The Great American Whatever

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle, 278 pages

"Quinn Roberts is a sixteen-year-old smart aleck and Hollywood hopeful whose only worry used to be writing convincing dialogue for the movies he made with his sister Annabeth. Of course, that was all before--before Quinn stopped going to school, before his mom started sleeping on the sofa...and before the car accident that changed everything. Enter: Geoff, Quinn's best friend who insists it's time that Quinn came out--at least from hibernation. One haircut later, Geoff drags Quinn to his first college party, where instead of nursing his pain, he meets a guy--okay, a hot guy--and falls, hard. What follows is an upside-down week in which Quinn begins imagining his future as a screenplay that might actually have a happily-ever-after ending--if, that is, he can finally step back into the starring role of his own life story."  I've enjoyed Federle's previous books and this one was also pretty awesome.  I would give this to almost any teen who likes realistic fiction.

Guapa

Guapa by Saleem Haddad    368 pages

Rasa has been educated in America and is a translator for western journalists in an unnamed Arab country. I got the feeling that the story took place not many years of 9/11.

Taking place over the course of 24-hours, Rasa must confront the man who he really is. The day starts off horrifically when he learns that his beloved grandmother, the woman who raised and loved him, saw him with his lover, Taymour, the night before. He feels guilty and deceitful. Grandma has taken to her room.

Rasa cannot stand to know the dishonor he has brought on his house. Taymour doesn’t seem as in love with Rasa as Rasa is with him. He receives vague texts from Taymour about their relationships, which seem counter to the man Rases loves.

The next day, Rasa learns that his best friend, drag queen Maj, has been arrested. Maj is star at Guapa, an underground gay bar. He roams the city’s slums, looking for Islamist rebels, finds himself at Guapa, and eventually winds up at a wedding. Through it all, the backstory of Rasa’ life are interwoven, giving the narrative an unbalanced feeling.

I get that that’s to help the reader feel what Rasa is feeling, but that unsettling wasn’t consistent. There were times, like Rasa’s life, the book was riveting and times that the story seemed to drag. Upon reflection, debut author Haddad did a remarkable job. However, I didn’t care for this story. The bouts of compelling reading interspersed with lengthy, rather boring text just can’t make me like the story. And I still don’t understand why the book was named after a bar. Maybe I missed it.

I give Guapa  2 out of 5 starts. 

Fun Home

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel.  232 pages

This is a graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel that focuses on her relationship with her late father.  Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and also director of the town funeral home (which the family referred to as the Fun Home).   After college, Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay.

I was familiar with Alison Bechdel's long-running comic, Dykes to Watch Out For, but I didn't know much about her.   In this graphic novel, it was interesting to learn about Alison's family, especially her relationship with her father.   And, it is an interesting read, although I found it kind of depressing.  Her father was a complex person, and his relationship with her wasn't at all warm.   Her parents seem at odds with each other, and not that interested in their children, either.   But, this memoir is about the author putting together the pieces of what she has learned about her father, and the book actually ends in a way that makes it seem that she is not finished.

I enjoy her writing style and her art, so I think I enjoyed this graphic memoir more because it was graphic.  I'm not sure if it would have been as interesting if it had been a memoir with no pictures, and no art.  Combining her writing with her drawings really brought the story to life with a great deal of emotion that I think would be hard to portray in any other way.

This book was made into a Broadway musical, so if this book sounds like your kind of read, there's now a musical adaptation.

None Of The Above

None Of The Above by I.W. Gregorio, 328 pages

Kristin Latimer has a pretty great life.  She's captain of the track team, has a great boyfriend who is also on the team, two best friends, and a scholarship to college at the beginning of her senior year.  She's also voted homecoming queen, which was completely unexpected.  Except for her mother dying from cancer when she was younger, her life is pretty perfect.  But after a visit to the doctor, Kristin finds out that she's intersex.  Although she looks like a girl physically, she actually has a Y chromosome, testes, and no uterus.  Devastated, she doesn't tell anyone at first, except her father.  Eventually, Kristin tells her friends, and unfortunately, the whole school finds out.  Kristin now has not only her own feelings to sort out, but the taunting and bullying from classmates to deal with.  This was an amazing book about a subject that isn't very well known.  Few people understand much about this condition and this book goes a long way towards explaining the basics for teens and also would be helpful for people who are intersex in dealing with their condition.  I would definitely give it to teens who like "issue" books.

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan, 200 pages

This is written as though it were a musical, chronicling the life of Tiny Cooper from birth through high school.  Tiny is a very large, very gay teen.  He is out and proud but desperate to find love.  The first act is about his younger life and the second act is mostly high school, and about all of the boys he’s dated.  There is a lot of humor along with a lot of universal truths in this story.  A lot of teens will probably like it, possibly even reluctant readers, because it is fairly short and has a lot of white space so it’s a pretty quick read.

Lies We Tell Ourselves

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley, 368 pages

Sarah is one of ten African American students integrating at Jefferson High School.  Nearly the entire white population at school is upset and horrified at this prospect.  The governor shut down the schools and was able to keep them closed until February, so no one started school until the spring.  Sarah and the other students are faced with bullying and harassment every single day.  Of course, Sarah believes in what they’re doing but it’s very hard to go back and face it every day.  To further complicate life for Sarah, there is one white girl, Linda, who is vehemently against desegregation.  Sarah and Linda are forced to work together on a project and the two girls constantly battle about the subject but also come to realize that in another situation, they might actually be able to be friends, or even more.  This was an excellent story that I would highly recommend to any teens interested in books about issues or history and civil rights.

I’ll Give You The Sun

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson, 371 pages

This story is told alternately by twins Noah and Jude.  Noah’s story is told from their 13 year old perspective, giving the background for Jude’s current story at 16.  Although they were inseparable at one time now they barely speak.  Jude was accepted into an exclusive art school when she wasn’t sure she even wanted to go.  Noah, on the other hand, was desperate to be accepted there but wasn’t.  All of this is mixed in with their parent’s separation and their mother’s accidental death, along with Noah recognizing that he is gay, but immediately hiding it from nearly everyone.  By the end of the story, all of the reasons for the twins’ heartaches are revealed and while I thought some parts were obvious, I had a few surprises at the end.  I thought that it was a really good coming of age story that a lot of teens could relate to.

Moon At Nine

Moon At Nine by Deborah Ellis, 223 pages

Farrin attends a good school in Iran, but never tries too hard.  Her mother is angry that the Shah was overthrown and doesn’t like the new government.  When she went to the same school it was for the elite.  Now, anyone who is intelligent has a chance to go to the school.  Farrin has no friends because of her family’s money until the day that Sadira comes to school.  Sadira is different and she and Farrin become good friends and perhaps more.  However, in Iran, being gay or lesbian is illegal and if anyone finds out about Farrin and Sadira’s love, they could be jailed, beaten or even killed.  The girls believe that their love is worth that risk but they may be put to the test sooner than they think.  This is a really good story for teens that have an interest in the conflicts that people face in other countries.