Book Description
for Deposing Nathan by Zack Smedley
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
A few weeks ago, Nate beat his former best friend, Cam, half to death; in retaliation, Cam stabbed Nate in the stomach with a shard of broken pottery. How did it come to this? In his deposition, Nate tells the story of their tumultuous relationship. Quiet, rule-following Nate, who lives with his often- working father and controlling Aunt Lori, is drawn to Cam’s exuberance and intelligence. When their relationship turns physical, Cam decides to come out as bisexual, while Nate struggles to integrate his new knowledge of himself with his Catholic faith and self-image. But as it turns out, there are more forces than just internalized biphobia working against them, and with Cam’s urging, Nate’s testimony begins to shed a light on family secrets that have remained hidden for far too long. Tense, compelling, and heartrending, this novel featuring two white teens puts a whole new twist on the classic coming-out tale. (Age 13 and older)
CCBC Choices 2020. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2020. Used with permission.