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Scheduled to release September 12th. Order it today from Bold Strokes Books

Though I don’t write YA or read it much, except for review purposes, I certainly acknowledge its necessity and its worth as a genre that can show young gay men and women that it’s not all prejudice and homophobia out there. At a time of one’s life where there’s more confusion than clarity, collections such as Steve Berman’s wonderful Speaking Out! can really light some pathways.

Most of these aren’t your traditional coming out stories. In fact, many of our protagonists here are already in their first relationships. For example, Sam Cameron’s “Day Student” features Matthew and Charlie as two students in an exclusive prep school who face difficulties with their relationship once Charlie finds the money to live in their dorms rather than just attend classes daily. What I loved most about this story (and others as well) is that its voice is that of a teenager and not a thirty-plus writer, as some YA novels and short stories seem to be.

Another piece whose voice was absolutely true was Danielle Pignataro’s “Gutter Ball,” a wonderful story about a babydyke bowler and her teammates who square off against homophobe Donna D’Amico and her cohorts. The protagonist of Alex Jeffers’ “Captain of the World” and his boyfriend have not only homophobia to contend with but Muslim hatred as well, all played out against the backdrop of a soccer game.

But not all of the stories here center around sports or a “big game.”  L.A. Fields’ does a lovely job with a lifelong friendship between a gay boy and his best girlfriend in “The Proximity of Seniors,” Lucas J.W. Johnson uses alcohol abuse to punctuate the tale of a trans-boy who finds out who his real friends are in “Subtle Poison” and Dia Pannes hits a home run with “The Spark of Change,” about a budding lesbian and her volunteer firefighter father who refuses to answer a call when lesbian couple’s house bursts into flames.

Also notable in this collection are Jeffrey Ricker’s “The Trouble With Billy,” an engrossing character study that takes us, at times, into the head of a bully who terrorizes a young gay boy because … well, you know why, Steve Berman’s “Only Lost Boys Are Found,” which uses descriptions of various closets to tell a poignant story of a boy who helps a prospective lover uncloset himself, and Sandra McDonald’s “All Gender U,” which closes the book on a hopeful note with a boy who wears girl’s clothes and wants to attend Dartmouth with the help of a conservative alumni aunt.

But really, anywhere you open this book you’ll find a story that affirms as it informs, good for both teens looking for other teens like them as well as parents trying to get a handle on their own queer kids.

Reviewed by Jerry Wheeler