Confessions of a Teenage Drag King
Description
Seventeen-year-old Lauren is trying to navigate the tricky waters of teen romance. From high school to the drag show and back, Lauren must keep up their two personas--Ren, a drag king, and Lauri, a typical student--and come to terms with their feelings both for mixed-race student Clover and their own identity as an LGBTQ+ teen. A realistic but lighthearted exploration of gender and identity, this story is full of colorful, authentic characters, making it a fun and topical read for today's teen readers.
Distributed in the U.S by Lerner Publishing Group
Product Details
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About the Author
MARKUS HARWOOD-JONES is an academic, a visual artist and the author of several short story collections and young adult novels including We Three, Just Julian and Romeo for Real in the Lorimer Real Love series. He is also co-producer of the film Mosaic: A Documentary & Dialogue. Markus currently holds a BA in Sociology, an MA in Gender Studies and is undertaking a Ph.D. at Queen's University. He lives in Toronto.
Reviews
"Unassuming high school senior Lauri lives for the weekends when they can be Ren, their confident and charming drag king alter ego.
One night after an all-ages performance, Ren meets Clover and is immediately smitten. The next day at school, Lauri, now out of drag, meets Clover again. Lauri is sure the only way to win her heart is to do it as Ren. Meanwhile, Ren's drag family is planning a pageant, but Ren is far more interested in wooing Clover than booking acts. Harwood-Jones depicts this little queer community lovingly and veraciously while playfully utilizing and subverting teen romance tropes. As time goes by, Lauri's disinterested loner persona begins to crumble, and Ren's cool-guy act poisons their friendships. The last straw is an audacious performance in which Ren tries to kiss Clover without her consent. Lauri finds themself alone, having pushed away all their friends through their toxicity. The moral is loud and clear but not preachy: Relationships are a two-way street. This hi-lo book is targeted at reluctant readers, though it could easily be enjoyed by any teen looking for queer narratives. Lauri/Ren seems to be White by default; in an ethnically diverse supporting cast, dark-eyed Clover has golden-brown skin.
A fun and authentic queer teen romance."--Kirkus Reviews
-- (10/27/2020 12:00:00 AM)
