I felt I had to to pair these two authors together as they deal with  young adult anguish of facing up to  ones true sexual orientation.

Alicia Tuckerman has written a searing memoir of what it is like to try and hide your true sexual feelings when growing up in a small town, while Will Kostakis’  book  is a novel but so clearly based on his own experiences as a young gay teenager.

Both authors have written about the tension of  growing up in small towns and agonising over whether they will be ‘ found out’ and what that would mean not just for themselves but   for their families and friends. Maybe if you have  a teenager or a friend who you suspect is struggling with sexual  identity these two beautifully written books might  give them the confidence to be themselves.

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Alicia Tuckerman  reads from ‘If I tell you’

 

Alicia Tuckerman – Interview

Recorded at the Bellingen Writers Festival 2018

 

THE SIDEKICKS’ – Will Kostakis

‘The SidekickS’ deals with a young man trying to fit in with a small town definition of what it means to be male. In this read, the hero has a heart to heart with his mother about  and realises  he doesn’t have to hide anymore. As Will Kostakis says in his interview, everything became easier for him once he became honest about who he was.

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Will Kostakis reads from ‘The Side kick’

 

Will Kostakis – Interview

 

Recorded at the Somerset Festival of Literature 2018