Trevor: a novella

Description

Trevor is an exuberant, sociable, and witty thirteen year old. So how come, when he takes thatnerve-wracking turn toward his locker at school, he feels scared and alone? Shunned by his friends, misunderstood by his parents, and harrassed at school for being different, Trevor goes from wondering whatcolor glitter to choose for his Lady Gaga costume at Halloween, to wondering why some feelings "are sointense it makes you just want to lay down and die rather than go on feeling it," and making an attempt on his life.Trevormixes humor and realism in an urgent look at what it is like to feel alienated from everythingaround you. And more importantly, what critical ties can step in at the most unlikely moment, to save you fromdespair, and give you reason to go on living. Trevoris an update of the film version of the story, directed by Peggy Rajski, which won the Academy Awardfor Best Live Action Short in 1994. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisisintervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning youth.As the recent attention to youth suicides has received increased media attention, and Dan Savage's IT GETSBETTER campaign has gone viral around the world, the public is finally beginning to face hard facts.Thirty-three percent of suicides among teenagers involve LGBTQ youth, one-third of all LGBT kids reporthaving attempted suicide, and nine out of ten report overt harassment at school.Trevoris an effort to makethose kids feel loved and supported, so they will find the strength to go on living.

JAMES LECESNE is co-founder of The Trevor Project, the only nationwide 24-hour crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for LGBT and Questioning teens. He has published two young adult novels, Absolute Brightness and Virgin Territory. His solo show, Word of Mouth, was awarded both a NY Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award. Lecesne lives in New York.

"Lecesne has updated Trevor's world from the original story, incorporating modern elements like Gaga and Facebook while still maintaining the innocence and optimism that makes the teen so lovable and sympathetic." -Daily Xtra "A beautiful, moving, funny, original book is rare at any time. A beautiful, moving, funny, original book that can dramatically alter young lives arrives about as often as the blooming of the century plant. Trevor is not only a remarkable book, it's an important book." -Michael Cunningham "Lecesne nails Trevor's personality and voice, a combination of self-assuredness, sharp humor, and enthusiasm. The author also contributes pencil drawings that are as affecting as the prose; the gentleness of his shading echoes Trevor's softness, which the world is more than ready to harden." -Publishers Weekly "Trevor is important because its protagonist does not represent a single character, but serves as a vessel for the joy, despair, and alienation that LGBTQ youth can encounter every day at school and at home." -Porter Square Books Blog "Trevor's story is ot a sad, cautionary tale-it's about love and resilience." -Teen Vogue