Queer 13: Lesbian And Gay Writers Recall Seventh Grade [Paperback]

Clifford Chase (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 1999

Forward by Dale Peck

Seventh grade: You remember it, don't you? Sweet sixteen seemed impossibly far away, an elegant, unattainable future. All that we had was the doldrums of thirteen -- not so sweet, and definitely queer.

Now, some of the finest observers of the gay experience take us back to the homerooms and hallways of our youth, in a collection of original essays that captures that time of adolescence when social and sexual development was at its raging worst.

From gym class to kissing parties, obsessive crushes to after-school pummelings, every day held the possibility of discovery -- and complete humiliation. For those of us who are gay, our sexuality added another twist, that extra little way we didn't quite fit in. It was a time of becoming who we truly are, a passage into adulthood that was as memorable as it was agonizing. Queer 13 tells these tales of teenage trauma -- from funny to painful, reflective to literary -- all ringing with the universal truths of a poignant, extraordinary time.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's probably a healthy sign that the autobiographical essays collected in Queer 13 display not only relief and anger, but nostalgia. Most of the contributors, including well-known writers like Wayne Kostenbaum (The Queen's Throat) and Rebecca Brown (The Terrible Girls), have overcome the stigma they felt in junior high. When they look back now at their sufferings, they're also able to recall moments of pure, unthreatened pleasure--although, having found the courage they once lacked, they tend to criticize their younger selves for having pandered to repressive parents or playground tyrants. It may be inevitable that these stories have a shared aura of sadness, since the universal experience of junior high seems to be bleak and crushing, but there are other commonalities that emerge: the "gay" childhood friend, for instance, who gets mercilessly dropped, or the casual cruelties of physical education. Some of the most affecting pieces are by writers who were battling other differences in addition to their sexuality, such as Rebecca Zinoric's "Becky's Pagination," about the indignities of being given special education because she was legally blind, and Marcus Mabry's lovely "Mud Pies and Medusa," about growing up black and gay. --Regina Marler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Queer 13 contains 25 tales of the doldrums of the teen years from various points of view. The book highlights many up-and-coming new voices in literature, including Joe Westmoreland, Rebecca Brown and Michael Lowenthal. The memoirs range from painful to hilarious to eerily real as these authors recount that time when our minds were raging almost as fast as our hormones. There's much to appreciate in this thoughtful reflection on past youth and the ungainly task of trying to assimilate, a sentiment anyone can identify with." -- HX Magazine, Oct. 23, 1998

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (August 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688171613
• ISBN-13: 978-0688171612
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,064,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 13--What a Year..., June 17, 2000

By 

JCB (I Love Seattle!) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Queer 13: Lesbian And Gay Writers Recall Seventh Grade (Paperback)

My first reaction to QUEER 13 was: "Oh god, 13? Seventh grade...What a year that was..." Thirteen was one of those years that only now I can begin to appreciate and laugh at. I don't know if I'd like to relive it though. And this is perhaps why I was so hesitant to pick this book up. But I'm glad that I did. The stories are all beautiful. There isn't one that stands out the most because they are all so good (most are bittersweet--prepare yourself). I found myself crying and laughing and most of all remembering my own experience while reading this book. I highly recommend this collection be read by all.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Collection, August 1, 2001

By 

disco75 "disco75" (State College, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queer 13: Lesbian And Gay Writers Recall Seventh Grade (Paperback)

I am not a fan of the short story form, preferring the long immersion in fiction that novels offer. This book is one of the few exceptions. I received it as a gift and am glad I did. The stories are thematically related and the writing is uniformly superior. These tales so capture the deliciousness, awkwardness, hope, and disappointments of budding adolescence that I imagine anyone could relate.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for Queers Only, February 15, 2000

By 

Larry Mark "editor of MyJewishBooks.com" (nyc) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Queer 13: Lesbian And Gay Writers Recall Seventh Grade (Paperback)

This collection of 25 autobiographical essays about gays and lesbians at age 13 is not for queers only. You may ask, what makes it a Jewish Book? Well, what is age 13? The age of bar and bat mitzvah's, the age of wo/manhood, seventh grade, hair growth, Keds, adolescence, zits, humiliation, name-calling, teen-star posters, summer camp bunkmates, Playboy magazines, and peer scrutiny. An age when you make your way to Junior High, gain friends, lose friends, outgrow friends, and are outgrown by others... a time when some focus on band practice and other on athletics, and others... who knows. At least six of the writers discuss their Jewish adolescence, so the book may be of interest to Jewish readers. They include Robert Gluck's "Three from Thirteen", in which he mentions the irony of his Bar Mitzvah parsha being the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Gabrielle Glancy's "Train", she discusses how she managed the school officer campaign of her German/Swiss, swastika loving classmate, even though she was obsessed with fellow tribesman, David Gittelman, as well as Diane McCann. In David Bergman's "A Close Escape," David recounts a sickly miserable life in Queens NY which was enriched by an enchanting performance of the puppet show, Sleeping Beauty, and his desire for association with one boy and lust for another. David's Bar Mitzvah was a grim, small, estranged affair which marked his escape from shul and elementary school. In Wayne Koestenbaum's "Fashions of 1971", Wayne writes about his boy scout uniform, bell bottoms, LOVE shirt, fringe, P.E. class jocks and coaches, tube socks, and Becky's slip. In Lisa Cohen's "Still Life with Boys" we find a make out scene with the Bar Mitzvah boy. And in Michael Lowenthal's (SAME EMBRACE) "Lost in Translation", he recounts Spanish class, the derision of classmates, a Bar Mitzvah sleepover party, and his desire for a classmate.