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WIDE AWAKE NOW

Emotionally charged, boldly confrontational, and brilliantly executed.

In Wide Awake (2006), Levithan imagined a political gaytopia in a divided nation roughly 20 years in the future; now he reimagines this world during the election of the first gay Jewish president of the U.S. in 2024.

Readers encounter 16-year-old Duncan, who’s Jewish and reads white, and his boyfriend, Jimmy, who’s Black and multiracial. The opposition—fueled by hatred and bigotry—is angry about President-Elect Abraham Stein’s victory (by over 5,000,000 votes) and refuses to concede, demanding a recount in the deciding state of Kansas. When Stein appeals to his voters to come to Kansas to protest, Duncan, Jimmy, and their friends who volunteered with the Abraham Stein / Alice Martinez campaign enthusiastically decide to travel to Kansas to raise their voices. Duncan’s friend group is LGBTQ+ and racially diverse: For them, everything is at stake, democracy included. They understand that indignation is not enough; action is required. In the midst of everything, Duncan and Jimmy are at a crossroads in their relationship, wondering about their future, finding hope—or is it dying embers?—in each other’s love and lust. Levithan allows his imagination to soar, exploring the possibilities of what if that are grounded in a modern-day reality where identity, religion, and hatred combust, tearing the U.S. apart. He also dares to dream of what could be—what harmony and unity could feel like. What began in Wide Awake as a speculative story is now a tour de force come to fruition.

Emotionally charged, boldly confrontational, and brilliantly executed. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14-18)

Pub Date: April 16, 2024

ISBN: 9780593706978

Page Count: 272

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024

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IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.

The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.

Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.   (Fiction. 14 & up)

Pub Date: April 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013

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IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER

A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.

In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.

Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.

A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9781728276229

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024

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