Billy's Boy - Softcover

Patricia Nell Warren is the landmark author of some of the most popular gay novels of all time. Each of her books has been a milestone in America’s understanding and acceptance of GBLT themes. Her most beloved work, The Front Runner, has sold an estimated ten million copies in ten languages. The first modern story about gay love to become an international bestseller, Warren’s celebrated saga of an ex-Marine track coach and his Olympics-bound athlete has engaged and inspired both gay and mainstream readers for over a quarter of a century. Warren’s novels have also sold heavily to libraries and are used in numerous college courses. Wildcat Press is Ms. Warren’s exclusive imprint, offering some of the best in enduring gay literature. Established in 1993, the dynamic independent publisher has released both past and present bestsellers, winning it critical acclaim. Current titles include, The Front Runner, Billy’s Boy, Harlan’s Race, The Fancy Dancer, The Beauty Queen, One Is The Sun, and The Wild Man. Dedicated to furthering free speech, Wildcat Press has been one of the plaintiffs for the ACLU in several recent landmark lawsuits, two of which went to the United States Supreme Court. Wildcat maintains that we are all one community regardless of race, creed, or sexual orientation, and that tolerance brings understanding and acceptance.

Twelve-year-old William Heden is at the center of Patricia Nell Warren's latest novel about the struggles facing homosexuals in homophobic America. A sequel to her l974 classic, The Front Runner, and to 1994's Harlan s Race, the book stands alone and can be read without knowledge of Warren's previous stories. Billy's Boy follows adolescent William as he explores his family history and delves into the role anti-gay attitudes have played on the people he lives with. A number of socially relevant themes emerge: the role of the Christian right-wing in forming homophobic attitudes; coming out to friends and family; the role of educational institutions in fostering tolerance for different types of students; and the necessity of creating alternative families for those whose biological kin have rejected them. While Warren's writing is often clunky, and her messages about acceptance, heterosexism and the sexual exploration of young teens are heavy-handed, a wide-range of well-developed characters make the book highly absorbing. In addition, Warren's tremendous empathy for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth - and her obvious experience in working with them - lends both nuance and authenticity to the book's dialogue. William's struggle to understand his own sexual desire as he comes of age will intrigue adolescents as well as adults and should be read by anyone concerned about the pressures facing queer kids as they navigate life in the late 1990's. -- From Independent Publisher