Surrender Your Sons

Product Description

Surrender Your Sons is an LGBTQ+ YA mystery / thriller that expertly blends together humor, horror, and heart, in a wholly unique read like no other. A blend of Lost and Lord of the Flies … just with gay teenagers taking the horrors of the world head on.
A 2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist, Young Adult Fiction
A 2020 Booklist Top 10 First Novels for Youth selection
A 2020 Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Books selection
Connor Major’s summer break is turning into a nightmare.
His SAT scores bombed, the old man he delivers meals to died, and when he came out to his religious zealot mother, she had him kidnapped and shipped off to a secluded island. His final destination: Nightlight Ministries, a conversion therapy camp that will be his new home until he “changes.” But Connor’s troubles are only beginning. At Nightlight, everyone has something to hide—from the campers to the “converted” staff and cagey camp director—and it quickly becomes clear that no one is safe. Connor plans to escape and bring the other kidnapped teens with him. But first, he’s exposing the camp’s horrible truths for what they are—and taking this place down.

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Connor Major’s boyfriend convinced him to come out to his mom before he was ready, despite his fear of her reaction. Instead of the acceptance and support he was hoping for, Connor, who is white, finds himself kidnapped in the middle of the night and brought to a religious conversion camp on an island. At Nightlight, which is run by the overbearing black-bearded Reverend from his hometown, Connor discovers the camp, which is run more like a prison with a dark past, is not what it seems, and he meets other teens who have been suffering at the hands of the camp’s staff. Connor is desperate to save himself from the island and to uncover the truth of what the Reverend is hiding at Nightlight. This is a thriller with queer protagonists and villains, and as per the author’s note, it is “not about queer pain” despite all of the queer characters in the book suffering at the hands of others. Representation matters, and many LGBTQ+ readers may see their own stories reflected in this novel. There are many slurs to be aware of in the text and the sexual content makes it more appropriate for older audiences. VERDICT A must-have for high school collections that are looking to provide representation for all their students, especially those experiencing pain in their journey of coming out.-Erica Coonelly, Monroe Township M.S., NJα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

“Hard to read story, hard-to-stop-reading writing.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“An impressive, dynamic, and riveting debut!”—Booklist, starred review

“Messages about struggles with internalized homophobia and the world’s treatment of those who are different ring true.”—Publisher’s Weekly

“A must-have for high school collections that are looking to provide representation for all their students, especially those experiencing pain in their journey of coming out.”—School Library Journal

About the Author

Adam began writing books in Sharpie on the backs of Starbucks pastry bags. (He s sorry it distracted him from making your latte.) Raised in an Illinois farm town, his desire for a creative career took him to Chicago, New York, and currently, Los Angeles. He is a Creative Producer for ATTN:, an issues-driven social media video creator. He interviewed conversion therapy survivors for a video promoting Focus Features Boy Erased it has garnered over 1.6 million views.