I am still waiting for Alter Egos and Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens to come in at the library. I was able to get a copy of Freak Show by James St. James.
I loved this book and there is no other way to describe the main character, Billy Bloom, other than fierce and fabulous. Billy, a teen drag-queen, has everything stacked against him: a new school, no support from his mother and seemingly little support from his father, no support at his new school. But Billy triumphs and is so amazing because of that. He stands up for himself, he fights against the hate mongering and visciousness, and never apologizes for who he is. He's a very admirable character. He embraces who he is wholeheartedly and celebrates it.
I was cringing in the beginning of the book because I just knew something terrible was going to happen to Billy. It makes me sick the way school reacted to the coma-inducing beating that Billy's fellow students put on him. It's sickening to think that nothing would happen to these kids...there were no consequences or punishments. I don't think that a "zero tolerance for hate policy" means anything if there are no consequences for those who commit hate crimes. The school really angered me. Unfortunately, I think this happens in a lot of school. Homosexuality seems to make people so uncomfortable. It's so irritatingly stupid on their part. There are stronger words for it but I can't find them right now.
I love the message of this book. No matter what ugliness and hate others hurl your way, you can't be afraid to be who you are because we're all "freaks" in someway. "Accept the Universal Freak Show is us all." Amen to that, Billy Bloom.
Superheroes and the supernatural seem to be everywhere in mainstream popularity today. There are countless books--vampires in particular seem to be at the height of popularity--graphic novels, movies, and TV shows involving superheroes or the supernatural.
I think part of the appeal of the superhero/supernatural are the awesome powers that accompany come with "super" status. It gives a strength that most others don't have which makes the person special and unique. This is a very important part of being a teenager...finding one's own unique identity. It's a confusing time. You want to be unique and different than the mainstream crowd and yet there's still a desire not to be too different, not to stand out too much. Superheroes seem to go through the same thing. The powers they have are thrilling and set them apart from everyone else. But there's also a feeling of isolation and lonliness which seem to go hand-in-hand with being a teenager. There are a lot of times where you feel lonely and isolated from the crowd and even friends. The superhero, much a like a teen, doesn't feel like he/she fits in with everyone else.
After reading Freak Show, I wished I had know Billy Bloom in real life. We could all benefit from his self-belief and pride. Here's to accepting the universal freak show.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hooray for the universal freak show! Yeah, you're totally dead on in saying there's something about the gays (I'm talking all-inclusive here) that makes a lot of people uncomfortable and gets under the skin of who they are. There's lot of layers to it, and I think St. James hits on so many of them--the teachers not doing/saying anything part especially hit home.
ReplyDeleteI was at a talk with GLSEN and the speaker basically was saying she starts off her talks to teacher with a question: "Want to learn how to increase school attendance, how to help you students get better grades, increase enthusiasm for learning, etc? By putting a stop to homophobia in the classroom." She follows it up with stats and stories, and she said there was a hush in the room, almost like teachers were afraid to respond, which to me, is kind of scary. But who knows? I dont' think we can make blanket assumptions here, but I think there's definitely a valid concern here.
Speaking of supernatural:
I wonder what super powers Billy Bloom would have had? Could he have a magic wand that when he pointed it at someone he would zap them into a fabulous drag queen?
I picture Billy Bloom with a revolving closet like Cher's in Clueless so he'd had a different costume everyday. He'd never be so gauche as to wear the same superhero outfit over and over again. And I think he'd have a wand or some other accessory (like Wonder Woman's bracelet-things) that would make people fabulous and self-empowered...they'd like themselves after he was done with them.
ReplyDeleteIt is scary how homosexuality makes people so uncomfortable. It's shameful that harassment occurs and nothing is done about it because people would rather ignore it than deal with it because it makes them uncomfortable. Billy's school was horrible and I really wished the teachers or principal and those students had been brought up on charges of brutality and hate crimes.