Rainbow Boys -- Alex Sanchez

Back when this book was challenged for being a homosexual recruiting tool, I mentioned that I wanted to read it. Happily, the challenge didn't succeed, but being the good little librarian that I am, I read it anyway.

There are three main characters--Nelson, Kyle and Jason.  Nelson is out--defiantly so--with a mom who not only supports him, she's the VP of the local PFLAG chapter.  Jason is in--he hasn't even really come to terms with his sexuality in his own head, never mind the possibility of telling his parents, friends or girlfriend (Nelson calls him a TCJ--a Tragic Closet Jock).  Kyle is kind of in the middle--he knows that he's gay, doesn't lie about it to people, but doesn't volunteer the information, either--especially not to his parents.

I certainly wouldn't call it a "recruitment tool". I might call it a "coming out guide". While it's a decent book, and an important one, the writing itself isn't all that super.  It gets a message across, which is good, but I felt that it was a little too obvious that the author was trying to get the message out there.  Great writers are sneakier.

But that's just my opinion--I talked to an actual teenager about them, and she loved them both, with zero reservations.