This is a non-fiction book. It is a book about teenaged Shaun going to high school and college in the 90s and trying to find out who he truly is and how to "correctly" identify as gay in a world and a time where being gay was dangerous and misinformed. As the author said, "I was just a confused kid who'd learned the vocabulary of being gay from a world that hated fags." I think that sentence sums up this memoir quite nicely. How can you learn to love yourself when you're growing up in a world that wants you to think the opposite?

So yes, this leads to a very dark, very raw, very open memoir from the author talking about his depression and his identity crisis. He very kindly warns you about the triggering content you will encounter within the book's pages and even tells you where to flip forward to if you don't want to handle his chapter about his attempt to commit suicide.

Mock Printz review:
This is a great book to have available to teens or any young adult even feeling or encountering a smidge of what Shaun talks about in his book, but is it Printz worthy? No. I don't believe this book reaches out to a very wide audience and wouldn't draw in readers from outside of the genre. It's a guide and a lifeboat for those suffering from depression and self-worth and an identity as a queer teen. It's well written, inspiring even I, an avid avoider of nonfiction, to read and finish, but I like to read. This would be difficult for a reluctant reader to finish. It also handles some very heavy material and limits the reader age to a more mature audience.