Published: July 05, 2011
Words: 57,790 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781465869845

Short description

Conservatively raised Catholic,Lisa,at age thirteen,would suddenly find herself on a totally different path. Through an unlikely chance meeting of a fellow classmate,she would soon find herself innocently taking their relationship to a foreign level neither saw coming...finding out what they are made of as they face the consequences and struggles that come along with going against the grain.

Extended description

Lisa was conservatively raised in a Catholic family in no-where middle America, where excitement is scarce and dreams are for sleeping. Little did she know, at age thirteen, she would suddenly find herself on a totally different path.

Through an unlikely chance meeting of a fellow classmate, she's surprisingly mesmerized, almost consumed, to befriend a girl who is obviously from the other side of the tracks...the cool side. Lisa does whatever she has to just to be accepted into this small club of coolness. Little did she realize, she was signing up for a lot more than social status. The two best friends find themselves innocently taking their relationship to a foreign level neither had experienced or saw coming.

A rollercoaster ride littered with choices and challenges Lisa never fathomed facing, especially in no-where middle America. She will find out what she is made of as she faces the consequences and struggles that come along with going against the grain.

Throughout their six.. (Read more) Lisa was conservatively raised in a Catholic family in no-where middle America, where excitement is scarce and dreams are for sleeping. Little did she know, at age thirteen, she would suddenly find herself on a totally different path.

Through an unlikely chance meeting of a fellow classmate, she's surprisingly mesmerized, almost consumed, to befriend a girl who is obviously from the other side of the tracks...the cool side. Lisa does whatever she has to just to be accepted into this small club of coolness. Little did she realize, she was signing up for a lot more than social status. The two best friends find themselves innocently taking their relationship to a foreign level neither had experienced or saw coming.

A rollercoaster ride littered with choices and challenges Lisa never fathomed facing, especially in no-where middle America. She will find out what she is made of as she faces the consequences and struggles that come along with going against the grain.

Throughout their six year relationship, you will witness a touching story of human nature at it's best...and at it's worst. Showing just how far the human spirit can be challenged and pushed to a point where your “fight or flight” instincts naturally kick in. Struggling just to survive in a world where you are not like everyone else, but at the same time you really are. The daily struggles- both internal and external- are exhausting, yet necessary in their quest for one simple human need....love.

Finally breaking through all constraints that hold them back, reaching levels of one-ness that few actually obtain in a lifetime with their partner...only to find once they've reached that special place, it's not quite the right fit...for one of them, at least.

This contemporary story will lead the reader through highs and lows, giving insight to the every day challenges of the socially unaccepted, which will no doubt leave them rooting for the underdog. A true story of human resilience and the power of love...plain and simple.
(Less)

Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages. For more information, see the Support FAQ.

Tags

coming of age, gay, lgbt, memoir, lesbian, love story, biography, lesbian love, gay love

Available ebook reading formats

Single purchase gains access to all formats. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.

Format	Full Book	Sample First 5%
Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser)	Buy	View sample
Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps)	Buy	Download sample
Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others)	Buy	Download sample
PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing)	Buy	No sample available
RTF (readable on most word processors)	Buy	No sample available
LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub)	Buy	Download sample
Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices)	Buy	Download sample
Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)	Buy	No sample available
Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page)	Buy	No sample available

Reviews

Log-in to write a Review   Log-in to add a Video Review

Review by: your bookgeek on June 08, 2012 :
This is a thoroughly enjoyable memoir of queer life in the 80s which is written in a very personable, witty and captivating prose. Most of the spelling and grammar mistakes can be taken as expression of the unique voice of the author and don't cramp the style to much.
I loved "warden" Peggy and the lively writing of Lisa Vaughn.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

Review by: Melissa Haggerty on Feb. 22, 2012 :
The Gifted Ones by Lisa Vaughn was a beautiful memoir of a girl's journey to find love and who she truly is.

Lisa lived in a typical small town in the Midwest while she was growing up. She was raised Catholic. Lisa found herself in a constant power struggle with her mother, but she and her younger sister were overall well behaved children with two typical parents. Dad working outside the home, mom raising the children and keeping up the house.

When Lisa was in Junior High she met Selena and so began their amazing journey together. They started out as friends but soon found that they were so much more. Together they would face many challenges that would test their love. Discovery in a world that did not yet accept their feelings was one major issues. They learned to hide their relationship. Together they found jobs, dealt with family problems, made their way through school, and discovered their independence.

This was the first memoir I have ever read, so I was unsure if I would enjoy it or not. That was never an issue. It is a truly captivating story that had me wondering what would happen next.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Melissa Haggerty on Feb. 22, 2012 :
The Gifted Ones by Lisa Vaughn was a beautiful memoir of a girl's journey to find love and who she truly is.

Lisa lived in a typical small town in the Midwest while she was growing up. She was raised Catholic. Lisa found herself in a constant power struggle with her mother, but she and her younger sister were overall well behaved children with two typical parents. Dad working outside the home, mom raising the children and keeping up the house.

When Lisa was in Junior High she met Selena and so began their amazing journey together. They started out as friends but soon found that they were so much more. Together they would face many challenges that would test their love. Discovery in a world that did not yet accept their feelings was one major issues. They learned to hide their relationship. Together they found jobs, dealt with family problems, made their way through school, and discovered their independence.

This was the first memoir I have ever read, so I was unsure if I would enjoy it or not. That was never an issue. It is a truly captivating story that had me wondering what would happen next.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Brian Hayden on Jan. 19, 2012 :
Review of “The Gifted Ones” by Lisa Vaughn
I do not review books. I write them. I sometimes share them with my fellow writers. Last fall, Lisa and I swapped books. From the moment she proclaimed herself “Lisa The Great” I was hooked. By the time I finished the book, I felt compelled to share my experience with Lisa Vaughn. Lisas’ story is a coming of age memoir of a young girl growing up in middle America. Her relationship with her stern and usually religious parents unfolds before us. The trials of school, finding a friend – then finding quite unexpectedly a special friend are subjects nearly all of us can relate to, at least on some level. The story on its own merits was wonderful. Add to it, Lisa’s expertise in crafting that story and you have a “feel good” memoir that will put a smile on your face. Lisa Vaughn is Raw sometimes. But it is real language that elevate the story. Her frank discussion of a young girl’s discoveries is equally raw and revealing AND essential, as that language is precisely what draws you into her world and connects you. Lisa Vaughn is a special writer with the ability not only to tell an interesting story, but put magic in her words to draw you in as if you are there, watching from the sidelines. “The Gifted Ones” by Lisa Vaughn is a MUST READ for all lovers of true stories.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Brian Hayden on Jan. 19, 2012 :
Review of “The Gifted Ones” by Lisa Vaughn
I do not review books. I write them. I sometimes share them with my fellow writers. Last fall, Lisa and I swapped books. From the moment she proclaimed herself “Lisa The Great” I was hooked. By the time I finished the book, I felt compelled to share my experience with Lisa Vaughn. Lisas’ story is a coming of age memoir of a young girl growing up in middle America. Her relationship with her stern and usually religious parents unfolds before us. The trials of school, finding a friend – then finding quite unexpectedly a special friend are subjects nearly all of us can relate to, at least on some level. The story on its own merits was wonderful. Add to it, Lisa’s expertise in crafting that story and you have a “feel good” memoir that will put a smile on your face. Lisa Vaughn is Raw sometimes. But it is real language that elevate the story. Her frank discussion of a young girl’s discoveries is equally raw and revealing AND essential, as that language is precisely what draws you into her world and connects you. Lisa Vaughn is a special writer with the ability not only to tell an interesting story, but put magic in her words to draw you in as if you are there, watching from the sidelines. “The Gifted Ones” by Lisa Vaughn is a MUST READ for all lovers of true stories.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: KatesReads on Sep. 02, 2011 :
The Gifted Ones is a haunting and sometimes heartrending coming of age memoir. It follows Lisa on her journey to discover who she is and what she ultimately needs. It is both humorous and tearful.

True love comes in many shapes and forms. It doesn't always last but it makes us who we are and we are better for it. Everything changes as we grow older.

The pacing of the story, teasers thrown in at chapter endings kept this reader turning pages well after I should have been asleep. Brilliant!
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Persephone Williams on Aug. 27, 2011 :
Beautiful story, it grips you by the heart and drags you along for the ride. Its a slightly rough but poignant coming of age story, one where it covers not one but multiple generations, along with their perceptions of things.

What is wrong, what is right? That is all covered in this book, for every characters perceptions of right and wrong differ. What may be "right" in a mothers eyes, are not so in the daughters, what a daughter wants is different than her mother.

If a teenager were to read this book, I doubt they'd appreciate it, as a young adult (22 going on 23) I appreciate it as it touches on similar things that have happened in my life. Whether with friends or with family.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Taneesha Freidus on Aug. 10, 2011 :
Warning: This Memoir had me laughing at times and in tears at times. This is a must read about love, loss and everything in between.

My Rating: 5 of 5

My Cover Thoughts: I love the broken chain links. To me it showed me a sign that if a strong link chain can be broken anything can.

My Thoughts/Review: I had no idea what this book was going to mean to me. I have never read a memoir on my own but for school I have. This is a story about true love and loss. This is a journey through Lisa’s eyes, as she shares her inner most secrets and fears you get to see her life first hand.

Growing up in a rural town Lisa always knew she wanted to get of that poodunk town. Her life changed when she meet Selina. Selina was the most beautiful person she had ever seen and she wanted to be friends with her. They shared a home economics class and soon became fast friends. After a while they became best friends and started sharing everything together. As their friendship grew so did their love for one another until one day the skipped school and hung out at an abandoned building and kissed. After that day their lives were turned upside down.

This is a heartfelt story shared with raw emotion about a girl’s first love that happened to be a girl and the struggles they faced as a lesbian couple. This is also a story of true love that could not stand the test of time. We find out certain things about the lesbian community in the early seventies and we learn that loving someone and losing them is never easy and a broken heart takes time to heal.

If any of you know what it is like to love someone who you are not supposed to love this book will give you hope of the life ever after. It does not matter whether you are gay, straight, or bi love is love and when you love someone hard and things don’t go as planned the heart breaks the same way.

Advice: I absolutely loved this memoir and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone that wants to learn what true love is.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

Reason for report:
— Select a reason — Book is or contains spam Book infringes copyright Same content is published elsewhere with different author (for ex., by private-label rights) Duplicate Incomplete work (such as sample or serial) Should be marked adults-only Category is inappropriate Poorly formatted Nudity or other inappropriate content on cover Nudity or other inappropriate visual content in book Inappropriate erotica content Cover image is improper Content is inappropriate Other violation of Terms of Service Other reason not shown above.

Additional details: