Dandelions is a novel about Josephine, aka Yonder as the bullies call her, who is determined to return to the kind of life she had before: before she was poor, before she was alone, and before surviving was a daily challenge. Smothered in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, moving through childhood to adolescence, she learns how to be someone else on the outside. She has secrets that must stay hidden. Ultimately, this only fuels her need to find somewhere she can be accepted and loved for who she really is. No one explains why you are gay, why you get to be poor, why you fall in love, and why the future is such a scary thing. After all, it is not a class in high school.
"Being in the closet: is like finding a tiny bit of happiness in a dark room. You eventually learn not to mind being in that room because it feels safe. You yearn for the light. Yet you manage in that closet because you know it. You learn to move around without bumping into anything."- Yonder
