Freaks and Revelations

Davida Hurwin has only written a few books, but among them is the gem Freaks and Revelations.

Doug is only 10 when his brother is shot and killed. He becomes an outcast and starts drinking and doing drugs at a young age until he finds Punk. For Doug, the punk scene is very relatable and he soon finds many others who share his point of view. He takes Punk as an opportunity to do drugs and wreak havoc while justifying it as “rebellion”. Eventually, the darker side of Punk starts to take him over and he becomes a skinhead. On the other side of life, Jason is a 12 year old boy who loves dancing and has minor family problems. One day his parents get divorced and poor Jason is left mostly on his own. He starts taking notice of other boys and decides to tell his family that he’s gay. This prompts his mother to kick him out. Having nowhere to go, Jason finds his way to San Francisco where he starts to hang around the Castro District. Having no other way to make money, Jason finds himself swept up into the dark and dangerous world of prostitution.

The book itself is very interesting because it is told from the perspective of both characters. It tells their tales so that key events in their lives seem to happen at the same time almost. As Jason is kicked out of his house, Doug finds the punk rock movement. The story never leaves you hanging always switching points of view when a characters life might get tedious. Something that struck me as very interesting is during the climax of the story where the two characters meet for the first time, the story switches points of view very quickly, on the same page even to really give the event a real time, blow-by-blow feel. Readers may find themselves feeling strong emotions for either of the characters as they go through hard times in their lives.  Speaking of which, another very interesting talent by the author is to take someone as hating and racist as Doug and really be able to make readers feel for him, right up until the end.

Being based off of a true story, this book is a great read for anyone interested in learning about the struggles of homeless LGBT teens or anyone looking to get a perspective on the other side of the story: Hate. The book is an interesting and captivating tale and readers are going to have a hard time putting this book down.

Book Review by Roan W.