Holden Sheppard had a pretty shit homophobic experience with a bookseller at a conference recently. He posted about it on his Instagram – you can read the details there. As I was searching for my next read this morning, I spotted his book on my shelf and figured now is as good a time as any to check it out.

Well. I am destroyed by Invisible Boys. The story of three guys who attend the same small-town catholic school, all with different backgrounds and experiences, but all with a secret they want desperately to hide about themselves. This book is written from alternating perspectives, and Sheppard balances the representation of three very different characters with similar inner turmoils beautifully. This isn’t a pleasant book to read – but it’s not supposed to be. It’s powerful, and important, and it makes me think about the people I knew in my small-town catholic school. A few of my school friends came out as gay either at school or years after, and I know for some of them it was way harder than it should have been. I think about the students I teach, and I’m reminded how important it is that they all feel seen, and more importantly that they all feel SAFE to be seen. If you’re a teacher or TL, I can’t recommend this highly enough. It might be a little full-on or graphic to teach in your school context – you’ll have to be the judge of that. But it’s an important read, and a compelling narrative. Life shouldn’t be like this. No one deserves to feel invisible.