Genre and Themes: Young Adult Modern Realistic Fiction - teen life, high school life, bullying, LGBTQ, social issues
Billy Bloom is a flamboyantly gay teen who has just moved to a very conservative private school in Florida. He decides to make quite the entrance at school by not being ashamed of his over the top outfits and personality. His classmates are just not having it and instead of Billy backing down he shows up even more flashy, fierce and fabulous as ever and ends up crushing on the ever so popular jock, Flip Kelly. The tolerance for his outfits, sexuality and personality is at a complete zero and he is beaten to the point where he lands in a coma. Flip feels bad about Billy's assault and he visits him often and they form a bond. Billy eventually returns to school and again tries to make his classmates accept him for who he is by running for Homecoming Queen. His flashy ways and sparkle show no stops as he begins to see a bit of progress in his efforts though not enough to let him win. This story is both humorous and a bit sad as you see that Billy strength to create acceptance for himself among others and his strong drive to continue even through hardships makes for a funny yet inspiring read.
Awards Won by This Title:
Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult Award
Lambda Literary Award for Gay Men's Debut Fiction
No comments:
Post a Comment