Page Count: 368
Published On: August 6, 2019
Published By: GP Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Genre(s): YA, LGBT, Historical, Young Adult
My Rating: 4 stars
Goodreads synopsis
In this tender-hearted debut, set against the tumultuous backdrop of life in 1973, when homosexuality is still considered a mental illness, two boys defy all the odds and fall in love.
The year is 1973. The Watergate hearings are in full swing. The Vietnam War is still raging. And homosexuality is still officially considered a mental illness. In the midst of these trying times is sixteen-year-old Jonathan Collins, a bullied, anxious, asthmatic kid, who aside from an alcoholic father and his sympathetic neighbor and friend Starla, is completely alone. To cope, Jonathan escapes to the safe haven of his imagination, where his hero David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and dead relatives, including his mother, guide him through the rough terrain of his life. In his alternate reality, Jonathan can be anything: a superhero, an astronaut, Ziggy Stardust, himself, or completely "normal" and not a boy who likes other boys. When he completes his treatments, he will be normal--at least he hopes. But before that can happen, Web stumbles into his life. Web is everything Jonathan wishes he could be: fearless, fearsome and, most importantly, not ashamed of being gay.
Jonathan doesn't want to like brooding Web, who has secrets all his own. Jonathan wants nothing more than to be "fixed" once and for all. But he's drawn to Web anyway. Web is the first person in the real world to see Jonathan completely and think he's perfect. Web is a kind of escape Jonathan has never known. For the first time in his life, he may finally feel free enough to love and accept himself as he is.
A poignant coming-of-age tale.
Jonathan doesn't want to like brooding Web, who has secrets all his own. Jonathan wants nothing more than to be "fixed" once and for all. But he's drawn to Web anyway. Web is the first person in the real world to see Jonathan completely and think he's perfect. Web is a kind of escape Jonathan has never known. For the first time in his life, he may finally feel free enough to love and accept himself as he is.
A poignant coming-of-age tale.
~~~
Trigger/Content warnings: alcoholism, parental death, conversion therapy, shock therapy, racism, homophobia, abuse, bullying, potential sexual assault of a minor
Hey, guys!
This book was sent to me for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.
In 1973, homosexuality was seen as a terrible mental illness, Watergate was raging on, and Native Americans were standing up against adversity and fighting for their human rights.
Jonathan Collins is bullied, asthmatic, and extremely anxious about his mental health. To cope with all of that plus an alcoholic father, he escapes into David Bowie's hero, Ziggy Stardust and the music that guides his story. He tries to be normal, but when he meets Web, his world is turned upside down. Web is fearless, outspoken, and unapologetically gay. Everything that Jonathan wishes he could and couldn't be.
This book was so freaking powerful. Do not go into this book thinking that it will be a fluffy and light-hearted read because it will tear out your heart and eat it for dinner. This is one of the most intense contemporary novels I've ever read and I'm so thankful for the discussions that it instigated and for how thought-provoking it was. The historical context, combined with Jonathan's poetic and stream-of-consciousness method of prose created such a colorful, yet extremely sad story. Throughout this book, there are so many mentions to Bowie's songs, his message, and the way that his music made so many feels. The fantastic musical culture from the 70s is so prevalent and wonderful. I also really loved the discussions that this book evoked surrounding the tense political happenings of the day. They're still so relevant, but it was so wonderful to see them handled so loudly and progressively (compared to the mind-sets of that society).
The characters in this book were so compulsively lovable. I loved Jonathan's personality and I was just rooting for him for the entire book. I found myself so emotional as he struggled with the events of this book and his journey to healing and self-love. Web was such a lovely, passionate, and inspiring character that I loved to interact with. I feel like I would be really close friends with him if he weren't fictional. I love how he and Jonathan fell in love and I love how he helped Jonathan learn to love himself for who he is.
This book is so important, and though it wasn't one of my all-time favorite books, I cannot wait to be here when the book gets all of the hype that it deserves.
AUTHOR BIO
James Brandon produced and played the central role of Joshua in the international tour of Terrence McNally's Corpus Christi for a decade, and is co-director of the documentary film based on their journey, Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption. He's the co-founder of the I AM Love Campaign, an arts-based initiative bridging the faith-based and LGBTQ2+ communities, and serves on the Powwow Steering Committee for Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) in San Francisco. Brandon is a contributing writer for Huffington Post, Believe Out Loud, and Spirituality and Health Magazine. Ziggy, Stardust and Me is his first novel.
You can visit James Brandon at justbejb.com
You can visit James Brandon at justbejb.com
Happy reading!
Olivia
~ Liv the Book Nerd ~
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