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In Our Midst — Martha Johnson
Stanton, Indiana, in 1990, is a town in which people love their kids, joke with their mayor, attend church and support the Wood Carving Festival. But, this is not a Norman Rockwell setting. The Gulf War is breaking out, Ryan White lived nearby, and AIDS is sweeping the nation.
Yet, Stanton does not appear to have any gay or lesbian people, or so it seems to Victor Beck, who worries about his attraction to boys. He distracts himself with his photography and tries to push aside his mother's interest in his social life. As high school life unfolds, Victor meets a new girl in town and begins to wonder if he has it wrong. Could he like Bridget in "that way"?
For her part, Bridget is learning her way around Stanton, having just moved from Chicago with her mom and sister. While mourning her father who died of cancer, she clings to friends with loyalty and compassion that will soon be tested.
Meanwhile, a second and earlier story unfolds of a Korean War soldier, Vaughn Evanston, who died the day he returned home to Stanton. His grieving parents learn that he had a gay lover and their response fuels cycles of secrecy, love, and grief that propel the story forward.
The stories of Victor and Vaughn become entwined and the good people of Stanton have to wrestle with their history and prejudices as well as their commitment to their children.
"In Our Midst" is general interest fiction that exposes the raw vein of homophobia in our society. The book's ensemble cast of sympathetic characters is recognizable to all of us. The nuanced writing, the staccato events, and the multi-layer plot keep the reader fending off interruptions and turning the pages.
The LGBT community, the faith community, parents, mentors, teachers, and teens will find In Our Midst of particular value but it is the general public that will find satisfaction in a good yarn that suddenly means so much more.
Yet, Stanton does not appear to have any gay or lesbian people, or so it seems to Victor Beck, who worries about his attraction to boys. He distracts himself with his photography and tries to push aside his mother's interest in his social life. As high school life unfolds, Victor meets a new girl in town and begins to wonder if he has it wrong. Could he like Bridget in "that way"?
For her part, Bridget is learning her way around Stanton, having just moved from Chicago with her mom and sister. While mourning her father who died of cancer, she clings to friends with loyalty and compassion that will soon be tested.
Meanwhile, a second and earlier story unfolds of a Korean War soldier, Vaughn Evanston, who died the day he returned home to Stanton. His grieving parents learn that he had a gay lover and their response fuels cycles of secrecy, love, and grief that propel the story forward.
The stories of Victor and Vaughn become entwined and the good people of Stanton have to wrestle with their history and prejudices as well as their commitment to their children.
"In Our Midst" is general interest fiction that exposes the raw vein of homophobia in our society. The book's ensemble cast of sympathetic characters is recognizable to all of us. The nuanced writing, the staccato events, and the multi-layer plot keep the reader fending off interruptions and turning the pages.
The LGBT community, the faith community, parents, mentors, teachers, and teens will find In Our Midst of particular value but it is the general public that will find satisfaction in a good yarn that suddenly means so much more.
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