Hello everyone! We are so happy and excited to announce the tour for False Face by Josh Galarza. We have limited physical copies available for US residents and digital copies (PDF) for anyone in the US, Canada or International.
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publishing date: October 20, 2026
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Rep: Queer, LGBT+
Synopsis:
From National Book Award Finalist Josh Galarza comes a moving new YA full of self-discovery, forgiveness, and acceptance.
Rusty is positive Todd with two D’s is a figment of his troubled mind. That’s the only reason he breaks into musical numbers and lurks in the school bleachers so he can stare unabashedly at Burt, the cutest guy in school. But when Todd’s antics go a little too far, and Rusty quickly finds himself in a dangerous situation. Little does Rusty know, the boy he’s head over heels for just might be the one to save his life.
By day, Burt Espinoza is the only out kid in school who’s ever maintained his social status. But by night, he is a real a secret agent rescuing vulnerable queer kids in danger. His handlers (also his adoptive moms) are concerned he’s pushing himself too hard to be the man he thinks he needs to be. Now Burt has to prove that he’s ready for his biggest mission saving the only boy he’s ever hurt.
Raw, surreal, and timely, this novel is perfect for fans of Rex Ogle and Randy Ribay.
Content Warning: abuse, concentration camps, homophobia
Longtime Montessori educator Josh Galarza writes fiction and creative nonfiction and is a multidisciplinary visual artist specializing in printmaking and book arts. His research centers male gender performance, queer issues, body liberation, and Chicano issues. His debut novel, The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky (Henry Holt & Company), was a finalist for the 2024 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and the winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. His next young adult novel, False Face, is forthcoming from Henry Holt & Company.
Galarza holds an MFA in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he taught creative writing, and a BA in English and BFA in art from the University of Nevada, Reno, where he taught printmaking. He lives in Northern Nevada.
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