we find out that Adrian (Kim) and Tom as little boys, were raised in brutal conditions as almost brothers in a World War II Japanese Internment Camp for civilian prisoners at Tai Po in the New Territories on the Chinese mainland (across from Hong Kong) from December 1941 to 1945. Thousands died of exposure, starvation and disease but somehow through heroic ingenuity and toughness, the boys and Tom's accepting parents made it out alive. So these kids weren't your typical suburban teens. Secondly the story deals with what it was like living in the early 1950's as gay teens in Great Britain where homosexuality was against the law in a serious way.

This is a gripping story that I read straight through in 6 hours which describes the horrific living conditions, torture, sickness, murder and rape that the Japanese soldiers inflicted on British and Australian troops and the captured civilians. If you don't like sad endings then don't start this story. But the beauty of this tale is seeing the depth of the love these two confident and talented boys have for each other in spite of super strict cultural conditions where it was virtually impossible to show their love for each other anywhere, except in the rare privacy of their homes. Because homosexuality was illegal in the British Isles in the 1950's, it was very questionable for two boys to even hug one another at a boarding school, let alone kiss or express their love physically in any other way in the dormitory.  Remember that homosexuality was officially recognized as a mental illness up to 1973 and that the school based Gay-Straight Alliance Network wasn't founded until 1998 in the USA.  This story reminds those who live in the West, just how far social acceptance and legal rights for gays and lesbians have come from those times when being an out of the closet gay meant you were either a social outcast or in jail. This is a truly riveting tale told by a very talented author. Enjoy.  (Review by Gary Lynn, Oct. 2012)

A Two Part Invention; Alan Dwight (Awesome Dude); 13 to 18; It isn't sufficient to have loving parents. If you are a freshly minted gay teenager coming to terms with your situation, then you need tolerant and understanding parents.  Peter's life is overshadowed by the literally unmentionable death of his older brother some seven years earlier. Not only is his mother still grieving to the exclusion of Peter and his physical needs but also to the exclusion of recognition of any successes he has achieved and of any problems he has in his life... and he has problems.

For a start he is somewhat slight of build and late into puberty.   In 1952 typical public schooling in America, neither characteristic is ideal. Besides having a life that revolves around his work at the library and singing in the Episcopal Cathedral Choir, he is also a somewhat gifted pianist. None of these interests can be expected to endear him to his classmates, not friends, he doesn't have any.

With the new school year comes Christian (never call me Chris) himself significantly different from other students in the school which you'll find out quickly once you get into Chapter 2. It takes a joint research project on whaling to bring them together and to break Christian out of his shell, They grow close and that's when tolerance and understanding are in short supply. They can share their music, but sharing more requires as much growth in their parents as it does in the two boys.

This is a well-crafted warm and gentle story with the detail in their lives that rounds them as characters and enough trials and vicissitudes to make you want to know how things turned out. It revolves around their lives and problems rather than sex, which lurks in the room but doesn't intrude.  And remember that all this happens in 1952, when homosexuality was illegal and barely talked about. 

Were boys ever this honest, trustworthy and with this much self-control?  Not in my experience, and I was one, but I'm glad that Alan Dwight has found two that are. They made me feel good, and I'm the better for having read it.  Some sex.  Review by Solsticeman.   (February, 2013) 

Brittle as a Bird; Ronyx; (The Mustard Jar); 11 to 18 plus; This is the story of hope even when all seems lost. This is not a pretty story. It's hard to read because of all the blackness in Joey Carpenter's life. It got so bad that Joey threw himself off a bridge in a spur of the moment decision to kill himself. But he somehow had enough will to live that he regretted doing it once he hit the water. A cop rescued him so he was given a second chance at life. But the why as in why did he do it and the charting of his slow and uneven road to recovery is what this story is all about.

His hellish nightmare of a life all started when his beloved Uncle Mike raped him when he was 11. His father then blamed both his uncle and Joey the victim when he caught them naked together. He then beat his son so badly that Joey begged him to just shoot him. And then slowly but surly his father, with his mother's quiet acquiescence removed his son from his own home and the family so that by the age of 16 Joey was living in the garage with no source of funds and with little or no contact with his parents. But then he even loses the garage and has nowhere to live but the street. This gay boy story will take you crisis by crisis down all the way to rock bottom where he has to rent his body, or at least his mouth, for sex on the street to earn any money to live on. And this includes the cheap wine and pot he buys which helps him forget that nobody cares whether he lives or dies.  Remember that he's too young and with no address he can't get a regular job.  He's an outcast at school where Gene Albright his main tormentor and everybody else knows what he does on the street to survive. But amazingly he does get good grades because he's smart and he's determined to show up his parents and school does relieve the boredom and empty spaces in his life.  However he finally  gets so depressed with his friendless and pointless existence that he even quits school.  He believes that everything he touches turns to manure.  Welcome to what rock bottom looks like.

He does truly feel completely friendless but in fact he has two unlikely but true friends, Ticker and Star who in the end are going to save his life. In fact his life was saved as a result of this conversation with Star:

Cameron; vlista (gayauthors); 16-17; Cameron is a sixteen year old with problems.  After his mother left, his father remarried and he values his new family much more than he does his son, to the point where Cameron is totally ignored.  If you couple that with Cameron's involvement in drink and pot then the fact that he is gay seems the least of his problems.  His one rock is Kyle who doesn't know that his best friend is gay.

What Cameron needs, even if he doesn't know it yet... is a boyfriend.  Cole would be perfect.  He met Cole while partying and Cole is gorgeous, smart and likes Cameron.  The problem is that Cameron was way too out of his mind to be able to remember them having met.  Cole is not impressed!

Things spiral downwards, a natural fate for drunk gay kids. When he hits bottom, help is waiting down there for him, but you don't mess with the Chief of Police when he is set on helping!

At a number of levels the story revolves around the difference between doing good and having good done to you. When the good being done to you is backed up by the giver's Constitutional freedom of bigoted religion it can be just a bit difficult to accept.  It's then that you need unquestioning support from a friend, a best-friend.  Oh Yes, and having someone else to worry about and look after helps too!

The ongoing plot can best be summed up in a line from Cameron's aunt: "Life sure likes to bite people in the ass sometimes."

You will have to read the twenty chapters for yourself to see how it all works out.  What I can assure you is that the story is well written with nicely rounded characters and enough twists and turns (and sexual passion) to keep you entertained and wanting to know what happens next.  Vlista and his site are a great find.  Some sex.  Review by Solsticeman. (May, 2013)

Caught in the Lower School Bogs; Solsticeman; Nifty; 13, 14; This is a well told and gentle story of 15 short chapters which features two 13 year old boys in Wales set during the post WWII 1950's. In those times the idea of two boys falling in love with each other and carrying on as boyfriends was unheard of and very dangerous unless one of them had a mother like Gray had. The story starts out as just another erotic Nifty story with lots of sex. But then these boys, Jeffrey and Graham realized that they wanted something much greater than sex from each other.  This story can be read in just 2 or 3 hours. I read it because of Queerschool's recommendation. (July 2012)

Dominoes; Cole Parker (Awesome Dude); 15; What if you were a very shy 15-year-old boy and a sophomore in high school and thought that you might be gay and then spilled all of your deepest darkest most embarrassing sexual secrets on the radio where many of your classmates were listening, and then your full name was accidentally mentioned? Would you be able to go back to that school? Would you want to even live another day?  What would you do?

Duck Duck Goose; Cole Parker (Awesome Dude); 14, 15 - 16, 17; Don't let the childish nature of the title scare you off. The title is just the name of the pre-teen game the physical education coaches at this Southern California high school sometimes had their charges play so that 13 to 17 year olds could do stuff together where something other than age would decide the competitiveness of the activity, where the bigger boys wouldn't always win or hurt the smaller ones. So this was the game being played one day which changed the lives of two of the boys in it forever - 16 year old Matt Tucker a junior with loving parents and 14 year old Kevin Ingram, a freshman with an abusive father and a passive mother. Matt breaks Kevin's wrist in this supposedly non-violent game and so this very complicated up and down relationship takes off between Matt who has a hard time understanding that he's gay and Kevin who knows he is.

Like all of Cole Parker's stories, this engrossing 34 chapter plus tale with a message is written so that you really care what happens to the kids in this gay high school love story, whether they're gay or straight. As the story winds down, we even get to see how their lives turn out as they get older. The beginning chapters of this story deal with the challenge any undersized freshman has to go through to survive in high school plus the extra weight of being the son of the head of the Physical Education Department in the same school. Musically gifted and freshman Matt doesn't handle his first year very well and pays a dear price by being beat up, laughed at and ultimately ostracized. But he makes a good decision to tough it out and survives to his junior and senior years with which this story centers on. But the point of this story is mainly about the series of choices Matt makes in his high school years that help him turn out to be the college student and man that he eventually becomes. Because Matt has a solid relationship with his mother who is a psychologist we are privy to the many conversations they have during this time which show his growth from being a friendless, immature and struggling freshman to a confident gay college freshman, at least after that Thanksgiving, ha-ha.  Matt's maturing process also shows how he develops deep friendships with two kids you will really grow to like, Becky and Timothy.

For the Love of Pete; Dewey (DeweyWriter); 12 to 17; This story is a classic. But I'll let you be the judge.  Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1:
"Pete, you said you loved me [Brian]. How do you love me? Like a friend or like a, um, like more than a friend."

He looked me in my eyes, piercing my soul. His gaze never wavered as he said "Bri, I love you. I wanted you to be more than a friend. I have for a long time. But then I realized what that meant. That was one reason I went out with Ashley. I didn't want to be gay." He broke eye contact, looking at his shoes. Another big sigh and a sniffle. "But I am gay and I can't change that. I know that you may hate me and never want to be around me again, but I have to tell you or I won't be able to live with myself. I want you to be my boyfriend. I want you to be with me." He kicked at the gravel we were sitting in, making rocks fly.

I couldn't believe my ears. He loved me. He loved ME! I never will understand why he chose me. As I sat there in silence, I studied his form. His hair was wild right now from his crying, and his eyes were puffy. His beautiful face, flushed and tear streaked, was lined with worry. I stared at him for what seemed to be a long time. He started to shift uncomfortably under my gaze. I thought he was going to get up and go, but I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. He looked up at me, fear of rejection in his eyes.

"Pete, I don't want to be gay either." Several emotions passed his face at once. Fear, disbelief, relief, joy, love, all within milliseconds of one another. I turned toward him and leaned in closer. "I have loved you since I met you, but I was too stupid to know it. And if I have to be gay to be with you," I said with conviction, "so be it." I moved closer to him and put my lips on his. His initial reaction was to back away, but when he realized what was actually happening, He leaned into me and we kissed for the first time. It was a gentle kiss, full of love and confirming what we both felt for each other. It lasted for eternity and ended all too soon.  Copyright ©2004 by Dewey
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Did that catch your interest? I hope so. This is a beautiful but challenging long running gay junior and senior high school love story between Brian and Pete.  They face an enormous pile of difficulties including Pete's homophobic and physically abusive parents and a long distance move. Follow this page-turner of a story as these boys try to figure out life, deal with intense emotions and are forced to make adult level decisions long before they are adults. This story continues with, "Brian and Pete", "Brian's Destruction", and finally with "The Power Within."  And with all the problems that Brian and Pete have to deal with, they decide to forgo the sex for awhile so that they can grow up a bit physically and emotionally and really get to know each other first.  They want to be together for the long haul.

From the Heart; Codey; (Codey's World); Jeremy (10 - 18), Tony (8-16);  Once upon a time there were two inseparable neighbor boys who spent their young lives together doing all the things that boys do growing up which included building a tree house and getting into the usual harmless trouble. These two boys, one gay, one straight, truly loved each other as if they were blood brothers. Hey, they even had a little ceremony which literally had them mixing their blood together. Then one day in their teens a doctor's painful pronouncement changed everything for them but not the love they had for each other; it just refocused and strengthened it.

I have never, ever read a story in my life that moved me more emotionally, that embraced my heart and would not let it go as this one did - and this just started to build up right from the opening sentence to the closing period. This story is incredible as it shows us what deep and loyal brotherly love really looks and feels like. I was emotionally drained after reading it. And it is really awe-inspiring to realize that a very sick 16 year old boy named Codey wrote it. He died when he was 17 in 2007 from the long-term effects of a horrific car accident that happened when he was almost 12 - his mother, father and younger brother were killed in the accident caused by a drunken trucker.  He was in a coma for 47 days and was not expected to live until his 18 birthday which unfortunately turned out to be true. So as I read the story I could see how Codey put all of his heart and soul into this short novel. It has been revealed that this story was a very personal statement from Codey to his friend Tim that all would be OK after he was gone. So there were several places that I had tears running down my face as I read it.  I just identified with both of the main characters, Tony and Jeremy so much, especially Tony because of the deep love and friendship he had for Jeremy and what he was willing to do for his seriously ill friend.  Click Here to go to Codey's Website that is still maintained to this day as a memorial by his many friends.

Heart of The Tree; Graeme; (Awesome Dude); 18-21; The Tree, a Moreton Bay Fig Tree, was old. It had watched over many generations of local inhabitants. Settlers moving west from Sydney, Australia, recognizing that the area was suitable for farming, had formed the small township of Mourton around The Tree. Even then, the residents recognized something special in The Tree and preserved the land around it as a park. The children enjoyed clambering through the gnarled roots, up between the multiple, twisted trunks, and along the huge, curving branches.

Young lovers enjoyed the cool shade the spreading canopy provided. Many a tryst took place under the protection of The Tree. Slowly, a legend grew. Vows of love taken within the cover of The Tree were true and binding. The Tree was given the appellation “The Lovers’ Tree”, though most locals would shorten that to “The Tree”. Many a wedding was held under those leaves, and the district enjoyed the lowest divorce rate in the country.

The townsfolk loved their tree and protected it to the best of their ability. Three times, though, that protection wasn’t enough. Three times, The Tree started to die. Three times, a young maiden, despairing of ever finding love and considering suicide, found her beau in a stranger to the town. Three times, a wedding was held under the canopy of the dying Tree. Three times, The Tree recovered. Three times, a young maiden was given the sobriquet of "Heart of The Tree." The last time had been just after World War II. Since then, The Tree had faithfully cared for the children, protected the young lovers, and comforted the older couples.

One night in late November, a drifter came into town. Filled with a sickness in his heart, he lay down beneath the tree and fell asleep. He never woke up. The sickness in his heart, though, spread to the tree. The fourth time had arrived. But this time The Heart of The Tree turned out to be someone nobody ever expected. It was a he and not a she, he was gay - and the fun and complications begin. This is a story that I highly recommend.

Hiraeth; Huw Jones (AwesomeDude); 14-16; Set in the late 1960s in South Wales, United Kingdom, Huw Jones, a lad at the tender age of 14, has had a childhood strife with traumatic experiences of pain and loss.  At 11 years old he experiences an incident of unwanted sexual contact by an older boy.  At the age of 12, Huw's father - a guide, mentor, and friend - was taken away from him and his family in a tragic workplace accident at the coal mine, leaving behind only fond memories of the times they were together. After his father's death, Huw's childhood ceased to continue and he began developing a burdensome sense of responsibility to his family, and the familial conflict between his mother and his loving paternal grandparents results in an estranged relationship.

However, Huw's story  really begins with the Aberfan tragedy of 1966, where a massive landslide of colliery mine waste swept down the mountainside and into the village, taking with it 144 lives. Among them were his beloved younger brother and sister during their day at school. Rife with grief and loss, his mother's sanity slowly slips away to the point where he can no longer take care of her.  Because he has no other known relatives, Huw is forced to leave his institutionalized mother and his home in Aberfan when he is placed in the care of religious, dictatorial, and heartless foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Salisbury.  One good result of this placement is the friendship he makes with his foster brother, a kind-hearted boy his age named Tomos.  Huw  also finds solace in the opportunities he has to stay with his school friend Lewis.  When Mr. Salisbury violently beats Huw and Tomos in what he wrongly perceives to be a display of homosexuality, Huw escapes, resolving to end his despair, grief, loss, and pain by jumping into a weir. He is saved, but soon after moves far away to live with an aunt who he has never met, effectively ending his connection to the two boys, Tomas and Lewis.

Huw's journey, however, is far from over as his second chance at life comes from that timely rescue from death. Driven by hiraeth - a Welsh term with an approximate English definition of a nostalgic, wistful, and steadfast longing to return to his homeland of Wales - and afflicted with the burden of a gaping sense of loss, Huw plows onward along a bleak journey to fill in that void, all the while in search of love, family, joy, and identity.  Read this beautiful story to find out if he is successful.   P. S. He is.  There's some implied sex, but just no details, ha-ha.   Review by Lil' Octopus,  Feb. 2013

Joel; Ted Louis (Ted Louis); 12 - 18; Physically and sexually abused by his father, then locked in a garden shed without food, Joel spends the night digging his way out through the hard dirt floor with only his hands and a sharp stick. As he reenters the house, he is confronted by the sight of his abuser shooting and killing his mother. After being threatened by his father, the traumatized boy flees the house and wanders in a daze. Crane Johnson, a wealthy twenty-nine year old bachelor, volunteers time coaching with a policeman friend in the policemen's baseball league for teenage boys. At the completion of one of the team's games, he discovers a lone boy about twelve years old sitting in the bleachers. The boy, dirty, disheveled and unable to speak, appears to be traumatized and can't or won't reveal who he is or where he lives. The boy attaches himself to Crane.  Later Crane discovers that the boy, now known as Joel, has three brothers who were found by police abandoned and locked in a closet of their home.  Set in the beautiful and peaceful South Texas hill country, Crane uses his wealth to fight official corruption and prejudice to keep Joel (who turns out to be gay) and his brothers. The only down side to this story is that it is a little slow in its development.

Middle School; Cole Parker (AwesomeDude); 13; How can Marc tell his best friend that he's in love with him when he's sure that he's straight? And then how does he get up the courage to say, "Mom, Dad, I think I’m gay.”

But really the focus of the story is what was going on in the relationship, deeply and beautifully detailed, between 11-year-old Sacha (5th Form) and 12-year-old Pip (6th form), part of which concerned the very innocent, subtle and furtive physical dimensions of the relationship. There is no sex in the story, but there doesn’t have to be since the story is about the intense relationship. And this is why this very British English story is so attractive and impressive as an easy to read analysis by the author into the intimate details and complications in the boys' relationship and all the misunderstandings mostly due to their young ages and backgrounds.  The whole aspect of being attracted to someone of the same sex and what to do about it, if anything, at that age in a repressive environment is seriously and thoughtfully looked into. Remember that homosexuality was erroneously thought to be a mental illness and a depravity, and homosexual sex or sodomy was against the law in those times, most everywhere.

The Girl For Me; Failte200 (iomfats); 16, 17, 18; Kevin is the girl-chasing senior varsity fullback with only barely passing grades while Daniel is a junior Advanced Placement brainiac kid who is also the back-up quarterback on the same high school varsity football team in New Hampshire.  Kevin is attracted to a beautiful girl he sees at a party in a mini-skirt... called Dani... with an i.  And wow, those legs!  But then he is shocked to realise that it is actually his fellow teammate in drag.  But that doesn't make Dani any less attractive for some strange and troubling reason.  But Kevin is smart enough to recognize the perfect blackmail situation which could help get his grades up.  So Daniel or Dani becomes Kevin's unwilling tutor and his grades in fact improve.  But then the plot really gets interesting since Kevin continues to be attracted to her or him and is mystified because he's not gay.  Or is he?  Wait until you meet Kevin's wealthy but likable uncle, the man who has Kevin's future in his hands. 

Their school is tolerant, the teachers more or less so, but the headmaster is a Neanderthal. There is plenty of scope for crisis and misunderstanding and Failte handles the plot beautifully. Well written, carefully plotted and with rounded characters that you will empathise with, I heartily recommend this 17 Chapter novella. In fact if you, your brother, son or friend have questions about the differences between gay, transgender and the whole deal about cross-dressing then I think you definitely should read this story... or give it to your mum or mom to read!   Every now and then a feel-good story comes along that makes me, well yes, feel good.  This is one.   Some sex.  This story was originally posted at Fiction Press.  Review by Solsticeman and Gary Lynn.   (April, 2013)

The Secret Life of Billy Chase;  Comicality (Comicality's Shack Out Back - Gay Authors); 14 & 15; Here you will find the very private diary of Billy Chase, a young gay teen who gets into a lot of adventures and misadventures trying to figure out how to find love at his high school (or the mall, ha-ha) and still stay mostly closeted.  Billy learns through trial and error and most often the latter.  You see through Billy's eyes how his life plays out day after day through all his ups and downs.  You'll even see how Billy makes his decisions to have sex, which usually don't turn out too well, especially when his boyfriend finds out, ha-ha.  But he suffers the consequences and he learns.  This must be one of Comicality's favorite personalities as the entries keep coming which to date total more than 336.  Don't count on this story ending any time soon.  It's a great read.

Unfinished Symphony; Alan Dwight (Awesome Dude); 14-15; Richard is seven when he loses his father to a drug dealing charge and a prison shiv.  He loses his mother to a drug overdose when he is 9. With a three year older brother Tim and their baby brother Joey, he is adopted by his poor and elderly grandmother. He is 14 when the story proper starts. The family is poor and he needs to earn money.  He is hired to do the gardening for an elderly gay couple, and his life changes when he meets Mark the 14 year old son of their wealthy neighbours.  Mark has liberated parents and a pool and one thing leads to another as they do.  That is, until love intrudes to turn it into a gentle tale of love between our hard-done-by hero and his more fortunate mate who has an unending stock of dirty jokes.  Life could hardly get any better. But. . . Mark has a journey to take and this time Richard cannot go with him.  An urgency develops, a need to fit everything in.

This need to fit everything in during their last summer results in the author calling a spade a spade and the frequent use of the f-word grates a little while underlining the urgency of their situation.  Well perhaps in their situation you too would swear occasionally.  This is a beautifully told tale of love found and lost. The sex is gentle, the love genuine.  Review by Solsticeman.   (March, 2013)

W. A. R.; Jeff Wilson (Nifty); 13 - 21; I was very impressed with the depth and character development of this engrossing tale. The story is told from the point of view of the main character, Billy Roberts or William Aaron Roberts (W. A. R.). His story is filled with high and low moments as Billy has to confront so many crises from the age of 13 to 21, many of which are the result of the fact that he is gay as he eventually figures out. The first part of the story deals with how Billy is very much involved with the care of his grandmother who has suffered from a stroke and requires constant care by his mother who had to leave her nursing job. It also deals with the stress that a family feels when it has to take care of a stroke victim and then her sudden death.  But along the way, Billy's feelings toward his best friend Brett are bubbling just beneath the surface. At this young age, those feelings can be confusing. Hormones are running rampant, emotions are always on edge and there is nothing more important in the world than . . . your best friend.  Oh and yes, Billy, though very smart, has a rather short temper - which gets him in a lot of trouble. Good thing he's good at apologizing, ha-ha.  Parts 2, 3, 4, 5 and the final part 6 deal with a whole lot more . . . how do you handle sexual abuse? How do you handle the fact that your two best friends hate each other? How do you handle the fact that your mother has suddenly become a homophobic Methodist? How do you deal with the death of your father? There's a whole lot more to this story than first meets the eye. So read and enjoy the ride.  Jeff handles some really sticky situations rather well. Yes, there is sex in this story, but I believe it is a minor, but integral and an appropriate part of the story.  Parts of this review are based on a review by Tarheel Writer.  Turns out that we both liked this story a lot, so why reinvent the wheel, so to speak.

Wandervogel; Solsticeman (Awesome Dude); Paul=15-17, Hans=7-18; New - Paul admired everything about his father, Hans Kersten - a caring, kindhearted, and heroic man who gave him the appreciation and fascination of science and the natural world; a man who loved, accepted, and understood his son for being gay. Hans Kersten was a doctor - a thoracic surgeon - someone who could save people's lives. His own life, however, could not be saved in time during a family vacation when he suffered a heart attack.

Paul's world crashed and his mother grieved. Over time Paul began to heal and move forward. He then finds love with his classmate Ben, who had recently lost his mother and now lives alone with his father, Solomon Weinstein, a Holocaust survivor. Ben knows little about his family history and is eager to discover more about it. At the same time, Paul too is motivated and determined to discover his own family history, in particular, that of his father's. His father was a hero, doctor, and friend. But when Paul discovers an old Jugend Hitler Youth uniform, several passbooks dated during World War II with references to the Reichsfuhrer-SS, an Iron Cross, and a military passbook with the title SS-Sturmbannfuhrer Hans Kersten within his father's old belongings, indicating that his father at the age of 16 was a German Major, a shroud of frightening mysteries drives Paul to 'Wandervogel', to discover exactly who his father was and to reconcile the man he knew to be his father and the man he fears his father may have been.

This fine piece of historical fiction weaves between Paul's adventures in London 1987 and of Hans in Germany 1929-1945 during the rise of Nazism. In Solsticeman's own words, "This story attempts to explore the conflict between patriotism and disapproval of brutality... between love of country and love of family and friends... between hate of the enemy and the desire for war to be over." The relationship between Paul and Ben in the light of Judaism is encouraging, touching upon the Rabbi Simchah Roth's responsum and addendum on homosexuality, "Dear David" in relation to Torah inspired prohibitions.

Join Paul in his quest of discovery and Hans on his journey through an age of power, survival, horror, love, hope, and heroism - a bleak yet touching and uplifting story skillfully crafted from both fact and fiction; science and art.

Note: Wandervogel: "A name adopted by German youth groups from 1896 and onward. It can be translated as rambling, hiking, or a wandering bird. The ethos is to shake off the restrictions of society and get back to nature and freedom."   Little sex.  Review by Lil' Octopus, May 2013

We're Working On It; Richard Norway  (AwesomeDude); 15;  Cory is a 15 year old boy who was physically abused over 3 years by his father, then thrown out of his home when the father finds out that he's gay.  Cory winds up walking in the rain along a busy highway thumbing a ride to his aunt's home in Florida. Richard is a 50 year old widower who wonders what his unmotivated life is about these days.  On his way home from work at the successful business he owns one day, he spots the boy and by the way his shoulders were drooped, his head bowed, Richard sensed that the boy’s pain might just be greater than his own that night.  But Richard had a policy to never pick up hitchhikers.  But he did this night and both their lives turned out to be much better because of this spur of the moment decision.  This is a beautifully written story filled with so many heartfelt moments and expressed feelings that grab your very heart and soul.  Cory is a thoughtful and kind boy who you will find yourself identifying with.  At the end, Cory's best friend Matt is murdered at his high school because he was gay.  I think it will be a long time before you forget what Cory says at the Memorial for his friend at his packed high school auditorium.  It's only 17 chapters but it packs an emotional wallop.  
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Great Books for Gay Young Adults From Age 12 on Up

Absolutely, Positively Not . . . by David Larochelle - Age 16 - Grade A+ - Click Here to read the customer reviews at Amazon

I'll Get There. It Better Be Worth The Trip by John Donovan - Age 13 - Grade A+ - Click Here to read the customer reviews at Amazon (1)

Thinking Straight by Robin Reardon - Age 16 - Grade A+ - Click Here to read the customer reviews at Amazon

The God Box by Alex Sanchez - Age 17/18  - Grade A  - Click Here to read the customer reviews at Amazon

David Inside Out by Lee Bantle - Age 16 - Grade B+ - Click Here to read the customer reviews at Amazon

The Misfits by James Howe - Age 12 - Grade B+ - Click Here to read the customer reviews at Amazon. 

(1) Published in 1969, this beautiful work has the distinction of being the first young adult novel to deal with teen homosexuality.

Note: If I don't like a book, I just don't list it above.  Throwing bombs at authors is not my style.  

If you would like to communicate with me, my e-mail address is: guery1940-arrowhead@yahoo.com 

Click Here for Part 2, "Homosexuality is Neither a Choice Nor a Sin - Table of Contents"

Click Here for Accepting Gay Identity, and Gaining Strength