Beyond the Wind (Southern Tier Editions) Book

Sex, religion, life, and death as seen through the eyes of a gay teenage boy. After an embarrassing incident at a Nebraska high school, fourteen-year-old Christopher Talbot?s secret gay lifestyle is nearly exposed. On top of that, his depressed lover, Kyle, has run away to the big city of Omaha to work the streets. Christopher will do anything to get him back, but during the rescue, he and his friends stumble onto a conspiracy against a senator supporting AIDS awareness in schools. After witnessing a murder, every treacherous step he takes endangers him, and yet he cannot stop the path from crumbling under his feet. Can he find solid ground, or is it too late? From the novel: "Was I wrong?" Mom bluntly asked me. "I mean, what am I to think when I hear these things and then walk in here this morning to find. . ." Her words trailed off. She then acted as if I might throw her a lifeline, help sort this thing out, explain why I was sharing my bed with Kyle. I then thought of all those letters I?d read on the Internet from other kids who had "come out," thinking how brave some of those kids had been as they told people they loved (and feared to lose) that they were gay. I never once contemplated following their example. I didn?t think I?d ever have to. But now, here my mom was asking me the dreaded question. I didn?t know how those other kids worked up the nerve or what motivated them. I only knew I was terrified of what her reaction was going to be. Beyond the Wind is a unique work of "edutainment," offering a well-developed plot involving AIDS, suicide, sexual orientation, and politics as well as a fast-paced story that will keep you hooked to the last page. Not only is this a vital story for and about homosexual teens, it is an essential tool for parents, family, friends, educators, and other youth-affiliated professionals to learn more about the special people in their lives.Read More