Citation:
Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow Boys. New York: Simon Pulse,
2001. Book.
Annotation:
High schoolers Kyle,
Nelson and Jason all must deal with homophobia. Nelson is out and proud. Kyle goes
with Nelson to a gay support group but isn’t out. Jason has a girlfriend even
though something just doesn’t feel right about it. They become a force to be
reckoned with when push comes to shove- literally.
Nomination
Justification:
This is an edgy
and refreshing book. All too often, same sex relationships do not appear in YA
books. In Rainbow Boys, the boys all deal with common themes of coming of age.
Nelson loves Kyle. Kyle is clueless about it. Kyle loves Jason. Jason is not
even ready to admit to anyone or himself he is gay. Plus Jason really does love
his girlfriend of two years, which is an eternity in high school! I found this
to be tangled but realistic. It plays out this way all the time in high school
but in this case, it involved gay guys. I also found the families the boys come
from quite possible to find in real life. There are parents out there
completely accepting of their child’s sexuality, some in the middle and others
dead set against the idea of their child being gay. It might be canned the way
Sanchez had each possibility presented but given how few YA books out there
address this issue, I think he deserves some leeway. The tension between them
is sweet as they work out their feelings towards each other and how to be
respectful of their friendships too. It is sad how much this book does mirror
real life struggles of gay teens as they deal with school bullies, lack of
support from administration, shunning or teasing from friends, forming healthy dating practices and angry
parents. This book offers hope that it can get better if resources and
alliances are made.
Genre:
Romance, GLBT, Censored,
Coming of Age
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