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A review by abigailbat
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
ETA (Aug 2023): We chose this book for Reading the Rainbow to support the display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt that they currently have up. While on one level, this is the story of a teen love triangle and an Iranian kid coming out, it also introduces a lot of history about the AIDS crisis and activism in response. I think this is a great book for young queer readers to keep that history alive. And it reads so differently after having gone through another pandemic. That fear and the spread of misinformation and the anxiety about whether the recommended risk reduction will actually protect you... I am too young to really remember AIDS happening, but I can definitely identify with those feelings during the early days of COVID.
Original review:
This story of young love in the shadow of the AIDS crisis just grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Reza has just moved to New York when his mom got remarried. He's gay, but completely in the closet because his culture forbids it. But when Reza meets Art, a guy in his class who's out and proud, he starts to have feelings he's never felt, feelings that terrify him because he's convinced that if he ever acted on his feelings for a guy he'll get AIDS and die. Judy, Art's best friend, meets Reza on his first day in school and falls hard. When terrified Reza starts dating her, he does care about her, but he also cares about keeping his secret - what better way to do that than to have a girlfriend?
This book is both heartfelt and heartbreaking. It examines what it's like to try to live your life and fall in love and be in a relationship with this enormous fear, not just fear about coming out and living openly but actual fear for your life. A major theme in the book is the activism that Art participates in, along with Judy's gay uncle Stephen. They're active in protests throughout the city calling on corporations, churches, and the government to help end the assault on gay lives that is the AIDS crisis.
Hand this to your readers of THE LOVE AND LIES OF RUKHSANA ALI by Sabina Khan for stories of how homosexuality is perceived in cultures outside the US or TWO BOYS KISSING by David Levithan, another gay love story that acknowledges the AIDS crisis. I also think teens who love DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY by Adib Khorram for its examination of an Iranian response to mental health may also appreciate the story of an Iranian-American boy coming to terms with his sexuality.
Original review:
This story of young love in the shadow of the AIDS crisis just grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Reza has just moved to New York when his mom got remarried. He's gay, but completely in the closet because his culture forbids it. But when Reza meets Art, a guy in his class who's out and proud, he starts to have feelings he's never felt, feelings that terrify him because he's convinced that if he ever acted on his feelings for a guy he'll get AIDS and die. Judy, Art's best friend, meets Reza on his first day in school and falls hard. When terrified Reza starts dating her, he does care about her, but he also cares about keeping his secret - what better way to do that than to have a girlfriend?
This book is both heartfelt and heartbreaking. It examines what it's like to try to live your life and fall in love and be in a relationship with this enormous fear, not just fear about coming out and living openly but actual fear for your life. A major theme in the book is the activism that Art participates in, along with Judy's gay uncle Stephen. They're active in protests throughout the city calling on corporations, churches, and the government to help end the assault on gay lives that is the AIDS crisis.
Hand this to your readers of THE LOVE AND LIES OF RUKHSANA ALI by Sabina Khan for stories of how homosexuality is perceived in cultures outside the US or TWO BOYS KISSING by David Levithan, another gay love story that acknowledges the AIDS crisis. I also think teens who love DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY by Adib Khorram for its examination of an Iranian response to mental health may also appreciate the story of an Iranian-American boy coming to terms with his sexuality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence