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Face Your Fears
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Face Your Fears is filled with vitality as it challenges the traditional concepts of normalcy, family, disability and love. Nate is a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy raised in a family of achievers. He must be fed, dressed and toileted, yet has unique skills and abilities he gradually becomes aware of. Jude is able-bodied, one of 10 children raised on a hardscrabble Iowa
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Kindle Edition, 323 pages
Published
July 14th 2018
by Rogue Phoenix Press
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This is one of those books that I think all people should read to become more compassionate and open minded to all the “different” people you may encounter in your life. Bill Mathis does a wonderful job of telling you the story of some “different” people with a funny, thoughtful, lovely story of two boys who turn into men and their story and all those who impact it. This book is delightful and worth the read.
An interesting read about the life of a handicapped individual and another man. Both discover their sexual preferences and their life journeys connect in interesting ways. This book really gives insight into the challenges handicapped individuals face daily.
3.0 of 5 - Valuable POV of Disabled Gay, Standard Growing Up to NA Tale.
I appreciated the perspective this gave on the experiences of a gay disabled boy growing up to a young man, and the alternative perspective of an able-bodied gay in the developing relationship. Just in that it makes for a good YA novel. Beyond that, I enjoyed the mostly YA to NA story, even if in my eyes it was not anything special.
As I was reading, I could could feel that Bill Mathis understood and had real life experiences ...more
I appreciated the perspective this gave on the experiences of a gay disabled boy growing up to a young man, and the alternative perspective of an able-bodied gay in the developing relationship. Just in that it makes for a good YA novel. Beyond that, I enjoyed the mostly YA to NA story, even if in my eyes it was not anything special.
As I was reading, I could could feel that Bill Mathis understood and had real life experiences ...more
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.75 stars
The first chapters of this book are written from the point of view of two eight-year olds; first Nate and then Jude. As children, neither of them are aware of the subtleties of their lives. Nate’s mother is desperate to find an answer, a cure for her son. She takes him to a faith healer in the hopes of something miraculous happening that will make her son “normal.” Jude is playing a game of football with his family and doesn’t know why his father treats him diffe ...more
3.75 stars
The first chapters of this book are written from the point of view of two eight-year olds; first Nate and then Jude. As children, neither of them are aware of the subtleties of their lives. Nate’s mother is desperate to find an answer, a cure for her son. She takes him to a faith healer in the hopes of something miraculous happening that will make her son “normal.” Jude is playing a game of football with his family and doesn’t know why his father treats him diffe ...more
A wonderful telling of two young men finding each other, falling in love, and building a future together. Rich in details, I gained a deeper appreciation of the challenges a person with severe disabilities faces. How do you become an independent person when you depend on others to assist you with your most basic needs? This is not the correct question. It is a question an able-bodied person can easily ask. A better question is how can Nate, a kid with CP growing into manhood, become the best tha
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This novel grew out of one story, a severely handicapped kid kicking a urinal down rows of seats at White Sox Stadium. Bill Mathis was not only a witness, but he was the chief chaperone for the group of handicapped youth he brought to the game.
Bill told the story to all of us at Stateline Night Writers, and we laughed. And then we saw over the next months how he worked that story of Nate and a second character he created—Jude—into a gay romance story that was alternately devastating and celebrat ...more
Bill told the story to all of us at Stateline Night Writers, and we laughed. And then we saw over the next months how he worked that story of Nate and a second character he created—Jude—into a gay romance story that was alternately devastating and celebrat ...more
Full review forthcoming in The Rockford Review.
This is a most entertaining and informative read. I think everyone should read it. Bill Mathis provides a great deal of insight into the lives of people living with, and coming to grips with handicaps; as well as with differing sexuality. The reader is led to understand that these are simply people...with pretty much the same desires and goals as all of us! Once the reader is past the obvious...we’re all just people trying to make our way in the world of push and shove!!
Face Your Fears is well ...more
Face Your Fears is well ...more
Great coming of age novel. Engaged me with real issues and real characters.
Loved this book! Excellent story about finding yourself and taking a chance!
Well written and very interesting to read. A coming of age novel told from the perspectives of young gay men, some with disabilities. We see love and friendship and triumph. It's well worth the read.
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3.5
Must-read.
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Bill Mathis won third place in the 2020 Chicago Writers Association First Chapter Award for his most recent novel, Memory Tree, published May 2021. He also won first place for Revenge is Necessary that published in December 2020. He received the 2019 Pencraft Runner Up award for Family Fiction for his novel, The Rooming House Diaries. Bill began writing after he retired from careers in YMCA campin
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