Freaks and Revelations
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3.9 • 15 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
This raw, moving novel follows two teenagers-one, a Mohawk-wearing 17-year-old violent misfit; the other, a gay 13-year-old cast out by his family, hustling on the streets and trying to survive. Acclaimed author Davida Wills Hurwin creates a riveting narrative told in alternating perspectives of their lives before and after the violent hate crime that changed both their futures. This tragic but ultimately inspirational journey of two polarized teens, their violent first meeting, and their peaceful reunion years later is an unforgettable story of survival and forgiveness.
This story is inspired by the real lives of Matthew Boger and Timothy Zaal, who have shared their story on The Oprah Winfrey Show and NPR.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Inspired by the true story of a vicious hate crime in Los Angeles in 1980, Hurwin (Circle the Soul Softly) traces the converging paths of two teenage boys. Thrown out of his home for being gay, 13-year-old Jason lives on the streets, where he turns tricks and finds community, but is later brutally beaten and left for dead. Though he survives, he is forever changed by that hatred ("Before the alley, I didn't understand that people could stop being human and still live"). Doug lives with an abusive dad and racist family that, along with his embrace of punk culture, help form his skinhead roots. Hurwin's descriptions of Doug's addiction to violence are especially riveting ("getting hit more and more, hitting back and feeling how that is, my fist on their flesh, always forward. It's awesome"), giving readers insight into the 17-year-old who savagely beats Jason, believing that he killed him. Sympathetic to both characters without shying away from brutality physical or emotional the finely crafted story leads to a powerful climax of hope and redemption that will stay with readers. Ages 15 up.
Customer Reviews
I can't think of what to title this so this is the title I thought of :)
I liked this book a lot although it had a lot of violence in it one side of the story, it shows a story of two kids growing up in a changing family, two families that are pretty much falling apart, both kids trying to find their place in the world and just trying to be themselves despite what others think. Two completely different kids with completely different views. They end up having a violent encounter that changes life for the both of them. Then they end up meeting years later, both of them changed, in a much more friendly environment. Great story I would definitely read it again.