Trevor

Trevor is an exuberant, sociable, and witty thirteen year old. So how come, when he takes that nerve-wracking turn toward his locker at school, he feels scared and alone? Shunned by his friends, misunderstood by his parents, and harrassed at school for being different, Trevor goes from wondering what color glitter to choose for his Lady Gaga costume at Halloween, to wondering why some feelings "are so intense it makes you just want to lay down and die rather than go on feeling it," and making an attempt on his life. Trevor mixes humor and realism in an urgent look at what it is like to feel alienated from everything around you. And more importantly, what critical ties can step in at the most unlikely moment, to save you from despair, and give you reason to go on living. 

Trevor is an update of the film version of the story, directed by Peggy Rajski, which won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short in 1994. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning youth. As the recent attention to youth suicides has received increased media attention, and Dan Savage's IT GETS BETTER campaign has gone viral around the world, the public is finally beginning to face hard facts. Thirty-three percent of suicides among teenagers involve LGBTQ youth, one-third of all LGBT kids report having attempted suicide, and nine out of ten report overt harassment at school. Trevor is an effort to make those kids feel loved and supported, so they will find the strength to go on living."Lecesne has updated Trevor’s world from the original story, incorporating modern elements like Gaga and Facebook while still maintaining the innocence and optimism that makes the teen so lovable and sympathetic." —Daily Xtra

"A beautiful, moving, funny, original book is rare at any time. A beautiful, moving, funny, original book that can dramatically alter young lives arrives about as often as the blooming of the century plant. Trevor is not only a remarkable book, it's an important book." —Michael Cunningham

"Lecesne nails Trevor’s personality and voice, a combination of self-assuredness, sharp humor, and enthusiasm. The author also contributes pencil drawings that are as affecting as the prose; the gentleness of his shading echoes Trevor’s softness, which the world is more than ready to harden." —Publishers Weekly

"Trevor is important because its protagonist does not represent a single character, but serves as a vessel for the joy, despair, and alienation that LGBTQ youth can encounter every day at school and at home." —Porter Square Books Blog

"Trevor's story is ot a sad, cautionary tale—it's about love and resilience." —Teen VogueCeleste Lecesne (he/they) wrote the short film TREVOR, which won the 1995 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short and inspired the founding of The Trevor Project, the only nationwide 24-hour suicide prevention and crisis intervention Lifeline for LGBT and Questioning youth. He created THE ROAD HOME Stories of Children of War, which was presented at the International Peace Initiative at The Hague, and he is the author of three novels for young adults. He was the executive producer of After The Storm, a documentary film that tells the story of 12 young people living in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. A performer as well as a writer, Celeste has created several Off Broadway shows including The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, Word of Mouth and One Man Band, and he was ranked by The New York Times as “among the most talented solo performers of his (or any) generation.”  He is also co-founder of The Future Perfect Project, a nationwide arts initiative providing workshops to LGBTQ+ youth and creating content that expresses their vision of a better world.