‘Speaking Out,’ Stories for LGBTQ Teens

Romantic relationships are tricky enough for teens, but for young people uncertain about their sexual orientation, either openly or undisclosed, there's an additional level of challenge. Parental disapproval is a common experience, as is mistreatment and harassment from peers, something that cannot be even more evident as another teen, Jamey Rodemeyer, took his own life just this week.

The contributing writers to Speaking Out: LGBTQ Youth Stand Up offer some alternative narratives in their short stories, with characters who display confidence, bravery and fortitude. Edited by Steve Berman, this collection includes 13 pieces intended for young adult readers.

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5 Minutes for Books: '500 Acres and No Place to Hide'

Lots of lush land, hearty animals grazing and a wardrobe consisting of overalls and work boots—these are the classic images that come to mind for most folks when they think about life on the farm. For Susan McCorkindale, the first two visions ring true, though she prefers a pair of heels to finish off her country couture. The author continues to chronicle her life as city girl turned a little bit country in her second memoir, 500 Acres and No Place to Hide: More Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl.

Read the review for McCorkindale's first book, Confessions ...

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5 Minutes for Books: Sex, Women and ‘Sugar’

As a 19-year-old, first-year resident assistant in college, I was once given some advice about promoting any type of program I was hosting in my dorm—on all ad signs, place the word SEX in a prominent place, regardless of its relativity. I may not have been brave enough to follow it, but I understood. Sex sells, and sex merits attention.

Read an excerpt from Sugar in My Bowl.

In our sex-saturated culture, one would think it must be a topic of conversation as easy to delve into as the weather. After reading Sugar in My Bowl: Real Women Write ...

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5 Minutes for Books: 'The Art of Roughhousing'

Calm down. Not in the house. Our couch is for sitting. These are the sentiments that are very often coming out of my mouth directed toward my three children. Living in a small house is one reason why I encourage quiet indoor games, and the fact that the vast majority of our furniture is of the Swedish build-it-yourself variety, thus not the sturdiest in the land. Truly, though, I know that I am simply more comfortable when my children are not being wild...as children are wont to do.

Read more 5 Minutes for Books at Kirkus about holidays from ...

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5 Minutes for Books: ‘The Anti-Romantic Child’

Childhood memories play such a large role in how individuals approach parenthood, for better or worse. For Priscilla Gilman, who’s spent much of her life enmeshed in poetry from the Romantic era, her perspective was fully in line with a "romantic" image of childhood. Days filled with endless wonder and exploration, marked by imaginative and emotional play pursuits—these were the marks of her ideal childhood experience. So, when Gilman had her first child, she had these images dancing in her head as she visualized the years to come. Her memoir, The Anti-Romantic Child: A Story of Unexpected Joy ...

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