Summary
It’s summer break, and Aiden is away at scout camp. When he’s not earning badges and cooking over a campfire, he’s thinking about moving from his Catholic middle school to the public high school in the fall. Aiden’s had his fill of bullies in middle school, mocking him for being half Asian or calling him a “fag.” It might be worse in public school…. He learned all about how bad homosexuality is at Catholic school – and he works really hard to be a good person. So he’s not gay.
Review
Wow. This was good, but at the same time it was a lot in places – direct and gritty. This feels like the sort of book that would scare people into trying to ban it. It includes frank conversation (“locker room talk”), references to homosexuality, pornography, and other sexual references. There’s bigotry, racism, and homophobia as well as domestic violence and bullying. There’s also a section that deals with suicidal thoughts and feelings.
At the same time it feels completely realistic for the time and context. Aiden’s journey is the journey of a lot of kids. This is the sort of book that could help a kid feel seen – and not feel alone and out of options. Aiden’s story is upsetting and thought-provoking. The artwork is gorgeous. This should find a home in school and public spaces for teens, especially where folks are looking to add some non-white, non-cisgender perspectives. (Language, sexual references, racism, bullying,, TW: suicide, domestic violence)
Rating: ♥♥♥½*
*♥♥♥½ = Good + (based not on the quality of the book but on my enjoyment of it. This was a hard book for me to like.)