It was 2013. My debut novel Asher’s Fault was released by the Soliloquy division of Bold Strokes Books, an independent LGBTQIAP+ press. The story features Asher Price, a 14-year-old boy who gets an old school Minolta camera the same day his dad moves out. Asher uses the lens to try to make sense of everything in his life that doesn’t. I have several recommendations for my favorite own voice reads here on this page, and if you want to read about Asher, you're welcome to scroll to the bottom of my page to read about him, too.
RECOMMENDED READS
We Are Okay by Nina Lacour
One and Future by Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capella
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
George by Alex Gino
What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks by 'Nathan Burgoine
Sunday You Learn to Box by Bil Wright
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
Ask the Passengers by A. S. King
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai
The You Know Who Girls by Annameekee Hesik
David Levithan...just anything by David Levithan
We Are Okay by Nina Lacour
One and Future by Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capella
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
George by Alex Gino
What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks by 'Nathan Burgoine
Sunday You Learn to Box by Bil Wright
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
Ask the Passengers by A. S. King
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai
The You Know Who Girls by Annameekee Hesik
David Levithan...just anything by David Levithan
The day fourteen-year-old Asher Price receives a Minolta camera from his Aunt Sharon, he buys the last roll of black and white film and takes his first photograph--a picture of a twisted pine tree. When his little brother drowns at the same moment Asher experiences his first kiss, he can no longer hide behind the lens of his camera. Asher thinks it's his fault, but after his brother dies, his father emerges, challenging Asher's black and white view of the world. It turns out the trust is as twisted as the pine tree in his first photograph.
"A beautifully written and deeply honest coming-of-age story about loss, friendship, desire, trust, and forgiveness. Fourteen year-old Asher's sexuality is one of many themes here, bound up with family, religion, and school culture, just like in real life." ~Kenneth Kidd, Professor and Chair of English at the University of Florida, Director of the Center for Children's Literature & Culture
Rainbow Awards, Honorable Mention 2014: "The theme of this book is authenticity, and the author gives nothing less. It's a deep, moving, complex story written in lively, accessible prose. The story unfolds to reveal unexpected--but in retrospect unavoidable--truths, and the characters simply leap off the page. A beautiful, moving, truly honest book."
Winner of 2013 Young Adult Creative Fiction Book of the Year, National Federation of Press Women and Illinois Women’s Press Association
Finalist for 2013 Young Adult Book of the Year, American Library Association’s Foreword Award
https://botya.forewordreviews.com/finalists/2013/young-adult-fiction/
Kirkus Review, September 2013: "A book of subtlety that won’t necessarily change the world but could make a world of difference.."
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/elizabeth-wheeler/ashers-fault/
Netgalley "Not-to-be-missed" Title, September 2013
After uncovering the truth about his parents’ divorce and his brother’s death, fifteen-year-old Asher Price is ready for a shot at happiness. Armed with a Canon camera borrowed from his neighbor, a date to homecoming, and revitalized relationships with family and friends, Asher’s on the right track. Even though Asher’s black-and-white view of the world has shifted to color, he still believes the only way to protect the people he loves is by keeping their secrets. His candid pictures capture the truth, but what if his success as a photographer requires exposing an enemy? In the end, Asher discovers protecting the people he loves can have devastating consequences, and his only shot at happiness involves revealing secrets of his own.
For his sixteenth birthday, Asher Price gets a date and a death threat. Still haunted by guilt over his brother's death and his mom's breakdown, Asher can't tell the truth. Instead, his best friend's practical advice to "deny everything" wins out. When Asher's mom announces they're moving to Chicago, it seems like the perfect out, but how can he leave the only place that holds memories of his brother? Asher must choose between staying in a town where people know too much or escaping to a city where no one knows or cares, but either way, he can't hide from himself. In the final book, Asher exposes his greatest fears and finally develops a clear picture of his true self.