Surviving high school: three out novelists talk about the rewards of writing books for teens discovering their sexuality.(books)

Publication: The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine)

Publication Date: 14-OCT-03

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In high school, Alex Sanchez says, he was "closeted and shut down." But he found comfort in the library. "Librarians know us," says Sanchez. "I've heard from some that when they find a misshelved book that's gay-themed, they leave it where it is--because they know that some kid is coming back to keep reading it in secret." These days, Sanchez and other out writers are breaking the silence with smart novels for gay and questioning teens.

"You've helped change the world," says a lesbian high school teacher to a gay male student who has just come out under difficult circumstances in Sanchez's forthcoming Rainbow High (Simon and Schuster, $16.95). This simple, truthful moment doesn't shout its message, and that's what makes it so...

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