Zach at Risk

By Pamela Shepherd

Thirteen-year-old Zach lives in Seattle with his mom, Patrice, her lesbian partner, Dagg, and their neighbour, Josia, who has the apartment across the hall. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560234660
• ISBN13: 9781560234661
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Harrington Park Pr
• Length: 202 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.8" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Not exactly the Brady Bunch ...

At a time when Congress is being asked to pass a Constitutional amendment to limit the rights of couples who don't meet the conventional definition of "family," it's appropriate to point out a novel that illustrates the strengths (as well as the honest weaknesses) of the alternative extended family of Zach, a biracial teeenager in Seattle. Zach's mother, Patrice, is a emotionally-shaky woman with an addictive personality, who feels that she has failed Zach as a single mother. Her lesbian lover, Dag, is a carnival worker (her nickname comes from experience as a sword swallower) who was abused by her father as a little girl, and is somewhat codependent on Patrice. Their best friend, and Zach's primary male role model, is Joshua, a gay neighbor who owns a video store. Other characters include a blind store owner who gives young Zach a job, a drunk who gets Zach interested in the theatre, and a hispanic gay hustler who befriends Zach in a time of need. I was extremely impressed with the vivid, realistic "warts and all" characterizations in this novel, which made the novel seem like a visit with people you'd like to have known. The book would be appropriate for young as well as older, open-minded readers. I recommend it highly.