Two excerpts from letters are poignant examples: At the heart of a number of coming out stories, one particular theme began to emerge. Like sand in an oyster, layer after layer of ochre may produce a pearl, but in the beginning it’s only a mass of guts and goo.Īfter my young adult lesbian love story, Keeping You a Secret, was published, I was overwhelmed with the passionate response from readers. It’s hard to know the precise moment when an idea implants onto your subconscious and begins to grow. What was your inspiration for creating this book?

See more of my thoughts on Far From Xanadu. Barriers that can be broken and those that should be respected. A story of family, friendship, and unrequinted love. Only problem? Mike’s gay and Xanadu’s…not. Mike falls fast, and the two seem to connect. The most beautiful, smart-ass, conflicted girl in the world. Between working out, playing softball, and keeping up the plumbing business her dad left behind, Mike’s days in Coalton, Kansas are if not full, at least familiar. (Jan.Far From Xanadu by Julie Anne Peters (Little Brown, 2005). Readers may find some plotting heavy-handed (such as Daelyn's growing friendship with a boy who really wants to live), but even so, this book and its open-ended conclusion will challenge teens to think about the impact of bullying-including cyberbullying-and Through-the-Light's controversial stance that “self-termination is your right.” Ages 14–up. ) doesn't pull any punches (Through-the-Light details various suicide methods, each with an effectiveness rating, and the users' stories are painfully real). Through Daelyn's rants in the site's forums and in her embittered internal narrative, readers will come to understand her struggles (from being molested in the boys' bathroom to being sent to fat camp) and see people trying to connect with her, including offbeat Santana, who is dealing with his own pain-cancer. Although rules state that “articipants may not attempt to dissuade or discourage self-termination,” the site does send provoking questions so she can think through her choice. After a few suicide attempts, the most recent of which left her unable to speak, teenage narrator Daelyn joins a Web site called Through-the-Light, which gives her 23 days to prepare for death.

Far from Xanadu by Julie Anne Peters