Take a photo of a barcode or cover
geekinthejeep 's review for:
Fraternity
by Andy Mientus
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Amulet Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I've sat on this review for a few days now because it's a struggle to aptly summarize the journey that this book took me on. I requested it having been familiar with author Andy Mientus as any good Broadway geek should be, and because the idea of a YA dark academia that did the work of covering the early-1990s of the AIDs epidemic was something I desperately wanted to investigate for the purposes of having on my classroom bookshelves.
Fraternity follows the stories of Zooey Orson, new transfer to Blackfriars School for Boys in rural Massachusetts after a scandal chases him out of New York City, closeted African-American jock Daniel Preston, and out-and-proud-and-LOUD Leo Breyer as they bond over their mutual membership in the Vicious Circle club. On the surface, the Vicious Circle is like any other school club. But under the surface, it is a decades-old covert gathering place for the school's queer students. When Zooey catches the attention of the school bully, and the three boys just so happen to get their hands on the Headmaster's copy of a secret arcane text that seems like it could solve all of their problems, they bite off a little bit more than they can chew and catch the attention of some not-so-great people.
The writing style of this book threw me at first. It's not what I'm used to reading, and that's okay. Given a chapter or two, the informal narration from the three boys became intensely charming and I found myself hooked. Each boy has their own unique voice in the story that doesn't suffer from favoritism or neglect, and I genuinely could not pick a favorite between Zooey, Daniel, and Leo - though Zooey's journey to discovering his sexuality was a particular tug on the heartstrings. The setting is lovely and atmospheric and pointedly New England autumn.
Mientus does a lot of work in 370 pages, covering a range of heavy topics with a deft hand. Teenage boys are forced to reckon with a raging AIDs epidemic during a time when their own government is unwilling to acknowledge it. There are pointed conversations about the privileges (and struggles) that come with being able to pass in society, both in terms of race and sexuality. Tribute is paid to the history of the queer movement in the United States, especially among our PoC and trans members. And points are raised about the ways that the odds are stacked against us when society has chosen the "successful" practically from birth.
One major sticking point for me that prevented this from being a higher rating was a particular trauma that is inflicted against a character near the end of the story. While the topic itself is handled well enough, it seems to be brushed aside after as if the impact doesn't linger. Even a paragraph or two discussing the lasting struggle/therapy/something would have been nice.
Overall, though, this was a pleasant surprise of a read with a nice side of history and one I'm sure my students will enjoy.
I've sat on this review for a few days now because it's a struggle to aptly summarize the journey that this book took me on. I requested it having been familiar with author Andy Mientus as any good Broadway geek should be, and because the idea of a YA dark academia that did the work of covering the early-1990s of the AIDs epidemic was something I desperately wanted to investigate for the purposes of having on my classroom bookshelves.
Fraternity follows the stories of Zooey Orson, new transfer to Blackfriars School for Boys in rural Massachusetts after a scandal chases him out of New York City, closeted African-American jock Daniel Preston, and out-and-proud-and-LOUD Leo Breyer as they bond over their mutual membership in the Vicious Circle club. On the surface, the Vicious Circle is like any other school club. But under the surface, it is a decades-old covert gathering place for the school's queer students. When Zooey catches the attention of the school bully, and the three boys just so happen to get their hands on the Headmaster's copy of a secret arcane text that seems like it could solve all of their problems, they bite off a little bit more than they can chew and catch the attention of some not-so-great people.
The writing style of this book threw me at first. It's not what I'm used to reading, and that's okay. Given a chapter or two, the informal narration from the three boys became intensely charming and I found myself hooked. Each boy has their own unique voice in the story that doesn't suffer from favoritism or neglect, and I genuinely could not pick a favorite between Zooey, Daniel, and Leo - though Zooey's journey to discovering his sexuality was a particular tug on the heartstrings. The setting is lovely and atmospheric and pointedly New England autumn.
Mientus does a lot of work in 370 pages, covering a range of heavy topics with a deft hand. Teenage boys are forced to reckon with a raging AIDs epidemic during a time when their own government is unwilling to acknowledge it. There are pointed conversations about the privileges (and struggles) that come with being able to pass in society, both in terms of race and sexuality. Tribute is paid to the history of the queer movement in the United States, especially among our PoC and trans members. And points are raised about the ways that the odds are stacked against us when society has chosen the "successful" practically from birth.
One major sticking point for me that prevented this from being a higher rating was a particular trauma that is inflicted against a character near the end of the story. While the topic itself is handled well enough, it seems to be brushed aside after as if the impact doesn't linger. Even a paragraph or two discussing the lasting struggle/therapy/something would have been nice.
Overall, though, this was a pleasant surprise of a read with a nice side of history and one I'm sure my students will enjoy.