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Bob Lind wrote on 10/08/2010:

After struggling with "coming out" to his family, seventeen year old Jamie Davidson finally blurts it out to his mom, Maggie, a college instructor. As the revelation is also made to his devout Catholic father, Mike, and his jock older brother, Brian, we see the cracks start to form in the framework of this previously cohesive family. The fact that Jamie is dating Luke, a baseball teammate of Brian's, makes it even tougher for Brian at school, and he lashes out at Jamie for putting him in an uncomfortable position. Meanwhile, his parents, who had some communication issues - and a disagreement about Mike's blind adherence to Catholic dogma - even before Jamie came out to them, drift further apart, and are tempted to cheat on each other. Maggie is also dealing with her own mother, whose Catholic priest had advised her to disown Maggie's older sister, once she married a divorced man. That sister is now back in Maggie's life, and is helping her get through her feelings about Jamie's revelation. Meanwhile, Jamie is upset what this is doing to his family, but refuses to consider his father's religion-based approach to the problem. At the same time, Jamie is helping Luke deal with his own coming out, to parents who were not anyway near as understanding as his own.

This well-written book is especially noteworthy, at a time when the suicide of gay teens has been in the news. It illustrates the conflicting psychological and varying religious perspectives on homosexuality, shows where support can be found in communities and with straight allies, and could be invaluable in encouraging a dialogue on such issues among families going through similar events. There is frank talk about suicides, and things that parents should be attuned to notice. The pace is engaging but not overly dramatic, providing a realistic journey for any reader. Give it four stars out of four.