Not the Only One by Tony Grima

Not the Only One

Lesbian and Gay Fiction for Teens

Tony Grima

Gr. 10^-12. The quality of writing here can’t match what’s found in Bauer’s Am I Blue? . None of these stories takes your breath away like James Giblin’s ‘Three Mondays in July’ or makes you laugh and think at the same time like Bruce Coville’s campy ‘Am I Blue?’ Still, there’s something to be said for the ordinariness of the 21 pieces Grima has gathered in this roundup: most have the feel of real life, with few loud and message-laden declarations to get in the way. A couple of the stories stand out–Lesle{‚}a Newman’s ‘Less Ugly,’ for one. It’s an energetic tale about a girl’s summertime crush. Laurel Winter’s ‘Somebody’s Boyfriend’ and Emily Ormand’s ‘Seeing Ellie’ are sweet, almost complementary romances–boy finds boy; girl finds girl. There are also some darker tales, a few with rough language and a few that are sexually explicit: in Raymond Luczak’s ‘Ugly,’ a disabled boy has conflicting feelings about a classmate who uses power and insult to try to initiate sex; in Gysbert Menninga’s ‘Visitation,’ a boy who is ostracized and humiliated becomes depressed and suicidal. Some stories show teens quietly adjusting to their sexual orientation; others show their inner struggle over whether to keep their homosexuality a secret. A mixed bag, to be sure, but that’s certainly a large part of this book’s merit. Stephanie Zvirin

Product Description

Capturing the fears and joys of teenagers confronting gay and lesbian issues, a collection includes stories of about young man coming out to his best friend, Sara, and a young woman learning her father is gay. Original. IP.

—

Contents

The wildest heart / Malka Drucker — Somebody’s boyfriend / Laurel Winter — The spelling lesson / Liam Brosnahan — Less ugly / Leslea Newman — About Zan / Jenny Pausacker — New year’s eve / Elizabeth Wein — The visitation / Gysbert Menninga — Her sister’s wedding / Judith Stelboum — Happy birthday / Nan Prener — A different teacher / Elisabeth Wathen — Pas de deux / JoAnn Bren Guernsey — Screaming / Muzette Musil — Interlude / Dori H. Butler — It feels great / Pam McArthur — Chinese arithmetic / Arthur Johnson — Ugly / Raymond Luczak — Seeing Elllie / Emily Ormand — Crossing lines / Judd Powell — Loving Bobby / Bill Huebsch — Rain / Christina Chiu — New York in June / Brian Sloan.

Check for it on:

• Amazon
• Goodreads
• Google Books

Details