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A House Is Not a Home: A B-boy Blues Novel (B-Boy Blues)
by James Earl HardyThis African American gay love story set in Brooklyn’s hip hop community is a “sexy, romantic soaper . . . sure to please present fans and garner more” (Booklist).In this final chapter in James Earl Hardy’s groundbreaking B-Boy Blues series, Mitchell “Little Bit” Crawford and Raheim “Pooquie” Rivers are all grown up. Mitchell is a stay-at-home dad renovating his dream house, writing, and raising his godson and half-sister in Brooklyn’s up-and-coming Fort Greene neighborhood. He’s fairly happy, but he can’t help feeling that something—or someone—is missing from his life.Fresh from rehab for a gambling addiction, Raheim has a new lease on life, but it’s precarious — his career as an actor has stalled, he hasn’t seen his son in years, and the short-lived sexual trysts that punctuated his life no longer satisfy him. Hell-bent on change, Raheim has finally figured out who he wants to be with forever. But will Mitchell give Raheim the second chance he so desperately wants? “A House Is Not A Home is so good you won’t want it?or the series?to end.” —E. Lynn Harris, New York Times best-selling author of What Becomes of the Brokenhearted“I have been a fan of his work from his very first novel.” —J.L. King, New York Times bestselling author of On the Down Low
All I Love and Know: A Novel
by Judith FrankTold with the storytelling power and emotional fidelity of Wally Lamb, this is a searing drama of a modern American family on the brink of dissolution, one that explores adoption, gay marriage, and love lost and found.For years, Matthew Greene and Daniel Rosen have enjoyed a quiet domestic life together in Northampton, Massachusetts. Opposites in many ways, they have grown together and made their relationship work. But when they learn that Daniel’s twin brother and sister-in-law have been killed in a bombing in Jerusalem, their lives are suddenly, utterly transformed.In dealing with their families and the need to make a decision about who will raise the deceased couple’s two children, both Matthew and Daniel are confronted with challenges that strike at the very heart of their relationship. What is Matthew’s place in an extended family that does not completely accept him or the commitment he and Daniel have made? How do Daniel’s questions about his identity as a Jewish man affect his life as a gay American? Tensions only intensify when they learn that the deceased parents wanted Matthew and Daniel to adopt the children—six-year-old Gal, and baby Noam.The impact this instant new family has on Matthew, Daniel, and their relationship is subtle and heartbreaking, yet not without glimmers of hope. They must learn to reinvent and redefine their bond in profound, sometimes painful ways. What kind of parents can these two men really be? How does a family become strong enough to stay together and endure? And are there limits to honesty or commitment—or love?
City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O'Hara
by Brad GoochThe definitive biography of Frank O’Hara, one of the greatest American poets of the twentieth century, the magnetic literary figure at the center of New York’s cultural life during the 1950s and 1960s.City Poet captures the excitement and promise of mid-twentieth-century New York in the years when it became the epicenter of the art world, and illuminates the poet and artist at its heart. Brad Gooch traces Frank O’Hara’s life from his parochial Catholic childhood to World War II, through his years at Harvard and New York. He brilliantly portrays O’Hara in in his element, surrounded by a circle of writers and artists who would transform America’s cultural landscape: Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Helen Frankenthaler, Jackson Pollock, Gregory Corso, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, LeRoi Jones, and John Ashbery.Gooch brings into focus the artistry and influence of a life “of guts and wit and style and passion” (Luc Sante) that was tragically abbreviated in 1966 when O’Hara, just forty and at the height of his creativity, was hit and killed by a jeep on the beach at Fire Island—a death that marked the end of an exceptional career and a remarkable era.City Poet is illustrated with 55 black and white photographs.
In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court
by Brittney Griner Sue HoveyThe WMBA All-Star shares the inspiring story of her singular life as an athlete and activist in this &“searing and ultimately liberating memoir&” (New York Times Book Review). Brittney Griner is a once-in-a-generation basketball player. A two-time Olympic gold medalist and a six-time WNBA All-Star, she has been hailed by Sports Illustrated as &“the sport&’s most transformative figure.&” But she is equally famous for speaking out on a range of social issues, as well as for surviving a wrongful detention in Russia that became a geopolitical flashpoint. Now Griner shares her coming-of-age story, revealing how she found her strength to overcome bullies and embrace her authentic self. At 6&’8&”, with an 88-inch wingspan and a size 17 shoe (men&’s), the Phoenix Mercury star has heard every vicious insult in the book, enduring years of taunting that began in middle school and continues to this day. Through the highs and lows, Griner has learned to remain true to herself, rising above the haters trying to take her down. In her heartfelt memoir, she reflects on painful episodes in her life and describes how she came to celebrate what makes her unique—inspiring lessons she now shares. Filled with all the humor and personality Griner has become known for, In My Skin is more than a glimpse into one of the most original personalities in sports; it&’s also a powerful call to readers to be true to themselves, to love who they are on the inside and out. With eight pages of photos.
The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood
by Richard BlancoIn this coming-of-age memoir, the poet recounts his youth in a family of Cuban exiles, searching for his poetic voice and the courage to accept himself.A poignant, hilarious, and inspiring memoir from the first Latino and openly gay presidential inaugural poet in US history, which explores his coming-of-age as the child of Cuban immigrants and his attempts to understand his place in America while grappling with his burgeoning artistic and sexual identities.Richard Blanco’s childhood and adolescence were experienced between two imaginary worlds: his parents’ nostalgic world of 1950s Cuba and his imagined America, the country he saw on reruns of The Brady Bunch and Leave it to Beaver—an “exotic” life he yearned for as much as he yearned to see “la patria.”A prismatic and lyrical narrative rich with the colors, sounds, smells, and textures of Miami, Richard Blanco’s personal narrative is a resonant account of how he discovered his authentic self and ultimately, a deeper understanding of what it means to be American. His is a singular yet universal story that beautifully illuminates the experience of “becoming;” how we are shaped by experiences, memories, and our complex stories: the humor, love, yearning, and tenderness that define a life. “Forged from truth and grace, Blanco has crafted a deeply compelling and moving memoir about place, self, and family.” —Augusten Burroughs, author of This Is How and Running with Scissors“Thank you, Richard, for this. The Prince of los Cocuyos is revelation and homecoming.” —Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street“Blanco has a natural, unforced style that allows his characters’ vibrancy and humor to shine through.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Hood
by Emma DonoghueA tale of grief and lust, frustration and hilarity, death and family<P> Penelope O'Grady and Cara Wall are risking disaster when, like teenagers in any intolerant time and place--here, a Dublin convent school in the late 1970s--they fall in love. Yet Cara, the free spirit, and Pen, the stoic, craft a bond so strong it seems as though nothing could sever it: not the bickering, not the secrets, not even Cara's infidelities.<P> But thirteen years on, a car crash kills Cara and rips the lid off Pen's world. Pen is still in the closet, teaching at her old school, living under the roof of Cara's gentle father, who thinks of her as his daughter's friend. How can she survive widowhood without even daring to claim the word? Over the course of one surreal week of bereavement, she is battered by memories that range from the humiliating, to the exalted, to the erotic, to the funny. It will take Pen all her intelligence and wit to sort through her tumultuous past with Cara, and all the nerve she can muster to start remaking her life.
The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out Is Good Business
by John Browne"I wish I had been brave enough to come out earlier during my tenure as the chief executive of BP. I regret it to this day. I know that if I had done so, I would have made more of an impact for other gay men and women. It is my hope that the stories in this book will give some of them the courage to make an impact of their own."--John Browne<P> Today gay men and women in the Western world enjoy greater acceptance and more legal protections than ever before. Yet an alarming number of businesspeople choose to remain closeted at work. In The Glass Closet, John Browne, the former chief executive of BP, argues that whether you're lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or straight, it's better for you and your business when you bring your authentic self to work.<P> Browne draws on the latest research, his own experience as a closeted gay man in the oil industry, and interviews with gay and lesbian leaders to expose the lingering culture of homophobia in corporations around the world, and to inspire the LGBT community to share who they are with their employers and coworkers. Courageous and thought-provoking, this call to arms demonstrates that the hidden cost of hidden lives is far greater than we have previously thought.
The Murder Wall (The Kate Daniels Mysteries)
by Mari HannahA police detective’s secret jeopardizes her career and her hunt for a serial killer in northeastern England in this crime thriller series debut.Months after discovering a double homicide in a sleepy village, Detective Chief Inspector Kate Daniels is still haunted by her failure to solve the crime. When a new murder gives Daniels her first case as officer in charge, she jumps at another chance to get it right.But even more shocking than the brutal killing is the fact that Daniels recognizes the corpse. Eager to prove herself, she decides to keep her connection to the dead man a secret from her team, putting her career in jeopardy as her personal and professional lives threaten to collide.As the killer continues to claim his victims, Daniels unearths baffling clues in her search for connections among the murders . . . and while she draws closer to finding the culprit, he is watching her.Winner of the Polari First Book Prize
Underneath Everything
by Marcy Beller PaulUnderneath Everything is a seductive, gorgeously written debut about two girls bound by an obsessive and toxic friendship, perfect for fans of Lauren Oliver and Courtney Summers.Mattie shouldn't be at the bonfire. She should be finding new maps for her collection, hanging out with Kris, and steering clear of almost everyone else, especially Jolene. After all, Mattie and Kris dropped off the social scene the summer after sophomore year for a reason. But now Mattie is a senior, and she's sick of missing things. So here she is. And there's Jolene: Beautiful. Captivating. Just like the stories she wove. Mattie would know--she used to star in them. She and Jolene were best friends. Mattie has the scar on her palm to prove it, and Jolene has everything else, including Hudson.But when Mattie runs into Hudson and gets a glimpse of what could have been, she decides to take it all back: the boyfriend, the friends, the life she was supposed to live. Problem is, Mattie can't figure out where Jolene's life ends and hers begins. Because there's something Mattie hasn't told anyone: She walked away from Jolene over a year ago, but she never really left.
Fans of the Impossible Life
by Kate Scelsa<P>A captivating and profound debut novel about complicated love and the friendships that have the power to transform you forever. <P>Mira is starting over at Saint Francis Prep. She promised her parents she would at least try to pretend that she could act like a functioning human this time, not a girl who can't get out of bed for days on end, who only feels awake when she's with Sebby. <P>Jeremy is the painfully shy art nerd at Saint Francis who's been in self-imposed isolation after an incident that ruined his last year of school. When he sees Sebby for the first time across the school lawn, it's as if he's been expecting this blond, lanky boy with mischief glinting in his eye. <P>Sebby, Mira's gay best friend, is a boy who seems to carry sunlight around with him. Even as life in his foster home starts to take its toll, Sebby and Mira together craft a world of magic rituals and impromptu road trips, designed to fix the broken parts of their lives.' <P>As Jeremy finds himself drawn into Sebby and Mira's world, he begins to understand the secrets that they hide in order to protect themselves, to keep each other safe from those who don't understand their quest to live for the impossible.
Paperweight
by Meg HastonIn the vein of Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls, this emotionally haunting and beautifully written young adult debut delves into the devastating impact of trauma and loss.Seventeen-year-old Stevie is trapped. In her life. In her body. And now in an eating-disorder treatment center on the dusty outskirts of the New Mexico desert. Life in the center is regimented and intrusive, a nightmare come true. Nurses and therapists watch Stevie at meal time, accompany her to the bathroom, and challenge her to eat the foods she's worked so hard to avoid. Her dad has signed her up for sixty days of treatment. But what no one knows is that Stevie doesn't plan to stay that long. There are only twenty-seven days until the anniversary of her brother Josh's death--the death she caused. And if Stevie gets her way, there are only twenty-seven days until she, too, will end her life.Paperweight follows Stevie's journey as she struggles not only with this life-threatening eating disorder, but with the question of whether she can ever find absolution for the mistakes of her past...and whether she truly deserves to.
Orphan #8
by Kim Van AlkemadeA stunning debut novel of historical fiction set in the forgotten world of New York City's Jewish orphanagesIn 1919, four-year-old Rachel Rabinowitz is placed in the Hebrew Infant Home where Dr. Mildred Solomon is conducting medical research on the children. Dr. Solomon subjects Rachel to an experimental course of X-ray treatments that establish the doctor's reputation while risking the little girl's health. Now it's 1954, and Rachel is a nurse in the hospice wing of the Old Hebrews Home when elderly Dr. Solomon becomes her patient. Realizing the power she holds over the helpless doctor, Rachel embarks on a dangerous experiment of her own design. Before the night shift ends, Rachel will be forced to choose between forgiveness and revenge.Inspired by true events, Orphan #8 is a powerful novel about the human capacity to harm--and to love.and her patient is none other than the elderly, cancer-stricken Dr. Solomon. Rachel becomes obsessed with making Dr. Solomon acknowledge, and pay for, her wrongdoing. But each passing hour Rachel spends with the old doctor reveal to Rachel the complexities of her own nature. She realizes that a person's fate--to be one who inflicts harm or one who heals--is not always set in stone.Lush in historical detail, rich in atmosphere and based on true events, Orphan #8 is a powerful, affecting novel of the unexpected choices we are compelled to make that can shape our destinies.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda Ser.)
by Becky AlbertalliSixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.<P><P> Incredibly funny and poignant, this twenty-first-century coming-of-age, coming out story—wrapped in a geek romance—is a knockout of a debut novel by Becky Albertalli.<P> William C. Morris Award Winner
The Upside of Unrequited: Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Upside Of Unrequited, And Leah On The Offbeat
by Becky Albertalli<P>From the award-winning author of <i>Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda</i> comes a funny, authentic novel about sisterhood, love, and identity. <P>Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful. <P>Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back. <P>There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?
Cut Both Ways
by Carrie MesrobianFrom William C. Morris YA Debut Award nominee Carrie Mesrobian, Cut Both Ways is an unflinching look at a high school senior who must come to terms with his attraction to both his girlfriend and his male best friend.It took Will Caynes seventeen years to have his first kiss. He should be ecstatic...except that it was shared with his best friend, Angus, while they were both drunk and stoned. Will's not gay, but he did sort of enjoy whatever it was he felt with Angus. Unsettled by his growing interest in Angus, Will avoids his friend, and even starts dating a sophomore, Brandy. When he's hooking up with her, he's totally into it, so he must be straight, right? Then why does he secretly keep going back to Angus?Confusing as Will's feelings are, they're a welcome distraction from his complicated home life. His father has started drinking earlier each day when he should be working on what seem like never-ending house renovations. And his mom--living in a McMansion with her new husband--isn't much help, just buying Will a bunch of stuff he doesn't need. Neither feels like much of a parent--which leaves Will on his own in figuring things out with his girlfriend and best friend. He loves them both, but deciding who to be with will ultimately hurt someone. Himself probably the most.
Whatever . . . Love Is Love: Questioning the Labels We Give Ourselves
by Maria BelloThe acclaimed actress questions the labels we wear when it comes to partnership, career, love, and sexuality in this deeply moving memoir.Written as a series of provocative questions and thoughtful answers, Whatever . . . Love Is Love is filled with deeply personal, often funny, and even passionate stories, stories in which Maria bares her soul and shares what she’s learned—not only about romantic love, but also about her relationship with her parents, her feelings about spirituality, her sexual identity, the highs and lows of her career, her humanitarian work, and her worth as a mother.Using her experiences as a gateway to a larger conversation, Maria encourages you to think about the life you lead, who you love, what you do, what you believe in, and what you call yourself . . . and helps you to realize that the only labels that matter are the ones we place on and accept for ourselves, even if they don’t fit the mold of “typical.”“Whatever . . . Love Is Love isn’t your typical celebrity memoir. . . . Instead, each chapter, through charming candor and humor, challenges a series of ‘labels’ that represent impossible standards to which we hold ourselves.” —Marie Claire“Never preachy, in this book [Bello] diligently and methodically deconstructs where her values have come from. . . . Personal, provocative, and inspiring.” —Patricia Arquette, Oscar®-nominated actor
Does Jesus Really Love Me?: A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God in America
by Jeff Chu“Fascinating, thoughtful, and important. [Jeff Chu] captures the fractures and conflict at a moment when the issue of what to do with L.G.B.T. people is tearing Christian denominations apart. Does Jesus Really Love Me? deserves to be widely read.” —Dan Savage, New York Times Book ReviewIn this timely work—part memoir, part investigative analysis—a prize-winning writer explores the explosive and confusing intersection of faith, politics, and sexuality in Christian America.When Jeff Chu came out to his parents as a gay man, his devout Christian mother cried. And cried. Every time she looked at him. For months. As a journalist and a believer, Chu knew that he had to get to the heart of a question that had been haunting him for years: Does Jesus really love me?The quest to find an answer propels Chu on a remarkable cross-country journey to discover the God “forbidden to him” because of his sexuality. Surveying the breadth of the political and theological spectrum, from the most conservative viewpoints to the most liberal, he tries to distill what the diverse followers of Christ believe about homosexuality and to understand how these people who purportedly follow the same God and the same Scriptures have come to hold such a wide range of opinions. Why does Pastor A believe that God hates me, especially because of my gayness? Why does Person B believe that God loves me, gayness and all?From Brooklyn to Nashville to California, from Westboro Baptist Church and their god hates fags protest signs to the pioneering Episcopal bishop Mary Glasspool, who proclaims a message of liberation and divine love, Chu captures spiritual snapshots of Christian America at a remarkable moment, when tensions between both sides in the culture wars have rarely been higher. Both funny and heartbreaking, perplexing and wise, Does Jesus Really Love Me? is an intellectual, emotional, and spiritual pilgrimage that reveals a portrait of a faith and a nation at odds.
Mislaid
by Nell ZinkFrom the inimitable and utterly unconventional voice of Nell Zink comes a wickedly humorous and sharply observed novel that exposes all of our assumptions about race and racism, sexuality and desire, through the making and unmaking of one American family.In 1960s Virginia, college freshman and ingenue Peggy falls for professor and poet Lee, and what begins as an ill-advised affair results in an unplanned pregnancy and marriage. Mismatched from the start--she's a lesbian; he's gay--Peggy eventually finds herself in crisis and runs away with their daughter, leaving their son behind.Estranged from the rest of the family, Peggy and her daughter adopt African American identities and live in near poverty to escape detection. Meanwhile, Lee and his son carry on, enjoying all the social privileges their gender, class, and whiteness afford them. Eventually the long-lost siblings meet, setting off a series of misunderstandings that culminate in a darkly comedic finale worthy of Shakespeare.With an arch sense of humor and a witty satirical eye, Nell Zink upends the foundational categories of American life--race, class, gender, and sexuality--in a novel that is at once daring, envelope-pushing, and utterly hilarious, all the while tracing how a mother, daughter, father, and son figure out what it means to belong.
Darling Days: A Memoir
by iO Tillett WrightThis “extraordinary memoir” from a gender non-conforming child of the ‘80s, is “brave and true, as devastating as it is inspiring.” —Jill Soloway, Emmy-award winning creator of TransparentBorn into the bedlam of downtown New York in the eighties, iO Tillett Wright came of age at the intersection of punk, poverty, heroin, and art. This was a world of self-invented characters, glamorous superstars, and strung-out sufferers, ground zero of drag and performance art. Still, no personality was more vibrant and formidable than iO’s mother’s, Rhonna, a showgirl and young widow. At the center of Darling Days is the remarkable relationship between a fiery kid and a domineering ma—a bond defined by freedom and control, excess and sacrifice; by heartbreaking deprivation, agonizing rupture, and, ultimately, forgiveness.Darling Days is also a provocative examination of culture and identity, of the courage and resilience it takes to listen closely to your deepest self. When a group of boys refuse to let six-year-old, female-born iO play ball, iO instantly adopts a new persona, becoming a boy named Ricky—a choice iO’s parents support. Alternating between the harrowing and the hilarious, Darling Days is the candid, tough, and stirring memoir of a young person in search of an authentic self as family and home life devolve into chaos.“Earnest and heartfelt.” —Kirkus Reviews“A terrific, terrific book.” —Anthony Bourdain, New York Times bestselling author and host of Parts Unknown“A high-octane cocktail of radiant ink, wild anecdotes, bad behavior, and gritty truths.” —Tom Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues“The prose is beautiful and aches with emotion.” —Publishers Weekly
Hard to Be Good
by Laura KayeTwo damaged men.One dangerous mission.One healing love.These are the men of Hard Ink.Hard Ink Tattoo owner Jeremy Rixey has taken on his brother's stateside fight against the enemies that nearly killed Nick and his Special Forces team a year ago. Now Jeremy's whole world has been turned upside down by the chaos--and by a brilliant, quiet blond man who tempts him to settle down for the first time ever.Recent kidnapping victim Charlie Merritt has always been better with computers than with people, so when he's drawn into the SF team's investigation of his army colonel father's corruption, he's surprised to find acceptance and friendship--especially since his father never accepted who he was. Even more surprising is the heated tension he feels with sexy, tattooed Jeremy, Charlie's opposite in almost every way.With tragedy and chaos all around them, temptation flashes hot, and Jeremy and Charlie can't help but wonder why they're trying so hard to be good ...
Breakthrough: How One Teen Innovator Is Changing the World
by Matthew Lysiak Jack AndrakaFor the first time, teen innovator and scientist Jack Andraka tells the story behind his revolutionary discovery. When a dear family friend passed away from pancreatic cancer, Jack was inspired to create a better method of early detection. At the age of fifteen, he garnered international attention for his breakthrough: a four-cent strip of paper capable of detecting pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancers four hundred times more effectively than the previous standard.Jack's story is not just a story of dizzying international success; it is a story of overcoming depression and homophobic bullying and finding the resilience to persevere and come out. His account inspires young people, who he argues are the most innovative, to fight for the right to be taken seriously and to pursue our own dreams. Do-it-yourself science experiments are included in each chapter, making Breakthrough perfect for STEM curriculum. But above all, Jack's memoir empowers his generation with the knowledge that we can each change the world if we only have the courage to try.
Bad Kid: A Memoir
by David CrabbFrom comedian, storyteller, and The Moth host David Crabb, comes a music-filled, coming-of-age memoir about growing up gay and Goth in San Antonio, Texas. In the summer of 1989, three Goth kids crossed a street in San Antonio. They had no idea that a deeply confused fourteen-year-old boy was watching. Their dyed hair, fishnets, and eyeliner were his first evidence of another world—a place he desperately wanted to go. He just had no idea how to get there.Somehow David Crabb had convinced himself that every guy preferred French-braiding his girlfriend’s hair to making out, and that the funny feelings he got watching Silver Spoons and Growing Pains had nothing to do with Ricky Schroeder or Kirk Cameron. But discovering George Michael’s Faith confirmed for David what every bully already knew: he was gay. Surviving high school, with its gym classes, locker rooms, and naked, glistening senior guys, would require impossible feats of denial. What saved him was finding a group of outlandish friends who reveled in being outsiders. David found himself enmeshed with misfits: wearing black, cutting class, staying out all night, drinking, tripping, chain-smoking, idolizing The Smiths, Pet Shop Boys, and Joy Division—and learning lessons about life and love along the way. Richly detailed with 80s pop-culture, and including black and white photos throughout, BAD KID is as laugh-out-loud funny as it is poignant. Crabb’s journey through adolescence captures the essence of every person’s struggle to understand his or her true self.
Red: A Crayon's Story
by Michael HallA blue crayon mistakenly labeled as "red" suffers an identity crisis in this picture book by the New York Times–bestselling creator of My Heart Is Like a Zoo. This funny, heartwarming, colorful picture book about finding the courage to be true to your inner self can be read on multiple levels, and it offers something for everyone.Funny, insightful, and colorful, Red: A Crayon's Story is about being true to your inner self and following your own path despite obstacles that may come your way. Red will appeal to fans of Lois Ehlert, Eric Carle, and The Day the Crayons Quit, and makes a great gift for readers of any age!Red has a bright red label, but he is, in fact, blue. His teacher tries to help him be red (let's draw strawberries!), his mother tries to help him be red by sending him out on a playdate with a yellow classmate (go draw a nice orange!), and the scissors try to help him be red by snipping his label so that he has room to breathe. But Red is miserable. He just can't be red, no matter how hard he tries!Finally, a brand-new friend offers a brand-new perspective, and Red discovers what readers have known all along. He's blue!
Like Water
by Rebecca PodosLike Water is an unforgettable story of two girls navigating the unknowable waters of identity, millennial anxiety, and first love, from the acclaimed author of The Mystery of Hollow Places. In Savannah Espinoza’s small New Mexico hometown, kids either flee after graduation or they’re trapped there forever. Vanni never planned to get stuck—but that was before her father was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, leaving her and her mother to care for him. Now she doesn’t have much of a plan at all: living at home, working as a performing mermaid at a second-rate water park, distracting herself with one boy after another.That changes the day she meets Leigh. Disillusioned with small-town life and looking for something greater, Leigh is not a “nice girl.” She is unlike anyone Vanni has met, and a friend when Vanni desperately needs one. Soon enough, Leigh is much more than a friend. But caring about another person threatens the walls Vanni has carefully constructed to protect herself and brings up the big questions she’s hidden from for so long.
Out of Orange: A Memoir
by Cleary WoltersThe real-life Alex from Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black tells her own story in this memoir of crime, punishment, and her relationship with Piper.When Cleary Wolters first saw a commercial for the TV show Orange is the New Black, she knew her life would never be the same. After a blur of words and images alluding to lesbian lovers, drug smuggling, and life behind bars, Cleary saw a character wearing her signature black-rimmed glasses. In that moment, she knew that her private past had been brought to light in the most public way imaginable.Based on Piper Kerman’s sensational memoir, Orange is the New Black tells the story of a privileged white woman who spent thirteen months in prison for her involvement in an international drug-smuggling ring. On the show, Alex Vause is Piper’s antagonist/love interest who seduced her into a life of crime. Now, pseaking out for the first time, Cleary sets the record straight on the show, life in prison, and much more . . . In Out of Orange, Cleary tells a brutally honest, emotional tale of the bold decisions and epic mistakes she made—and the struggle to keep them from defining the rest of her life.