Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez

Bibliographic Information

Sanchez, Alex. (2001). Rainbow Boys. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Descriptive Summary

Rainbow Boys tells the stories of three different high school boys, each struggling to manage their own issues around their sexual identity, when they find they are not alone. Through their high school’s LGBTQ club, they soon become friends, helping each other with the trials of high school, coming out to themselves, and coming out to the world.

The story alternates between each boy’s point of view. Jason is the school jock and struggling to understand his new-found feelings. Kyle is a senior who has started to accept his sexuality, and Nelson is the seasoned expert, regularly referring to himself as “flamboyant” and a “queen.”

The majority of the story follows Kyle and his experiences in his first few homosexual relationships.

Evaluative Comments

This book’s value lies in the characterization of the three main characters. With rotating points of view, all three are well-formed characters. The main attraction of this book is not just the exploration that occurs here in regards to homosexuality, but the portrayal of these characters as also typical teens, easy to relate to due to their realistic imperfections, even if the reader is not homosexual.

This is a book not just for gay teens, but for all teens looking to understand the experience of “coming out,” dealing with the regular trials of high school, or just looking for a good read.

I would give this book an 8/10.

Suggested Audience

Ages 12 and up.

Readers’ Advisory Notes

character-centered, coming-of-age, controversial, sanguine 

If you enjoyed this book, see the other books in the Rainbow series; Rainbow High and Rainbow Road.  

Booktalking Hook

“You're going to spend more time with yourself than with anyone else in your life. You want to spend that whole time fighting who you are?”

                                                                        -Alex Sanchez, author of Rainbow Boys

The messages in Rainbow Boys are not just for gay teens, but all individuals who want to feel comfortable and confident about who they are.

Reason for Inclusion

This book has won numerous awards, including being named the “Best Book for Young Adults” by the American Library Association in 2001. Other novels in this series have won the Lambda Literary Award.

Category

LGBTQ Fiction

Award-winning