Dragging Mason County
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
SMALL TOWN CONNECTIONS: highlights queer small-town life, with an emphasis on community for the characters
SHARP SENSE OF HUMOR: with many jokes and puns, the narrator’s sensibility is a cross between a shady drag queen and a self-deprecating stand up comedian
THE DRAG SCENE: taps into the continuing mainstream popularity of drag seen in shows like Rupaul’s Drag Race and We’re Here, written by an author who does drag!
SUMMER READ: the laugh-out-loud humor and drama that follows Peter makes Dragging Mason County the perfect summer read
YA DEBUT: Curtis Campbell makes his stunning YA debut with a hit!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Peter Thompkins, an openly gay high schooler, has gone viral, and not in a good way. His reputation for delivering vicious burns precedes him, but when a heated confrontation with another gay student is posted on social media, public opinion of him plummets ("That guy sucks," one comment reads). Hoping to restore his honor, Peter turns to his drag performer best friend, YouTuber Alan Goode. Alan convinces Peter to produce a drag show in their rural hometown alongside Alan's drag alter ego Aggie Culture and featuring House of Rural Realness, a community of local drag queens. Peter soon finds himself performing backup in drag videos, getting chased by alpaca farmers, and facing down homophobic vitriol, all while trying to repair his image, keep his friendship together, and maybe impress a cute newcomer. Peter is at once prickly and lovable, and his wry voice is equally exasperating and sympathetic. In taking a microscope to issues such as allyship, anti-fatness, anxiety, insecurity, and internalized homophobia, debut author Campbell presents an impassioned homage to queer community and culture that proffers clever and laugh-out-loud explorations of self-expression and acceptance. Characters cue as white. Ages 14–up.