A QUESTION OF MANHOOD

A QUESTION OF MANHOOD
Robin Reardon

16-year-old Paul’s world collapses when his brother is killed in action in Vietnam. Chris had recently confessed to Paul that he was gay and begged him not to tell their parents. Paul sinks into delinquency as his parents mourn and praise their dead son and make Paul feel as though he does nothing right. Forced to spend the summer working in the family-owned pet shop, Paul must train the new kid, JJ O’Neil. JJ surprises Paul in two ways: he effortlessly calms and trains aggressive dogs; and he’s gay. Through JJ, Paul soon begins to become the man he wants to be.

314 pages, paperback