Hurwin, Davida Wills. Freaks and Revelations. Little, Brown and Company, 2009. $16.99. ISBN: 9780316049962.

Davida Hurwin’s Freaks and Revelations outlines, in alternating chapters, how two teens from different, but equally painful backgrounds come to meet in a violent attack in Southern California.

At 10, Doug’s older brother, Carl, is shot by a black man, which fuels the already racist leanings of their parents. He begins to drink and use drugs at an early age, and becomes more distant from his parents, and more disaffected with life. Only when he discovers the Punk rock scene does he begin to feel connected to anything. Unfortunately, it is the more violent and extreme aspects of the scene that entice him. That, combined with the racist attitudes he was raised by, influences Doug’s decision to become a skinhead.

Jason’s family is equally problematic, and when his parents divorce, his mother suddenly becomes very pious and strict. Meanwhile, at 12, Jason is beginning to notice other boys in dance class. But when he comes out at a family meeting, his father walks out, and his mother kicks him out, leaving Jason with no idea of what to do other than go first to San Francisco’s Castro District, and then later to L.A. Jason resists turning tricks as long as he can, but soon finds himself over his head, using drugs and getting into dangerous situations with older men.

One night, Doug and his friends, high and angry, decide to go out queer bashing. They find Jason with a friend at a restaurant that they consider to be their territory. Jason is chased into an alley, where Doug and his friends beat him and leave him for dead.

Hurwin’s thought-provoking novel is based on a true story, and she presents both characters sympathetically and powerfully. Freaks and Revelations would make an excellent discussion choice, useful in a variety of classroom settings, or as a book-group read.

Reviewed by Nancy Silverrod