First published 2010
Benoit Denizet-Lewis ventures into overlooked spaces where Americans navigate identity and desire. He documents African-American men who maintain sexual relationships with other men while rejecting gay identity. He visits a summer camp designed for pro-life teenagers and enters a New Hampshire community grappling with the suicide of two young brothers. The journalist observes social groups formed by lipstick lesbians and follows a girl who secretly presents as male in middle school. He examines fraternity members confronting sobriety and legally married young gay men whose lives mirror their parents more than expected. Denizet-Lewis reveals how modern dating has shifted toward casual hookups in high school settings. His reporting illuminates the complex ways young Americans experience sexuality and construct identity in contemporary society.
Genres: american-fiction, american, contemporary, social-issues, non-fiction, 21st-century, journalism
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: documentary, observational, social-commentary
Setting: Africa, America, New Hampshire
Period: 21st Century
320 pages · Kindle Edition · Simon & Schuster