From Boys to Men

Acclaimed authors reflect on what it’s like to be gay and young, to be different, and to be aware of that difference from an early age.

More than an anthology of coming out stories, From Boys to Men is a stunning collection of essays about what it is like to be gay and young, to be different and be aware of that difference from the earliest of ages. In these memoirs, coming out is less important than coming of age and coming to the realization that young gay people experience the world in ways quite unlike straight boys. Whether it is a fascination with soap opera, an intense sensitivity to their own difference, or an obsession with a certain part of the male anatomy, gay kids—or kids who would eventually identify as gay—have an indefinable but unmistakable gay sensibility. Sometimes the result is funny, sometimes it is harrowing, and often it is deeply moving.

Essays by lauded writers like Alexander Chee (Edinburgh), Aaron Hamburger (Faith for Beginners), K. M. Soehnlein (The World of Normal Boys), Trebor Healey (Through It Came Bright Colors), Tom Dolby (The Trouble Boy), David Bahr, and Austin Bunn, are collected along with work from Michael McAllister, Jason Tougaw, Viet Dinh, and the popular blogger, Joe Jervis.