The shared heart : portraits and stories celebrating lesbian, gay, and… (edition 1997)

The Shared Heart by Adam Mastoon is a collection of essays written by LGBTQ teens about their “coming out” experiences. A picture of each author and a blurb written in the author’s handwriting accompanies each essay. Some of the stories are happy with kids coming out to supportive parents who love and adore them and others are heartbreaking, worst-case scenarios. I think the power of this book lies in its honesty; these are real stories, written by real teens. LGBTQ teens desperately need real role models and real situations to ponder and discuss. I would highly recommend The Shared Heart to any teen, LGBTQ or not, to provide a needed perspective into the lives of others. ( )