Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the advance reader copy Brave Face by awesome diverse author, Shaun David Hutchinson, in exchange for an honest review. I could not put down this book; this memoir was searing; Shaun suffered so much as a teen and young adult because he did not have enough faith in himself as a guy who realizes he is gay and how to handle being gay as a teen, son, and friend. Shaun takes the reader through his self-hatred, his preconceived notions, and how depression bullied him into believing no one would ever love him. I was so glad for his best friend, Maddie and his English teacher who encouraged him to continue to write and urged him to accept himself. Even at his lowest, Shaun continued to hold out hope that he would find happiness. He is a talented YA writer; teens love his books and they will most certainly identify with his anger, insecurities, and his feeling of being overwhelmed and misunderstood. This is a must read for teens; about gender and differences, the formal and informal messages Shaun received and how they empowered him and also caused him to live/believe in a world where bullying, AIDS, and gender stereotyping made him question himself over and over again as a queer/gay teen and young man. Highly recommended.

Brave Face is a powerful, painful personal journey. As I read it, I thought of students who are wrestling with their own sexuality and with possible depression, and I wondered if Shaun David Hutchinson’s story would help them feel seen and understood. I think so, although I also wish he had shared more light and hope and success spliced in. He refers to it at the end, as I knew he would. Sharing his story is important. I grew weary in the middle of the book, though, and skimmed pages when I felt like the same rhetorical questions repeated. I would be sad if someone who really needs to get to the success at the end gave up halfway through.