Story of The Head and The Heart:
Mallory McClarin is one of those high-schoolers who appears to have it all together. She gets good grades, plays two sports, and has tons of friends. But she has a secret: she’s gay, and she’s done a pretty good job of hiding it for the past few years. That is, until she discovers Lacy Randolph—the most openly-gay-and-proud-of-it girl at Orange County High School.
Mallory refuses to let this one slip, and after many attempts to pursue her, everything seems to follow Mallory’s appearance of “perfect” when she eventually wins Lacy over. Mallory comes out of the closet to be with the girl of her dreams and is bombarded with support, and everything seems way too perfect to be true. As Mallory soon discovers—that’s because it is.
Mallory refuses to let this one slip, and after many attempts to pursue her, everything seems to follow Mallory’s appearance of “perfect” when she eventually wins Lacy over. Mallory comes out of the closet to be with the girl of her dreams and is bombarded with support, and everything seems way too perfect to be true. As Mallory soon discovers—that’s because it is.
I wrote The Head and The Heart because I wanted to contribute a voice and a story to the often underrepresented or misrepresented narrative of relationship abuse in the LGBT community, specifically LGBT youth.
My hope is that, in reading this book, you will discover that relationship abuse and dating violence can happen between any two people, at any age, and that identifying it, breaking free from it, and recovering from it is a daunting task. I want you to see this book as an opportunity to see a reflection of yourself—no matter who you are—and grapple with ideas of love, loss, toxicity, and hope.
You will love this book if you are interested in the human condition, if you wish to learn more about the topic of relationship abuse, or even if you simply love an intriguing story.
The Head and The Heart speaks to members of the young LGBT community who want to see themselves included in the conversation of what a healthy relationship looks like. Even beyond that, the book speaks to friends, parents, teachers, and supporters of LGBT youth—those who want to better understand the struggles and the intricacies of relationship abuse across a wide range of individuals. Abuse is an issue that concerns all of humanity; therefore, this book can speak to anyone who picks it up.
Ultimately, I hope that The Head and The Heart inspires reflection and fruitful dialogue, pressing into engaging questions like:
My hope is that, in reading this book, you will discover that relationship abuse and dating violence can happen between any two people, at any age, and that identifying it, breaking free from it, and recovering from it is a daunting task. I want you to see this book as an opportunity to see a reflection of yourself—no matter who you are—and grapple with ideas of love, loss, toxicity, and hope.
You will love this book if you are interested in the human condition, if you wish to learn more about the topic of relationship abuse, or even if you simply love an intriguing story.
The Head and The Heart speaks to members of the young LGBT community who want to see themselves included in the conversation of what a healthy relationship looks like. Even beyond that, the book speaks to friends, parents, teachers, and supporters of LGBT youth—those who want to better understand the struggles and the intricacies of relationship abuse across a wide range of individuals. Abuse is an issue that concerns all of humanity; therefore, this book can speak to anyone who picks it up.
Ultimately, I hope that The Head and The Heart inspires reflection and fruitful dialogue, pressing into engaging questions like:
- Have I been or am I currently involved in an unhealthy relationship?
- How is my relationship with my partner affecting my life outside of the relationship?
- Does society’s view of a “good” relationship reflect a healthy one?