Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Say No to Hate: Notable Gay/Lesbian Books


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Cover art for SECRET HISTORIAN
NONFICTION
Released: Aug. 24, 2010

"A vivid, candid portrait."
Provocative biography of a little-known university professor turned sex researcher and pornographer. Read full book review >
Cover art for ROLE MODELS
NONFICTION
Released: June 1, 2010

"An impressive, heartfelt collection by a true American iconoclast."
The famed cult-film director recalls the famous--and not-so-famous--people he has idolized over the years. Read full book review >
Cover art for MY QUEER WAR
NONFICTION
Released: May 1, 2010

"A timely, artfully written memoir of one man's war."
Art historian and critic Lord (Mythic Giacometti, 2004, etc.) recounts his life as a gay GI in World War II. Read full book review >
Cover art for SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE YOU
NONFICTION
Released: May 1, 2010

"An introspective work that lays open the inner workings of lesbian parenthood while effectively demystifying parenthood in general."
In this poignant debut memoir, Miller explores the meaning of motherhood, family and the "gayby" boom. Read full book review >
Cover art for WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2010

"Their story, along with the rest of the cast's, will have readers simultaneously laughing, crying and singing at the top of their lungs. (Fiction. YA)"
Will Grayson loves indie rock, plays the eye-rolling angry stepchild to his extraordinarily giant, lovable, gay best friend Tiny Cooper and doesn't realize that he yearns for his other indie-rock–loving friend Jane until it's too late. will grayson (he never uses uppercase) hates most everything except sharing an XXL coffee with his best friend Maura each morning and covertly conversing with his Internet boyfriend every night. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE LESS-DEAD
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 12, 2010

"At times the religious themes feel didactic, but when the author adds everything up, the results fall somewhere between a fun, campy, teen horror film and a better-than-average afterschool special. (Mystery. YA)"
When his new friend and two other gay homeless teens are murdered, Noah, a nearly burned-out musician with a penchant for partying and a radio evangelist for a dad, decides to investigate the case. Read full book review >
Cover art for ALMOST PERFECT
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 13, 2009

"An excellent companion piece to Ellen Wittlinger's Parrotfish (2007) and Jean Ferris's Eight Seconds (2000). (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Katcher flawlessly channels the worried and confused voice of a straight teenage boy in this honest and uncompromising take on transgender love. Read full book review >
Cover art for ASH
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2009
Kirkus Star ASH

"Beautiful language magically wrought; beautiful storytelling magically told. (Fantasy. 12 & up)"
An unexpected reimagining of the Cinderella tale, exquisite and pristine, unfolding deliberately. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE MEANING OF MATTHEW
NONFICTION
Released: Aug. 20, 2009

"Honest and inspiring."
A mother's memoir of her young son, his murder and the effect on a galvanized public. Read full book review >
Cover art for SPROUT
CHILDREN'S
Released: June 1, 2009

"Dedicated readers, especially young gays in the square states, will identify—and it's important enough for that reason. (Fiction. YA)"
When he was twelve, Daniel's dad packed the two of them up and moved from New York to Buhler, Kan. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE VAST FIELDS OF ORDINARY
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2009

"One of the best in a new generation of LGBTQ novels, it can stand alongside Peter Cameron's and Brian Sloan's. (Fiction. YA)"
Trapped in a suburban wasteland the summer before his first year in college, closeted indie loser Dade Hamilton is stuck in the middle of his parents' disintegrating marriage and wastes his time pining after his girlfriend-ed hook-up–buddy Pablo. Read full book review >
Cover art for KING OF THE SCREWUPS
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2009

"Moreover, trouble does follow him wherever he goes, but avoiding it is easier when you've got the right kind of support. (Fiction. YA)"
Popular, beautiful slacker Liam spends the majority of his time partying and chasing girls instead of focusing on his studies. Read full book review >
Cover art for GRAVITY
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2008

"Heartfelt—a must for Jewish and GLBT collections. (glossary) (Fiction. YA)"
A religious girl struggles to accept a sexuality that she's taught is sinful. Read full book review >
Cover art for MOUSETRAPS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2008
by Pat Schmatz, illustrated by Bill Hauser

"Both chilling and sweet. (Fiction. 13-15)"
Adorable cartoons of mice getting caught in Rube Goldberg–esque mousetraps add a deceptively lighthearted note to Maxie's high-school tale. Read full book review >
Cover art for LOVE & LIES
CHILDREN'S
Released: July 1, 2008

"A rich and solid representation of a girl on the cusp of maturity. (Fiction. YA)"
It's been nine years since the publication of Hard Love (1999), but only four months have passed for Marisol, who's deferred her matriculation at Stanford to write a novel. Read full book review >
Cover art for GAY AMERICA
CHILDREN'S
Released: June 1, 2008

"Middle- and high-school students should walk away feeling informed; many will be inspired to explore the LGBT universe even further. (Nonfiction. YA)"
From the murder of Freda Ward in 1893 by her teenage girlfriend to same-sex marriage legalization in Massachusetts, this offering chronicles the ups, downs, victories and woes of gays and lesbians in the United States without sounding too much like a textbook. Read full book review >
Cover art for DOWN TO THE BONE
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2008

A passionate girl loses her first love but finds community and self in this flashy debut with awkward prose but lots of heart. Read full book review >
Cover art for FREAK SHOW
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2007

"A groundbreaking, eye-opening, romantic, bittersweet story of one boy's determination to seek acceptance for who he is and right the wrongs of his world, one dress at a time. (Fiction. YA)"
On the first day of school, Billy Bloom arrives on the scene decked out in full Vivienne Westwood pirate regalia, complete with tights, pearls, a sword, gold teeth and a Cap'n Crunch hat. Read full book review >
Cover art for FUN HOME
NONFICTION
Released: June 8, 2006

"Though this will likely be stocked with graphic novels, it shares as much in spirit with the work of Mary Karr, Tobias Wolff and other contemporary memoirists of considerable literary accomplishment."
Bechdel's memoir offers a graphic narrative of uncommon richness, depth, literary resonance and psychological complexity. Read full book review >
Cover art for I AM NOT MYSELF THESE DAYS
NONFICTION
Released: Feb. 1, 2006

"Effortlessly entertaining yet still heartfelt: the romance of life as an escape artist."
The true adventures of a drag queen named Aqua: her loves, her trials, her goldfish. Read full book review >