"David Jai's debut novel is...a story about overcoming family abuse, finding love, an finally coming to terms with our true selves.  There's so much courage and condor in his writing to admire."

     Questioning personal sexuality is a part of growing up for many people, and the way adults handle this part of a child’s life defines that child forever.     Sometimes, adults get it all wrong.     When Darnell shows gay tendencies at a young age, his father cancels Christmas. Darnell is beaten, mocked, and ridiculed into silence by the adults around him. Finally, when the ultimately unthinkable happens to him at his aunt’s house, he retreats completely into himself. He believes he isn’t worthy of love, and he stops trusting his own emotions.     That’s only the first half of this novel.     David B. Jai has borrowed from real life for this coming of age story full of heartbreak and heroism. The best part of this novel is how it makes the reader feel. Time and again, Jai shows the reader how it feels to lose all faith in everyone, even God, and spiral into raw pain. The words, “Can’t I just be Darnell and every one love and accept me for who I am, or do I have to create some alternative personality just to fit in with everyone?” (Jai, 20) tear at the reader’s heart.     When Darnell is at his lowest, a knight in shining armor swoops in to rescue him, and a revealing friendship is formed. Darnell is taken to places he never knew he wanted to go emotionally, and he experiences healing through his new boyfriend, a high school basketball star. This love affair is a fresh breeze after Darnell’s tragic childhood, and the reader wants it to go on forever. Jai not only describes the beauty and the love shared between the boys, he discusses how that love healed Darnell. This love story reiterates that it doesn’t matter who we love, we just need that love to be a source of goodness and happiness for us. The reader rides the high Jai provides until tragedy strikes again, leaving the reader gutted.     The emotional journeys in this book are highlighted by the fact that the events are things that can happen in every day life. They are part of our societal reality. Jai writes in a way that lets the reader feel everything that happens, hooking the reader until the last emotional minute.     This book is highly recommended. It is Jai’s debut novel, and is not published yet, so watch this page for updates. Get ready for a roller coaster of reality and a raw look into acceptance, mental health, growth, and strength.