For teens, for 20-sometings, and for oldsters?

Reflections of a Rock Lobster A Story about Growing Up Gay That's a good classic for teens.

For 20-somethings, any novels by is a good start.

For oldsters, Chaos A Novella and Stories is particularly recommended.

Another author who writes for the young adult genre is Alex Sanchez

One more would be James Earl Hardy, the author of the B-Boy Blues series.

When I became a high school librarian in 1987, I discovered the novels of young-adult author M. E. Kerr. As a gay man, I was impressed with the sensitivity with which she dealt with gay issues. She included gay teens, for whom their homosexuality was not a big issue to them or their friends, as incidental characters in some novels such as "I'll love You When You're more Like Me", and dealt with gay teens with AIDS in "Night Kites", one of the first novels of any genre to tackle this subject. Her novels are all terrifically readable for even younger teens. I would highly recommend them. As Amazon.com comments: "...while never ignoring how problematic life can be for gay youth, she envisions a world in which gay teens can be happy and secure."

A few wonderful gay books to start for young readers: "Maurice," by E. M. Forster, a still-startling book about a forbidden attraction that still holds its own; "The Front Runner," by Patricia Nell Warren, a book about a young runner and an older coach that has sold a million copies and means so much to generations of young gay readers; "The Man Without A Face," by Isabelle Holland, a YA book for everyone; "A Single Man," by Christopher Isherwood, Isherwood's ode to gay coupledom and L.A.; and "Serendipity," Peter Burton's collection of stories about the good fortunes of gay love.

Perry Brass, author of "Carnal Sacraments," "Warlock," and "How to Survive Your Own Gay Life." Maurice A NovelThe Front Runner A NovelThe Man Without a FaceA Single Man

Perry wrote: "A few wonderful gay books to start for young readers: "Maurice," by E. M. Forster, a still-startling book about a forbidden attraction that still holds its own;

Yes, Maurice is a great novel. I recently re-read that particular novel a few months ago and I still find it an excellent read. I've always enjoyed E.M. Forster's novels which provide some very interesting insights into the study of colonialism and its effects on the subculture(s) and the colonial (dominant) culture, i.e., the English empire-expanders.

Of course, how could I forget Christopher Rice


He's the son of the world famous vampire chronicler, Anne Rice. Let's not go into her recent fixation with Jesus. Oh golly.

Chris Rice write pop-lite novels, very easy for anyone to read in a day or two.

Doesn't sound like it from reading the abstract. Rambling Reader, how about a review of this quirky-sounding novel?

Nancy wrote: "Is A Density of Souls a good place to start?"

Yes, that can be a good start. Like I said earlier, all of Chris Rice's novels are very easy to read.

Ted wrote: "Doesn't sound like it from reading the abstract. Rambling Reader, how about a review of this quirky-sounding novel?"

Well, the review claims that this was a roman a clef. That would make sense as I remember wondering how can this writer put in a chockful of action and suspense. It's about a group of high school students being naughty and creating hijinks in New Orleans beneath moss-drenched oak trees. LOL

Well, I supppose that's better than beer-drenched oak trees lol! I'm putting it on my To-Read.. thanks.

Ted wrote: "Well, I supppose that's better than beer-drenched oak trees lol! I'm putting it on my To-Read.. thanks."

Hahaha! You and your puns!!!

I would like to recommend two books with similar themes:

Edinburgh by Alexander Chee


and Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim

If you want to read about being gay on a global scale, then check out:

Funny Boy


The Master

and as a primer to gay literature, check out:

The First Time I Met Frank O'Hara Reading Gay American Writers


and this one, although I did not agree with most of the author's assertions. The Gay Canon Great Books Every Gay Man Should Read by Robert Drake.

My first "gay" novel was The Boys on the Rock by John Fox. I laughed, I cried, I related. I was 17.

Thanks, Troy, looks good for YA. I put it on my to-read.

Ted wrote: "Thanks, Troy, looks good for YA. I put it on my to-read."

I guess it depends on the person and how young YA is. I think there was some profanity and coarse sexual language.

Well, to me, "YA" means about 16-22. "Gay youth" maybe 13-18.

Anyway, you liked it at 17, and it doesn't appear to have damaged you in any way, yes? LOL

No, apparently not. I loved it at the time.

After Googling various defintions of "YA literature," the one definition that makes the most sense to me is "literature in which there is an adolescent hero or protagonist."

The boundaries between children's, YA, and adult fiction is very loosley defined, some sources stating an age range of 10-20. Fiction for readers aged 10 to 12 is also referred to as "middle grade fiction" as oosed to "adolescent literature."

On the other hamd, some novels originally marketed to adults have been identified as being of interest and value to adolescents.

Seeing as the minimum Goodreads age is 13, I will try to see that our YA bookshelp constains titles appropraite for gay people ages 13-20.

Jeanette Winterson's "Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit" is an important book, and I would recommend anything by Armistead Maupin.

Rambling Reader, you make it sound as though Christopher Rice is on a par with Rob Byrnes' Straight Lies. While there is nothing wrong with Byrnes' work, it is light and cute, a take-it-along-to-the-beach type book, and that is not what Rice is doing at all.

I recommend two coming-of-age novels. For the first part of the demographic we've identified here (13-20), The World of Normal Boys by K.M. Soehnlein, and for the upper end of it Someone Bought the House on the Island by Ken Anderson.

Rambling Reader wrote: "Yes, that can be a good start. Like I said earlier, all of Chris Rice's novels are very easy to read."

They're easy to read, yes, but aren't they a bit too, hm, angsty as someone's first forays into gay novels? :p

They're easy to read, yes, but aren't they a bit too, hm, angsty as s..."</i>

Not for my tastes, but I'm rather fond of pathos.

Geography Club
Far from Xanadu
Sprout
Absolute Brightness
Boy Meets Boy
Freak Show

These are some novels for teens....

The Straight Road to Kylie

even this

You know, the more I think about this the more it bothers me. Christopher Rice's A Density of Souls is a finely crafted coming-of-age novel that deals with homophobia, madness, the mid-life crisis, class warfare, and religious fundamentalism. That it is a first novel only makes it that much more astounding.

Several of you have mentioned books which are listed in our gay-young-adult bookshelf; others of you have mentioned titles which probably should be there, so please add them.

I encourage you to point new readers to this resource. I also encourage you to write a review for titles you add.

From our group home page, click bookshelf (on the right), then gay-young-adult (on the left).

Nancy wrote: "You know, the more I think about this the more it bothers me. Christopher Rice's A Density of Souls is a finely crafted coming-of-age novel that deals with homophobia, madness, the mid-life crisis,..."

No, you're right, it's a great novel. I only wish he has a better proofreader/editor (I was an English major and I kept picking up tiny little errors).

For teens, I recommend Desert Sons. There's love, confusion, and more love. Lots of love! It really hit the spot when I was in high school, wondering how my life was going to be different.

Aside from Christopher Rice, I haven't found much to appeal to my 20-something sensibilities. I've been sticking to "alternative" literature in general, not gay literature. I'm more for stories with "gay" as a sidenote, not a plot-builder.

Annie on My Mind - for teens

For teen guys finding themselves, I'd recommend Edmund Wilson's "A Boy's Own Story."

Thanks, Tom, I agree.

Is Boy Culture too trashy to recommend for a first gay novel?

Also:
The Boys on the Rock
The World of Normal Boys
Getting Off Clean
Dream Boy A Novel
The Coming Storm

I also enjoyed and recommend A Density of Souls (mentioned above).

Depending on how much of Augusten Burroughs writing you believe to be true vs. fiction, Dry A Memoir is a heartbreaking story of love and loss.