Surprising as it may seem, there has not been a book of portraits of gay and lesbian young people. Now there are two. As a young gay man, photographer Mastoon writes, "without external reflections to validate my internal experience I felt alienated and alone." Seeking to rectify that situation, he offers handsome duotone portraits of 40 gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people juxtaposed with their own one-page personal statements. The self-confident faces and poignant voices of these courageous young Anglo, Asian, Latino, and African Americans make an important and powerful statement, offsetting appalling statistics of self-destructive behavior. Growing Up Gay takes a slightly different approach by focusing on two young people, Amy Grahn and Jamie Nabozny. Stepping "into the stream of their lives," Minneapolis Star Tribune staff photographer Reed creates a series of intimate pictures documenting these teenagers as they experience the joys of first love and the pain of rejection, face challenges, and reveal insecurities, knowing that they both have their families' love and respect. Both books offer resource listings of readings, organizations, telephone hot lines, and web sites, joining such valuable titles as Ellen Bass and Kate Kaufman's Free Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth?and Their Allies (HarperPerennial, 1996) to help counter the lack of attention to our most precious resource?today's imperiled youth.?James E. Van Buskirk, San Francisco P.L.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Description
Through photographs and their own words, a young man and a young woman relate their experiences growing up homosexual in America's heartland. Adolescence, painful enough for everyone, is all the more so for these young people who feel their differences acutely at a time when fitting in and belonging are so important. Being part of a minority that is sometimes despised makes their lives excruciating. Rita Reed, out of a concern over the high rate of suicide among gay and lesbian teens, and convinced that the stories of Amy and Jamie would help others feel less isolated, gained the trust of these two young people and was allowed into their developing lives. Reed's photographs captured moments from the pain of rejection to the joys of first love; from the collapse of self-confidence to the understanding that they were not alone and that in spite of societal prejudices, they were loved and respected. These photographs, intimate, moving, and generous, establish a level of understanding difficult to achieve with words alone.
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