Queer Books Across America: Incredible Lesbian and Bisexual Novels and Memoirs Set in Every State

Sara Quin's front-page endorsement of this novel -- she cried her eyes out, and was "so touched and amazed to read something that so closely echoed my own adolescence" -- is likely all you need to fall for the story of shy, nerdy Triinu Hoffman of rural Oregon, who in 1989 is finding herself (and her love for girls) while her town takes sides over equal rights.

--Auto Straddle

Washington State's Olympic Peninsula is what the short novels in the collection Three Sides Water have in common. It travels from a 1925-set harrowing, suspenseful tale of a woman's assault and its lifelong aftermath, to a 1970 coming-of-age tale set in the waning days of a juvenile detention center, to a present-day wry, comic look at one man's obsession with... wait for it: Bing Crosby.

In On Rialto Beach, Marguerite is half of an identical twin set who has entered show business via the flim-flam performances of her mystic act boss. While on vacation in his remote luxury camp, Marguerite experiences the delight of drawing in a treehouse and the company of visiting silent screen idol Harold Lloyd. But she is also brutally attacked by a hired man. The summer and its secrets haunt her.

In At Fort Worden, readers meet chronic delinquent Avery, who spends his last year as a ward of the state. He runs away from his detention center, experiences his first love with fellow inmate Brenda and friendship with a transgender teen. Through them he awakens to the tumultuous world at large.

Finally, Out of Shelton follows Chris, who has been brought up by his grandmother in the image of the singing star Bing Crosby, and finds his own identity submerging into Der Bingle's, warts and all. It proves promising for his entertainment career but wreaks havoc on his love and family life. The pull of place comes to his rescue, along with some dosing with Anafranil.

Though widely different in tone and genre, these three short novels unite in their compelling setting. Each shares the pull of place: this spectacular corner of the continent. A delightful tour de force. Highly recommended.

By Eileen Charbonneau for the Oregon Historical Society

--Oregon Historical Society "Three Sides Water "

Gr 10 Up--It's 1989, and the state of Oregon is attempting to pass legislation against gays, and Triinu Hoffman's high school principal makes no secret about how he feels on the issue. The teen knows she is a lesbian, understands that she might be up for a challenge. Classmate Pip Weston has bullied her for years, but she doesn't let that stop her from continuing to discover who she is. The principal does not make it easy for Triinu and neither do the girls she encounters in her quest for companionship. This is a true coming-of-age novel that is open and honest as relationships develop between Triinu and several love interests. High schools will not be able to keep this book on the shelves as it intertwines a variety of issues and challenges that teens endure. There are some sex scenes as the protagonist develops relationships with different young women and strong language that is organic to the situations in which they occur. Adult characters are real with strong opinions for and against the gay population; Triinu's parents are presented as a major part of her support system. A good discussion starter for mature teens.--Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI--School Library Journal

I absolutely loved this book. I cried my eyes out, so touched and amazed to read something that so closely echoed my own adolescence... The injustice and fear that homophobia unleashes on society's young people has twisted so many coming-out stories into ones of tragedy. I will cherish Forgive Me and its message of kindness and hope while cheering the trailblazers who came before me; in their simple acts of defiance and love, they have changed the world. - Sara Quin, of Tegan and Sara

Smartly set in a dangerous time, when the politicizing and normalizing of a virulent homophobia was gripping Oregon, a teen must find the audacity to simply be who she is. Stetz-Waters has drawn a genuine young heroine who reminds us, not without humor, that small acts of courage move the world forward. -Heather Lyn McDonald, director of the documentary film Ballot Measure 9

Take a deep breath. Step back twenty years to a virulent antigay political campaign, when being queer meant being branded a pariah and an abomination. Walk with Triinu, a shy and achingly honest girl who tries to navigate love and friendship, hold to her faith, and accept her draw to other young women. At the end of the road, you'll thank author Karelia Stetz-Waters for this bold and lucid story that is compelling, compassionate, and leavened with humor. Stetz-Waters dedicates her book to "queer kids everywhere," but you needn't be queer or a kid to appreciate Forgive Me If I've Told You This Before. - Ruth Tenzer Feldman, Oregon Book Award-winning author --このテキストは、paperback版に関連付けられています。

Karelia Stetz-Waters is the author of the novel The Admirer and the serial novel The Eastbank Killer; her work has also appeared in Calyx and First Time: An Anthology of Lost Virginity. She holds a master's degree in English from the University of Oregon and a bachelor's degree in Comparative Literature from Smith College. A member of Willamette Writers and the Gold Crown Literary Society, Karelia teaches technical writing and English composition at Linn-Benton Community College. She lives in Albany, Oregon, with her wife, Fay, their pug, Lord Byron, and their cat, Cyrus the Disembowler. Having grown up during the violent political debate surrounding Oregon's infamous anti-gay Ballot Measure 9, Karelia's first young adult novel, Forgive Me If I've Told You This Before, is loosely based on her own experiences of growing up gay in Oregon in the early nineties. --このテキストは、paperback版に関連付けられています。