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A review by chrisiant
Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal
4.0
This is a fabulous book. The main character is delightful and awkward and hilarious and so authentic his seemingly odd little perspective on the world.
He's caught between his Indian immigrant/Hindu temple community and his central Ohioan middle school community and not able to express his developing queer and artistic identities easily in either of these places. His emerging identity doesn't fit into any of the little boxes the people around him would like, but he's so dear and earnest he's been trying to fit into them as best he can and now it's really not working so well and he's finding maybe he doesn't want to fit into those boxes after all.
His story comes forth in a way that alternately has you cackling at his antics, smarting at the injustices and complete lack of understanding he seems to face everywhere he turns, and praising his earnestness and unquenchable spirit in the face of it all.
Plus, like the author says in his little note at the back of the book - there isn't enough funny Indian literature out there, and this really helps to fill the gap. Totally, totally go read this.
He's caught between his Indian immigrant/Hindu temple community and his central Ohioan middle school community and not able to express his developing queer and artistic identities easily in either of these places. His emerging identity doesn't fit into any of the little boxes the people around him would like, but he's so dear and earnest he's been trying to fit into them as best he can and now it's really not working so well and he's finding maybe he doesn't want to fit into those boxes after all.
His story comes forth in a way that alternately has you cackling at his antics, smarting at the injustices and complete lack of understanding he seems to face everywhere he turns, and praising his earnestness and unquenchable spirit in the face of it all.
Plus, like the author says in his little note at the back of the book - there isn't enough funny Indian literature out there, and this really helps to fill the gap. Totally, totally go read this.