Critically Acclaimed Novel for Teens Brings Attention to Bullying and Hate Crimes

    GRIFFIN, GA, October 03, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Mesmerized, a young adult novel by award-winning author David-Matthew Barnes, tells the story of seventeen-year-old Serena Albright who is searching for comfort for the grief and guilt she feels over the brutal death of her gay older brother, the victim of a hate crime. Frustrated that her deep-in-denial parents spend endless hours in front of the television and refuse to acknowledge the death of their son, Serena accepts the challenge to have a face-to-face meeting with the boy who killed her brother.

Set in Sacramento in the summer of 1986 and published in November 2010 by Bold Strokes Books, Mesmerized is experiencing a second wave of renewed interest amongst young readers.

"The author presents a vivid and realistic telling of the emotions and unfortunate realities that can face a teenager in reconciling his sexuality, as well as the confrontations this can cause with others," reviewer Bob Lind writes about Mesmerized.

Other critics have also taken notice of the optimistic tone of the novel. "There is a wonderful resounding theme through out: sometimes you have to be brave enough to love and forgive. You won't grasp these words completely unless you read this entire heartrending story," says Queer Magazine Online.

On writing the novel, author Barnes says, "Thirteen years after the murder of Matthew Shepard, we now grieve for Lawrence King, Angie Zapata, Sean Kennedy, Jamey Rodemeyer, and countless others who names we may never know. It's for them that I wrote Mesmerized."

In addition to writing novels and stage plays, Barnes is a faculty member at a two-year technical college in rural Georgia. There, many of his students have read the novel. As a result, Barnes is now the advisor for the first-ever Gay Straight Alliance on campus.

"When I receive an email from a young person who has read the book, it puts everything into perspective for me about the power of the written word," says Barnes. "Already, this novel has become the most important work of my career."

For more information about Bold Strokes Books, please visit www.boldstrokesbooks.com.
For more information about David-Matthew Barnes, please visit: www.davidmatthewbarnes.com.

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