The Thunder In His Head - A Novel About A Gay African-American Teen

The Thunder In His Head by Gene Gant

Kyle Manning is a tall, strong, openly gay sixteen-year-old who makes decent grades and plays on his school's basketball team. He's a good kid who cares deeply about his family and friends. But his life is becoming a mess. His mom, Lela, has finally had enough of her husband Joe's serial cheating. Kyle's parents are headed for divorce, and the collapse of their marriage torments him. Divorcing parents is bad enough, but Kyle also has to deal with new people in his parents' lives. He likes Stephanie, his father's girlfriend, but he finds himself increasingly attracted to his mother's handsome boyfriend, Reece. Then he meets Dwight Varley, a buff, attractive athlete from another school who takes an instant liking to him. Having Dwight around doesn't solve all Kyle's problems, but it does make life more bearable. As their relationship develops, Dwight becomes a bright oasis in Kyle's harried life. But Dwight's life is more complicated than Kyle ever imagined, and just when things start to get better, Kyle discovers the truth about Dwight-and about his father.


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Boys Don't Cry - A Black Teen Gets Surprised With A Baby (And He Has a Gay Brother)

Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman

Dante is a 17 year old black student in the UK, and he's waiting for the postman who's bringing Dante's A level results. University, a career as a journalist – a glittering future lies ahead.

But when the doorbell rings it’s Dante's old girlfriend; and she’s carrying a baby.   She tells Dante the baby is his... and then leaves!

Suddenly Dante's future looks very different.

What's queer about this book?  Dante's younger brother is out and gay (and much better with the baby than his brother.) 


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Hollowstone - A Southern Gothic homage to The Great Gatsby with People Of Color and Queer Characters

Hollowstone by Dennis R. Upkins

Life for Noah Scott changes drastically when he is accepted to Hollowstone Academy, one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country set in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee. Within the hallowed halls of the illustrious school, Noah soon discovers that the world of the privileged is rife with social hierarchies, politics, depravity and corruption. It is also there that Noah meets his roommate and best friend, the charming and enigmatic Caleb Warner.

Tragedy soon strikes when Cal is brutally murdered in a hold-up. But when Noah is haunted by Cal’s ghost, he soon discovers that the random act of violence was in fact a premeditated one. Determined to uncover the truth and find Cal’s killer, Noah soon finds that the school and its patrons have more than their share of secrets. Secrets they are willing to preserve at any cost. Noah also quickly learns that greater supernatural forces are at play. In a race against time, Noah must solve Cal’s murder before he’s the killer’s next victim.

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Black & Gay: Confronting Homophobia in Black Churches and in the African American Community: GLBTQ & Straight, we're "All God's Children"

Watch this 26 minute documentary. It's worth every minute.

All God's Children from Garrett Lenoir on Vimeo.

For a downloadable discussion guide, check out the Woman Vision website!

My thanks to everyone involved in the film, to the generosity of Woman Vision: Social Change Through Media for having the film available for websites like mine to share, and to Denise for bringing it to my attention.

This film really could change things.

Watch. Share. Discuss.


Namaste,
Lee

London Reign

by A.C. Britt

London's 16.

And he has enough to deal with just surviving on the urban streets of Boston and Detroit, trying to find love and make a life. But he does have a secret that takes his battles to a whole new level.

He was actually born a girl.


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Orphea Proud

By Sharon Dennis Wyeth

Orphea's 17, and this book is her performance at a poetry club.

She tells about being Black, and orphaned.

About being raised by her homophobic older brother.

And about falling in love with her best friend, Lissa, a white girl.

And then about how the day after their first kiss, Lissa was killed in an accident.

Welcome to a stage, where a soaring painting takes shape before your eyes, a big-booty poet stands at the mike, and there’s a seat right in front, just for you.

This is a place where wise old ladies live and boys act like horses.

This is a vision of love that was crushed and brought back to life.

And this is my story. I’m Orphea Proud. Welcome to the show.

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Sixteen Candles

By Tia Williams

The drama and quest for fame continue in this sequel to Tia's "It Chicks."

What's hot? There's an episode of MTV's "My Super Sweet Sixteen" happening, and everyone wants a piece of the spotlight.

And Regina, the lesbian character, is back in this book as well. And she's on her own journey to come out...

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It Chicks

By Tia Williams

Louis B. Armstrong is New York City's most prestigious Performing Arts High School.

Seven teenagers, amid all the others, are there to play the fame game and make it BIG.

YA Glam Lit!

I think this quote, from the book's blurb, tells it like it is:

What they want is fame.

All they have is drama.

And one of the main characters is a lesbian, who runs into a transfer student while secretly... well, I'm not going to ruin it for you!

Thanks to loyal blog reader Doret for the recommendation, and add your review of "It Chicks" in comments!

The Necessary Hunger

By Nina Revoyr

Teenage Lesbian Crushes! Basketball! Interracial Love!

Nancy's the Asian American star of her inner city Los Angeles High School's basketball team, and is being heavily recruited by colleges - and that's her ticket to the future.

She's also crushing on the star player of a rival team, Raina, who's African American, and has the same hopes for getting out of their dead-end neighborhood.

Suddenly the girls' single parents start to date, and Raina and her Mom move in with Nancy and her father!

Yikes!

It's Nancy and Raina's Senior Year of High School, and it's going to be a whopper.


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Babylon Boyz - A Gay Teen Book

By Jess Mowry

Three African American best friends are growing up in the inner city ghetto of Babylon.

Pook is 14, Gay and out. Wyatt, 13, is seriously overweight. Dante, also 13, was born to a drug-addicted mother, and needs a heart operation or he'll die.

The boyz find some illegal drugs. Lots of drugs. Worth a hell of a lot of money.

Pook and Wyatt want to help their friend. All three of them want to get out of Babylon.

But if they sell the drugs to get the money they need, they know they'll be feeding the destruction of their community. They see the costs of it - they know the costs, because it's the same drugs that destroyed Dante's Mother's life and injured Dante's heart in the first place.

Now they have to figure out what to do.

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Skip Macalester

By J. E. Robinson

Skip's Upper Middle Class family is African American.

His elite prep school is expensive and private.

And his Junior Year is full of secrets exposed and truths uncovered about interracial relationships, the church, his best friend, and ultimately, about Skip himself.


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