cover image Two Teenagers in Twenty

Two Teenagers in Twenty

. Alyson Books, $17.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-1-55583-229-2

An updated version of Heron's 1983 One Teenager in Ten , this consistently absorbing and frequently moving collection of autobiographical narratives by young gays and lesbians across the country soberingly documents the damaging consequences of the homophobia that pervades even purportedly enlightened families and schools. Many of the authors were kicked out of their homes, were sent to ministers or psychiatrists to be ``cured'' or attempted suicide. But some found their families and friends supportive and caring. On balance, these stories are overwhelmingly affirmative, buoyed by the authors' new self-awareness and the determination to find a place for themselves in an often hostile country. Heron includes advice on contacting social service organizations and an annotated list of fiction and nonfiction titles that deal sensitively with gay and lesbian issues. (June)