image of person or book cover 2399607252912343348.jpg
Cover image courtesy of publisher.
y separately published work icon Fourteen single work   autobiography  
Alternative title: Fourteen : My Year of Darkness, and the Light that Followed
Issue Details: First known date: 2020... 2020 Fourteen
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Fourteen is this generation’s Holding the Man – a moving coming-of-age memoir about a young man’s search for identity and acceptance in the most unforgiving and hostile of places: high school.

'This is a story about my fourteenth year of life as a gay kid at an all-boys rugby-mad Catholic school in regional Queensland. It was a year in which I started to discover who I was, and deeply hated what was revealed. It was a year in which I had my first crush and first devastating heartbreak. It was a year of torment, bullying and betrayal – not just at the hands of my peers, but by adults who were meant to protect me.

'And it was a year that almost ended tragically.

'I found solace in writing and my budding journalism; in a close-knit group of friends, all growing up too quickly together; and in the fierce protection of family and a mother’s unconditional love. These were moments of light and hilarity that kept me going.

'As much as Fourteen is a chronicle of the enormous struggle and adversity I endured, and the shocking consequences of it all, it’s also a tale of survival.

'Because I did survive.

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Adaptations

Fourteen Shannon Molloy , Nelle Lee , Nick Skubij , 2022 single work drama

'The year is 1999 and Shannon has a secret

'Shannon Molloy is a year 9 student at an all-boys rugby-mad Catholic school in regional Queensland, with a secret that no one can ever find out. Shannon is gay.

'Based on the best-selling memoir by award-winning journalist Shannon Molloy, Fourteen is the inspirational true story of growing up gay in central Queensland, transformed into a powerful must-see theatre production by nationally acclaimed shake & stir theatre co.

'Set to a nostalgic mixtape of 90s bangers from all your faves, from Shania Twain to The Spice Girls, Fourteen addresses the trials and tribulations of growing up with honesty, humour and heart. Equal parts uplifting and heart-wrenching, we follow Shannon in a year of self-discovery set amidst a backdrop of torment, bullying and betrayal – not just at the hands of his peers, but by the adults who were meant to protect him.

'This moving coming-of-age memoir about adversity and tragedy is also a story of resilience, hope and hilarity – thanks to the love of a group of close-knit friends, a fiercely protective family, an extraordinary mother and... S Club 7. So press play on your discman, lose yourself in a pumping 90s pop remix and take a technicoloured trip back to your teens. This is Fourteen.' (Production summary)

Notes

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Cammeray, Cremorne - Mosman - Northbridge area, Sydney Northeastern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Simon and Schuster Australia , 2020 .
      image of person or book cover 2399607252912343348.jpg
      Cover image courtesy of publisher.
      Extent: 320p.
      Reprinted: 1 May 2024
      Note/s:
      • Published 1 April 2020.
      ISBN: 9781760851088 (pbk)

Works about this Work

One-third of Childhood Sexual Abuse Is Perpetrated by Another Child. Shannon Molloy Tells His Story – and Urges Us Not to Look Away Daryl Higgins , 2023 single work essay
— Appears in: The Conversation , 12 March 2023;
Readers Are Hungry for Stories about Trauma. But What Happens to the Authors? Imogen Dewey , 2022 single work column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 19 November 2022;
Life beyond Trauma Christine Jackman , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 23 May 2020; (p. 17)

— Review of The Coconut Children Vivian Pham , 2020 extract novel ; The Lotus Eaters : A Memoir Emily Clements , 2020 single work autobiography ; Fourteen Shannon Molloy , 2020 single work autobiography

'As a young journalist, I wrote a lot about trauma. The federal Sex Discrimination Act was less than a decade old when I first joined a newsroom in the early 1990s and its passage helped broaden the public discussion of intimate crimes such as sexual assault and domestic violence, previously considered verboten in polite society.' (Introduction)

Life beyond Trauma Christine Jackman , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 23 May 2020; (p. 17)

— Review of The Coconut Children Vivian Pham , 2020 extract novel ; The Lotus Eaters : A Memoir Emily Clements , 2020 single work autobiography ; Fourteen Shannon Molloy , 2020 single work autobiography

'As a young journalist, I wrote a lot about trauma. The federal Sex Discrimination Act was less than a decade old when I first joined a newsroom in the early 1990s and its passage helped broaden the public discussion of intimate crimes such as sexual assault and domestic violence, previously considered verboten in polite society.' (Introduction)

Readers Are Hungry for Stories about Trauma. But What Happens to the Authors? Imogen Dewey , 2022 single work column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 19 November 2022;
One-third of Childhood Sexual Abuse Is Perpetrated by Another Child. Shannon Molloy Tells His Story – and Urges Us Not to Look Away Daryl Higgins , 2023 single work essay
— Appears in: The Conversation , 12 March 2023;
Last amended 16 Jan 2024 12:14:55
Subjects:
  • Yeppoon, Yeppoon - Byfield area, Rockhampton - Yeppoon area, Maryborough - Rockhampton area, Queensland,
Settings:
  • Yeppoon, Yeppoon - Byfield area, Rockhampton - Yeppoon area, Maryborough - Rockhampton area, Queensland,
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