LGBT

We Are Lost and Found

We Are Lost and Found

  • Downloads：1648
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-03 09:54:57
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Helene Dunbar
  • ISBN：1728206995
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A poignant， heartbreaking， and uplifting， story in the tradition of The Perks of Being a Wallflower about three friends coming-of-age in the early 1980s as they struggle to forge their own paths in the face of fear of the unknown。

Michael is content to live in the shadow of his best friends， James， an enigmatic teen performance artist who everyone wants and no one can have and Becky， who calls things as she sees them， while doing all she can to protect those she loves。 His brother， Connor， has already been kicked out of the house for being gay and laying low seems to be his only chance to avoid the same fate。

To pass the time before graduation， Michael hangs out at The Echo where he can dance and forget about his father's angry words， the pressures of school， and the looming threat of AIDS， a disease that everyone is talking about， but no one understands。

Then he meets Gabriel， a boy who actually sees him。 A boy who， unlike seemingly everyone else in New York City， is interested in him and not James。 And Michael has to decide what he's willing to risk to be himself。

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Reviews

Emely ，

4。5⭐This felt like reading a strangers diary but it also felt like he was looking into my heart and my thoughts and sometimes I thought I was reading my own。 This was just such a personal read to me and I loved it well。 This book counts as a 'must read' book in my opinion。 4。5⭐This felt like reading a strangers diary but it also felt like he was looking into my heart and my thoughts and sometimes I thought I was reading my own。 This was just such a personal read to me and I loved it well。 This book counts as a 'must read' book in my opinion。 。。。more

Calvin ，

"Everyone has a story， Michael。 Maybe you just don't know the plot of yours yet。" "Everyone has a story， Michael。 Maybe you just don't know the plot of yours yet。" 。。。more

Crow Reichardt ，

Pretty decent

Megan Shamy ，

This was a good story about three friends discovering themselves in the 1980s。 Where each one has to deal with different family matters at home。 The main one being gay and not accepted by there father。 This book was a little all over the place at times it was hard to keep up。 There was always so much happening especially since it was a short timeline。 It was a good book， just not amazing。

Maya Tarud ，

3。5

Juliana Silveira ，

4。5 so beautiful it made my heart ache

stefansbooks ，

I finished this book and wow！ It was incredible。 So emotional。 Heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time。 I’m just gonna say that it is a lot sadder， and the setting is much darker （1983 - NYC， AIDS epidemic）， than your typical YA Contemporary books。The writing was beautiful。 Unique， and slightly weird during the first 40-50 pages， but once you get used to it， you cannot help but admit that it’s simply beautiful。 It reminded me so much of the writing style of We Contain Multitudes， and it made I finished this book and wow！ It was incredible。 So emotional。 Heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time。 I’m just gonna say that it is a lot sadder， and the setting is much darker （1983 - NYC， AIDS epidemic）， than your typical YA Contemporary books。The writing was beautiful。 Unique， and slightly weird during the first 40-50 pages， but once you get used to it， you cannot help but admit that it’s simply beautiful。 It reminded me so much of the writing style of We Contain Multitudes， and it made me so happy， because while that one was incredibly problematic， this was the exact opposite of problematic！！I also appreciated how the author kept this book short and precise。 She didn’t fall into the trap of filling pages just to “hit a mark”。 I felt in love with all of the characters。 And I most of all cannot get over Michael’s and James’s friendship。 It was nice seeing a YA book not “ship” and “force into a couple” two best friends。Last， but not least: this was extremely eye-opening and educational。 It’s really nice living in 2021 and thinking that every single person in the LGBTQ+ community was born in this era of （mostly） acceptance and love。 It’s really hard for us， today， to understand that it wasn’t always like this。 People had to FIGHT for their rights， and thus for ours too！ While we may not live in a perfect world， it’s definitely a lot better than the one Michael lived in 1982/3。 TW/CW: homophobia， homophobic slurs， racism， violence （beating up scene）， death & suffering caused by STDs。Representation: LGBTQ+ （gay MC + side characters） characters， BIPOC （side characters）。 。。。more

Teara Clayton ，

If life wasn’t interrupting my reading time， I would have finished this book in one sitting。 As first， I wonder how did a writer in Nashville， was able to capture a glimpse of New York City in the beginning stages of the AIDS epidemic？ How was she was to perfectly get the scene of the LQBTQ community during this time？ What people were going through and how they had to hide？ The fear of the unknown？ The cost of coming out and saying this is who you are， as a young adult？ Then I found out that she If life wasn’t interrupting my reading time， I would have finished this book in one sitting。 As first， I wonder how did a writer in Nashville， was able to capture a glimpse of New York City in the beginning stages of the AIDS epidemic？ How was she was to perfectly get the scene of the LQBTQ community during this time？ What people were going through and how they had to hide？ The fear of the unknown？ The cost of coming out and saying this is who you are， as a young adult？ Then I found out that she worked with Ron Goldberg （look him up if you don’t know） and it all made sense。 I loved reading this coming to age book and the characters in it。 Each one shares a different perspective or lens， of what the City was like in 1983 and some of it’s hardships。 This book definitely gave me Perks of Being a Wallflower vibes and that’s one of my top five favorite books。 。。。more

Lauren ，

Raw expression of chosen family。 Slightly slow start。 Overall 4/5

noor ，

I cannot get over the lack of quotation marks， I am not going to do this to myself

reese collins ，

I think this is the first book I read set right around the AIDS crisis， and I think it did a pretty good job of encapsulating that feeling。Michael Bartolomeo lives vicariously through his friends， James and Becky， with their own relationships and interests; and his brother， Connor who was kicked out of the house for being gay。 He soon finds himself at The Echo， a bar where he seemingly embodies a different person and is able to be himself without the impending fear of his family's rejection and I think this is the first book I read set right around the AIDS crisis， and I think it did a pretty good job of encapsulating that feeling。Michael Bartolomeo lives vicariously through his friends， James and Becky， with their own relationships and interests; and his brother， Connor who was kicked out of the house for being gay。 He soon finds himself at The Echo， a bar where he seemingly embodies a different person and is able to be himself without the impending fear of his family's rejection and AIDS surrounding him。There， he meets Gabriel。 A boy who makes him feel butterflies in his stomach， and makes him feel seen。 Perhaps this is what love is all about， but to what extent is he willing to risk his life to finally be himself？"How do I live my life without becoming a statistic？"I think this story is a perfect encapsulation of being a coming-of-age story that talks about what first love is and the risks of having your first love amidst an epidemic that nobody knows how is spread。 I do think the Afterword and a few key scenes were done really well in this book that just drove home the point of the club scene and the unanimous fight towards justice and even attention from the government。I guess my qualms for this book come in the form of the writing style and Becky？ She feels like the least likeable character aside from the literal homophobe in Michael's household。 She is largely self-serving and does nothing for the story aside from mildly irritate Michael which makes her even more annoying to me。As for the writing style， I got so lost by the lack of quotation marks。 But more so by how the story was broken up and told？ I feel like a lot of coming-of-age stories dictate too much what's happening around them without bits of introspection that motivates the character's metamorphosis， and this falls into that category。At times it felt a little disjointed because right as you'd reach an emotional climax， Michael was already on about other things。 I think my biggest problem about this book was how it didn't deal with emotions too well， which could be said for a 16 year old， but I'm going to chalk it up to the writing style because it's really unclear。 I couldn't draw lines as to when Michael was feeling large amounts of fear or love or excitement， it just felt a bit monotonous。But the juxtaposition of the situations around him and his personal situation I'd say was done fairly well。 The contrast of his and Gabriel's relationship to Becky and Andy or to Connor and Maurice。 His fear to James's and Connor's confidence。 It definitely was nice to see how his environment played into his development at the end。Overall， I'd give it a 3。5 because I think the afterword and the character development was fairly clear， but I would advise against the monotonous and apathetic writing style and let go of one of his friends。 。。。more

Jonah ，

This book almost。。 ALMOST made me cry :）

G。 ，

I had a hard time reading this book。 Not because it’s bad， because it mirrors too well what I lived through。 I was James or Connors age when the book was set。 This book brought back many memories， good and bad。

Katty （Libros y Risas） ，

3，5 🌟

Shreya ，

4。7

Ida ，

While I really enjoyed the friendship between Becky， James and Michael， the writing style and lack of qoutation marks was the reason for this low rating。 I was never fully into the story and while it's not a bad book， It was not for me。 I also found out that this book was written by a straight woman and while not all books need to be own-voices， this topic feels like one that I'd rather read from someone that truly was affected。 While I really enjoyed the friendship between Becky， James and Michael， the writing style and lack of qoutation marks was the reason for this low rating。 I was never fully into the story and while it's not a bad book， It was not for me。 I also found out that this book was written by a straight woman and while not all books need to be own-voices， this topic feels like one that I'd rather read from someone that truly was affected。 。。。more

gabbie ，

3，5 ⭐️

Blue ，

3。7 stars。 //If I find the inspo to sit down and spill my thoughts， I'll write a review that no one asked for。 3。7 stars。 //If I find the inspo to sit down and spill my thoughts， I'll write a review that no one asked for。 。。。more

Devanshi ，

audiobook I want to change the world， he says， horrified。 I want be true to myself。 I have no wish to be in a box。

Szymon ，

How do I live my life without becoming a statistic？OOF。 This was amazing。 Set in New York in 1983， this novel follows a year in the life of Micheal， his brother Connor， his best friend and theatre prodigy James， and his other best friend Becky。 Typical coming of age， filled with love and identity formation， but set right in the middle of the AIDS epidemic。This novel hit so many spots， and I can imagine it being so educational for young queer people。 It features heartwrenching details but wit How do I live my life without becoming a statistic？OOF。 This was amazing。 Set in New York in 1983， this novel follows a year in the life of Micheal， his brother Connor， his best friend and theatre prodigy James， and his other best friend Becky。 Typical coming of age， filled with love and identity formation， but set right in the middle of the AIDS epidemic。This novel hit so many spots， and I can imagine it being so educational for young queer people。 It features heartwrenching details but without a single touch of tragedy porn。 The main character， Michael， struggles to come out in his traditional household， especially after witnessing his brother Connor being kicked out of the house for doing the same thing。 Adding to that， his first experiences with love and lust are soured by the everlasting dread and the constant possibility of becoming sick。 There are only hints at the lack of information due to the oppressive and homophobic politics of the time but they stick out。 Multiple characters are hinted at potentially being sick， but nothing is confirmed and the reader， just like Michael is left hanging: maybe things will work out， maybe Micheal will grow old， maybe the hookup didn't lie about being healthy。 But we won't know。Highly recommend to anyone in need for queer YA， though the representation is rather 'lacking' in 2021 standards （as most AIDS-centric narratives it largely focuses on gay men）。 Pairs well with BBC's It's a Sin mini-series， since both manage to feature highs next to the lows （though the series is heavy in some of its portrayals so be warned）。 。。。more

Anni ，

this would have been an easy 5 star read if it wouldn’t have been for the lack of quotation marks。 And well， the lack of emotions on some parts。

melanie patrizi ，

iron sky - paolo nutinimichael should've left gabriel in the past fr iron sky - paolo nutinimichael should've left gabriel in the past fr 。。。more

charlotte ，

3。5

Elin Nilsson ，

1。5 （not sure whether to round up or down）This character driven story has no interesting characters whatsoever。 The characters were not well-developed and I didn’t care for them at all。Michael had no personality。 We were told he loved music， but that was it。 I understand he didn’t exactly know who he was， but still。Becky （spelling？ I listened to the audiobook lol） only had two personality traits: 1） she had a boyfriend and 2） her mother was an addict。 James was the most manic pixie dream boy cha 1。5 （not sure whether to round up or down）This character driven story has no interesting characters whatsoever。 The characters were not well-developed and I didn’t care for them at all。Michael had no personality。 We were told he loved music， but that was it。 I understand he didn’t exactly know who he was， but still。Becky （spelling？ I listened to the audiobook lol） only had two personality traits: 1） she had a boyfriend and 2） her mother was an addict。 James was the most manic pixie dream boy character I’ve ever read。It’s not a bad book， it’s just definitely not a book for me。 I did like the afterword a lot though。 And it got me through a rainy day at work， so that’s that。 。。。more

Trigger Warning Database ，

Trigger & Content WarningsRacismSlut shamingHomomisiaComing out themesHIV/AIDSAlcohol consumptionBullying

Des ，

7，57 on CAWPILE tw / homophobia， gay bashingBeautifully written， the writing captures the way Michael feels like an outsider so well。 I think it's a important read focussing on the aids crisis in the 80's。 7，57 on CAWPILE tw / homophobia， gay bashingBeautifully written， the writing captures the way Michael feels like an outsider so well。 I think it's a important read focussing on the aids crisis in the 80's。 。。。more

Esther Rockenbach ，

i was so excited for this book because it’s such an important subject， but i was sadly disappointed。 first of all， like many have pointed out already， the writing style is just a big NO。 second of all， the way the story is told makes you feel like you’re just getting little updates on the characters life’s and not actually reading about their stories， which makes it difficult to get any sort of attachment to any of them。 and lastly， it’s just painful to read about everything that’s going on at t i was so excited for this book because it’s such an important subject， but i was sadly disappointed。 first of all， like many have pointed out already， the writing style is just a big NO。 second of all， the way the story is told makes you feel like you’re just getting little updates on the characters life’s and not actually reading about their stories， which makes it difficult to get any sort of attachment to any of them。 and lastly， it’s just painful to read about everything that’s going on at the time without an ounce of hope for the main character to have something good finally happen to him。 idk maybe it just wasn’t for me， but yeah， that’s how i felt about the book （very eloquent， i know） 。。。more

rikajewellee ，

3。5

Kyla De Vera ，

This book was really good。 It speaks about a really important topic and shows the turmoil young adults had to face at the time this took place in。 It wasn’t perfect， but not everything needs to be perfect to be good。

Lauren Folsom ，

Quick summary: coming of age in NYC， in the 80's， as gay， as the AIDS epidemic comes to light。Now I read this directly following RW&RB， so I think anything in comparison is a let down。 I think this book had some really good moments， where the found family， self discovery， and romance plots all shined through but overall it was just kinda meh。 Quick summary: coming of age in NYC， in the 80's， as gay， as the AIDS epidemic comes to light。Now I read this directly following RW&RB， so I think anything in comparison is a let down。 I think this book had some really good moments， where the found family， self discovery， and romance plots all shined through but overall it was just kinda meh。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=We Are Lost and Found

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=We Are Lost and Found&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,We Are Lost and Found&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0