Books with author Zachary Rau

They were just six-years old when they became inseparable—best friends, brothers, thick as thieves. But during senior year of high school, everything changed. Caleb was gay, a fact that Colin just couldn’t accept. So the pair went their separate ways for four long years. And now, standing at the pulpit at Caleb’s funeral, Colin couldn’t possibly regret it more.Still, not everything of Caleb’s is lost. He has left behind diary entries, personal reflections and insights, where he shares his struggles with rejection and loss. On these candid pages, there could be clues to his untimely demise. But more importantly, they tell a part of Caleb’s story that Colin never got to hear for himself—from his longing for acceptance, to a steamy romance with a creative writing professor named Jonathan.In the vein of Rainbow Rowell and John Green, Lost Friend Found serves as a contemporary coming-of-age tale embracing life’s imperfections—with important messages about friendship, acceptance, and the influence, good and bad, we make on one another’s lives.

A VERY (very, very) short story written by my son. I am publishing this for him because it is something he is very proud of and I hope to encourage him to become more involved in reading. He is very intelligent, but struggles to keep up with others at his grade level. I hope by "publishing" his story, it will boost his confidence and help him strive for more goals.This story is about a boy who went to a zoo and desperately wanted to pet monkey.

They were just six-years old when they became inseparable—best friends, brothers, thick as thieves. But during senior year of high school, everything changed. Caleb was gay, a fact that Colin just couldn’t accept. So the pair went their separate ways for four long years. And now, standing at the pulpit at Caleb’s funeral, Colin couldn’t possibly regret it more. Still, not everything of Caleb’s is lost. He has left behind diary entries, personal reflections and insights, where he shares his struggles with rejection and loss. On these candid pages, there could be clues to his untimely demise. But more importantly, they tell a part of Caleb’s story that Colin never got to hear for himself—from his longing for acceptance, to a steamy romance with a creative writing professor named Jonathan. In the vein of Rainbow Rowell and John Green, Lost Friend Found serves as a contemporary coming-of-age tale embracing life’s imperfections—with important messages about friendship, acceptance, and the influence, good and bad, we make on one another’s lives.

Teenage lovers Theo and Dylan take off together on a road trip to San Francisco, but the journey is anything but a lark. For starters, Theo tried to commit suicide two months earlier. He is tortured by his alienation from his family, and the relationship between the two lovers is strained to the breaking point. Interspersed with the action are flashbacks to Theo’s past, as well as intense excerpts from his therapy sessions. His therapist, Dr. Melissa, always ends the hour by asking, “How are you feeling today, Theo Cody?” It’s an excellent question, because the young man’s moods and emotional states are mercurial and unpredictable. Theo’s emotional anguish is directly traceable to his family background: He was conceived while his mother was having an affair. As a result, he has always felt like an outsider, and those feelings were magnified when his mother abandoned him to help forget the infidelity. His only ally is his brother Jeff, who rescued him from the suicide attempt. Zachary Ryan has woven all these elements into a story that will appeal to young adult readers, their parents, and all those close to them: a powerful tale of a young man’s journey toward self-acceptance and forgiveness.