What do you think?
Rate this book
Hide and Seek: Stories About Being Young and Gay/Lesbian
In this passionate and thought-provoking collection some of Australia's top writers explore the complex and ever-changing maze of sexuality.
- GenresAnthologies
251 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
40 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Pausacker
51 books6 followersJenny Pausacker is a Melbourne-based freelance writer. Her young adult novel, What Are Ya? won the Angus and Robertson Junior Writers Fellowship and was short-listed for two State awards. Other short stories have been published in the anthologies, Landmarks, The Blue Dress and Bittersweet. The short story 'About Zan' was dedicated to Helen and published in 'Family: A Collection of Short Stories'.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 3, 2017
A fascinating mix of stories and people, sexualities and world views. We are all people, we're all in this together. *Hugs*
January 4, 2023
The further along we move through time, and the more progress we make on queer rights, the more important this book becomes.
It carries special insight into the environment of Australian queerness in 1980-1990's. This timeline being when my own parents were teens in Melbourne.
Did I like the stories? Not really, no. I found the writing styles clumsy and dated. I cringed at the free use of slurs. I was saddened by the unhappy endings for my community. But the theme of being young and queer, transcends generational gaps and will always be relevant.
I totalled up a mean star rating of 3.16 ⭐
My favourites were:
Hamilton High School Speech by Cameron Sharp
Playing With Fire by Jenny Pausacker
It carries special insight into the environment of Australian queerness in 1980-1990's. This timeline being when my own parents were teens in Melbourne.
Did I like the stories? Not really, no. I found the writing styles clumsy and dated. I cringed at the free use of slurs. I was saddened by the unhappy endings for my community. But the theme of being young and queer, transcends generational gaps and will always be relevant.
I totalled up a mean star rating of 3.16 ⭐
My favourites were:
Hamilton High School Speech by Cameron Sharp
Playing With Fire by Jenny Pausacker
December 15, 2022
The first time I read this was standing up as a teen in Elizabeth's secondhand book store on a family shopping trip from a remote town in the city, racing through the pages with a pounding heart and darting eyes.
That was a while ago. I bought this on a whim; Jenny Pausacker's Playing With Fire stuck with me and a few years ago she released it as part of an ebook on her website, for which I am incredibly grateful. I still wake up with 42:43 on my mind, which is where the Xena VHS taped from the local FTA channel with all the static needed to be paused before Bruce Campbell replaced Renee O'Connor. So it was relatable.
The rest of the stories are whismical and brutal by turn; AIDS and gay-bashing are featured, but there are safe havens between which do give hope.
The landscape has changed so quickly - or perhaps it was gradual and I never noticed. Attitudes have changed; the same request for stories would be met very differently today, and perhaps the worst parts of these stories will fade away in another generation.
Top stories: Caroline MacDonald, Jenny Pausacker, Lucy Sussix, Nadia Wheatley, Sarah Walker. I followed these authors for decades because of their contributions to this book, and they haven't disappointed.
Would I recommend this to a teenager now? Some of it hasn't dated, but with marriage equality and the criminalisation of hate crimes, perhaps it's less relevant. I hope it is, at least, and I hope it stays that way.
A beautiful piece of history.
That was a while ago. I bought this on a whim; Jenny Pausacker's Playing With Fire stuck with me and a few years ago she released it as part of an ebook on her website, for which I am incredibly grateful. I still wake up with 42:43 on my mind, which is where the Xena VHS taped from the local FTA channel with all the static needed to be paused before Bruce Campbell replaced Renee O'Connor. So it was relatable.
The rest of the stories are whismical and brutal by turn; AIDS and gay-bashing are featured, but there are safe havens between which do give hope.
The landscape has changed so quickly - or perhaps it was gradual and I never noticed. Attitudes have changed; the same request for stories would be met very differently today, and perhaps the worst parts of these stories will fade away in another generation.
Top stories: Caroline MacDonald, Jenny Pausacker, Lucy Sussix, Nadia Wheatley, Sarah Walker. I followed these authors for decades because of their contributions to this book, and they haven't disappointed.
Would I recommend this to a teenager now? Some of it hasn't dated, but with marriage equality and the criminalisation of hate crimes, perhaps it's less relevant. I hope it is, at least, and I hope it stays that way.
A beautiful piece of history.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews