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All the Truth I Can Stand

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
For Ash, life will forever be divided into before and after.
A high school senior, Ash has recently lost his mother and been ostracized by his friends. While working on the local university's production of Oklahoma!, Ash is slowly drawn out of his shell by Jenna, a straight-talking student reporter, and Shane, the star of the show. Shane is talented, magnetic, and
sensitive, but also fragile. As their relationship blossoms, Ash is certain they can heal each other's wounds.
But after Shane is brutally assaulted, his death sparks a national conversation about gay rights. Jenna and Ash find themselves learning truths they'd rather not know and questioning whether they knew Shane at all.
A work of speculative historical fiction, All the Truth I Can Stand reimagines a pivotal moment from the gay rights movement of the 1990s. Author Mason Stokes explores, with great care and empathy, all the good and all the bad that can come to pass when an imperfect person is made into a symbol.
"A buoyant account of first love, made especially poignant by the brutality of what follows. All the Truth I Can Stand is riveting."—Eliot Schrefer, National Book Award Finalist
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 9, 2024
      Stokes reimagines the murder of Matthew Shepard in this speculative historical novel, an auspicious debut. In 1990s Wyoming, 17-year-old Ash is instantly infatuated with 19-year-old Shane, who Ash first sees playing Curly in a production of Oklahoma! Upon meeting at a cast party, sparks ignite, and Shane’s friend Jenna encourages their blossoming relationship. Though the boys start spending more time together, Shane remains cautious about romantic entanglements; Ash laments this and prods Shane into treating him less like a “little brother.” When he learns that Shane has a history of engaging in substance use, including methamphetamines, Ash’s father warns him to stay away from Shane. But as Shane begins exhibiting odd behaviors, Ash and Jenna grow increasingly concerned. Then Shane is assaulted and tied to a fence. His subsequent death is declared a hate crime, and as Ash and Jenna investigate, they learn some uncomfortable truths. Keen prose meditates on the nature of violence fueled by bigotry and its effects, making for a layered and provocative telling that will encourage readers to critically examine their own behaviors and perceptions. An author’s note concludes. Ages 14–up.

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  • English

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