Searching for Grace

Gr 9 Up—Jonathan has been through a lot in the last few months: coming to terms with being gay, finding a boyfriend, and trying to come out in his conservative Christian community. Now he's in the hospital recovering from a vicious attack, trying to piece together everything that has happened. The author is a PFLAG parent and the writing comes from a place of great compassion, but there is a lack of immediacy and deeper understanding about the lives of gay youth. The inclusion of a gay-bashing attack by a closeted homophobe comes across as clichéd. Similarly, some supporting characters, such as the arty female character who befriends the gay teen, are not fully fleshed out and fall flat. The book touches on some very important and underrepresented topics (gay history and art, reconciling sexuality and faith, romance versus sex in relationships) and has flashes of good writing, but they are subsumed in a sloppy whole.—L. Lee Butler, Hart Middle School, Washington, DC