Booklist review – Gr. 11^-up. Chandler uses real-life experiences to illuminate three phases of homosexual life: becoming aware of one's homosexuality, coming out, and becoming part of the local gay/lesbian community. He focuses on six young gays and lesbians as each goes through the various phases: for example, we learn about Derek and the "science of living in the closet" in the book's section about awareness, and about Tara's discovery that there's "nothing wrong with being queer" in the section about community. Interspersed among these personal stories are chapters tagged "sidebars" and "codas" in which Chandler discusses topics such as resiliency, coming out, and a son's liberation (a particularly moving coda). The book does a wonderful job of identifying and relating a spectrum of gay and lesbian life experiences, but because it's written somewhat like a sociological tract, it will be of most interest to mature older teens (and adults).