Realizing

by Casey Lankow

This young adult novel shares the coming out story of Nathan Sherver. Nathan grows up in a small town in west central Minnesota. Nathan knows there is something a bit different about himself from his friends in Bentwood, but being gay is not an option. Follow Nathan as he navigates through his relationships and unique experiences in junior high and high school and then arrives at college where he hopes he can finally allow himself to be who he is to be.

136 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 2012

About the author

Casey Lankow has spent many years studying, researching, speaking, and writing about the coming out process. As a gay man who grew up in a small, isolated community, he understands the unique challenges such an environment can present for young, developing LGBT youth. Casey's experiences growing up in a small town and the stories he's heard from other LGBT individual's across the country served as the inspiration for "Realizing." Casey taught high school music for four years in northern Minnesota. He is currently completing his doctorate in psychology and lives with his partner in St. Paul, Minnesota. After being together for almost ten years, they got married in Vermont in 2010.