#and Manuel (the boy Simone like) walked the other way

[giolovesyousm]

alright there is this Italian series, I'm currently watching, called "Un professore" ("a teacher"), in absolutely no way it is related to dead poets society, EXCEPT for the fact that there is this teacher, not a normal teacher, if you catch what I mean, that is trying to let escape his students out of their shells. for example: there was this boy, who cannot leave his room, because he was afraid of the world outside, even if he knew that his life sucked. in one way or another the teacher succeeded to let him leave is comfort zone.

but the thing I want to talk about is the dynamic (which is very complicated, I'm not going to explain the details about it) between him and one of his student, which is also his son, Simone.

the teacher always try to talk to his son, even if Simone hates him because of his past, through his lessons.

Simone is a boy who step by step is figuring out to be in love with his male best friend, and is trying to accept the fact that he has no chances with him.

his father (the teacher), discovered this, and for let him know that he accept him, and it's okay to explore sexuality, he did this alternative lesson, in which the students had to walk, however they wanted to, in the empty gymnasium of the school, for making them realize the power and the dangerousness of conformity, by quoting michel foucault, a gay philosopher of the 50s.

and now you might think "gio, well, this is basically what keating did-" EXACTLY, that is the point, they're basically saying that neil and todd, were killed by conformism, as much as Simone was being killed. and that the society in that time couldn't accept someone like them, so they had to find their own voices, and scream as loud as they can, without being afraid of who they are.

[somedaytakethetime]

Ok it is time for the question..

Do you think the boys (you are mostly talking about) are good in bed? Who do you think is soft and gentle and who is mister grey in person.. ??? Imean that is a important topic

And yes i want to discuss on that 🙂

*cracks knuckles* I hope you're ready because I'm giving you a run down of ALL the guys like I did with the sleeping naked stuff xD Here it goes:

Manuel Neuer - he's an Aries, he's either going to be mind-blowing or total shit... you decide! I also think he's freaky as hell Kasper Schmeichel - this man is a total hellcat in the sack and no one can convince me otherwise (yes, I'm a thousand percent biased)(also HE'S A SCORPIO!!) Simon Kjær - he'd be really sweet but I think he has an edge to him, I think there's a beast hiding underneath all this angelic looks (he's an Aries too) Łukasz Piszczek - gods YES... so much YES!! He has a look to him that just screams I'll tie you up if you misbehave.... Mats Hummels - this [redacted] would be so intense!!! Like... intense Gregor Kobel - he's cute and I think he'd be really sweet, but I think he'd also enthusiastically want to try new stuff? Marco Reus - I love Marcinho dearly, and I think he's soft and sweet, but super lazy too (unless you're Lewy then he's extremely enthusiastic) Leon Goretzka - oh, yeah, definitely. He sometimes looks.... intense. Robert Lewandowski - this DILF would wreck you! Like, I'm talking you can't move levels of wreck you because he's trying to prove he's the best at everything!! (it's from being ignored by the French so often.... he feels the need to show off) Federico Chiesa - meh? If he's trying yes he'd be good. Not very creative though Leonardo Bonucci - I don't think so.... Nicolò Zaniolo - I only see two options with this bastard: he's either the best [redacted] of your life or he'll the be worst, no inbetween Alessio Romagnoli - he seems really shy and sweet, but I think he'd try to make it really good for you? Like, he'd be really intense but a different intense from Mats Ciro Immobile - YES! Can't explain why but yes, saucy too! Davide Calabria - this guy? This guy gets really teasing and naughty, I can see it in his smirk Matteo Pessina - very lovey-dovey, but with an edge. It's the villain eyebrows.... Manuel Locatelli - I mean... it's Palpatelli, of course he's trying to be the best and out-kinky the kinks xD Eric Dier - oh, yeah, this bastard? This dude would be a God.... I've seen that photo you know? Hugo Lloris - kinda? I think he's too tired for it most of the time though, poor ole dad </3 Rúben Dias - despite how hot he looks? This guy can't [redacted], don't ask me why Ben Chilwell - I can see him trying to be the best, and he's probably good and a little spicy, but he can't match say Hummels (very few will manage...) Andriy Shevchenko - yes. So much. No further comments Paolo Maldini - with those eyes? With that naughty smirk he sometimes has? This man could make you forget your name, but he needs a few minutes... it's the age.... Peter Schmeichel - on one hand he's a Scorpio too so basically he was a Sex God, on the other? He's old now. He could still do it, but, like Maldini, he's gonna need some time you know? Jürgen Klopp - 100%, you're not walking properly with this man around and, yes I know he's old too, but he feels like a different kind of old... it's the intensity of his stare.... Giovanni Di Lorenzo I've seen the way he dances, this dude can't move his hips worth anything.... you make your own conclusions... Sandro Tonali - he's a child and I'm going to jail if I say it (yes) Patrick Cutrone - I'd say so, yes, he seems like the sweet type though. Would probably always try for gentle and slow, but he's got some lips on him and I'll leave it at that.... Roman Bürki - oh gods.... yes.... but at what cost??? John Stones - YES! Kinky too. Also no further comments... but just look at his eyes and his thighs... Thomas Müller - this man would still try to be cracking jokes in bed, and I, personally, would probably love it. If humour during sex isn't your thing though? I'd say give him a pass. xD Marco Rose - the DILF tries, he really does, but he's no Kloppo Pepe Guardiola - I actually think he's sexy, and I'm alone on that I know, but I think he'd be good. If only to try and compete with Jürgen on that too.... Benjamin Pavard - I don't want to say it.... but no.... Adrien Rabiot - see answer above (and it hurts me because I actually want to marry this

one...) Jan Vertonghen - THIS MAN HAS A DADDY KINK AND I JUST *KNOW* IT!! Also this dude would [redacted] the dailylights out of you!! Matty Cash - he's cute and sweet, but I think he'd be excited to try new stuff. Kevin Trapp - yes.... have you seen that workout video of him hip thrusting at the gym? Go watch.... Thomas Delaney - sweet and gentle, but also just happy to go along with anything really, he's game Nicolò Barella - he's a baby but he's trying, you know? EDIT TO ADD: Oliver Giroud - DILF! YES! He'd be sweet and loving and absolutely romantic, as is the French way, but he'd manage to wreck you still. Trust me. <3

[rockislandadultreads]

Found Family: YA picks for Adult Readers

Gallant by V.E. Schwab ,Victoria Schwab, Manuel Sumberac

Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home—to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home, it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways. Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from. Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Mathilde Tamae-Bouhon

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised. With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood. Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history--but only if they can stay alive.

[firstdraftpod]

Hold Your Square With Jason Reynolds

First Draft Episode #214: Jason Reynolds

Jason Reynolds is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ghost series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, Lu), When I Was the Greatest, The Boy in the Black Suit, As Brave As You, Miles Morales: Spider Man, Long Way Down, For Every One, Look Both Ways, and co-author of All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely, listen to his First Draft interview here) and Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You (with Ibram X. Kendi),. In January, Jason was named the seventh National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2020-2021.

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

Jason didn’t grow up writing prose, but he and all his friends had rhyme books where they would write lyrics. They wanted to be the next Nas, Slick Rick, Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, or Rakim.

Jason’s aunt would give him classic books as gifts, including Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Bob Marley’s “Kaya,” Nina Simone’s “Four Women,” Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” were hugely influential on Jason because of the beauty of the lyrics

Jason teamed up with the artist and writer Jason Douglas Griffin for an early book, My Name is Jason. Mine Too: Our Story. Our Way.

Jason credits Joanna Cotler, author and artist, and then publisher of her own imprint at HarperCollins, with teaching him how to write narrative and gave him the mantra: “Your intuition will take you farther than your education ever will.”

Jacqueline Woodson (author of Brown Girl Dreaming, winner of the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and Newberry Honor winner), Rita Williams-Garcia (author of Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, a National Book Award finalist), and Walter Dean Myers (author of more than 100 books for young people, including Monster, winner of the Printz Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and National Book Award, and more) are people Jason considers predecessors to his career.

Christopher Myers, writer, artist, and the son of Walter Dean Myers, pressed Jason to return to writing, to carry on his father’s legacy. At Christopher’s urging, Jason read The Young Landlords by Walter Dean Myers (which the TV show 227 was based on)

Caitlyn Dlouhy, Vice President & Editorial Director of Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, nurtured Jason’s career by focusing on the integrity of his work

Laurie Halse Anderson (author of Speak and The Impossible Knife of Memory), Eliot Schrefer (author of Threatened, a National Book Award finalist), and Gene Luen Yang (author and illustrator of American Born Chinese), and Jason also shouts out Sharon Draper’s New York Times bestselling Stella by Starlight

Jason references part of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself: “Unscrew the locks from the doors! Unscrew the doors themselves from their jambs!”

Jason admires writers who use verse for all or many of their books, specifically Kwame Alexander (poet and educator, and New York Times bestselling author of The Crossover: A Novel, winner of the Newbery Medal and a Coretta Scott King Honor) and Ellen Hopkins (New York Times bestselling author of Crank)

Alfred Hitchcock’s works (including Psycho and Rear Window), and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining are examples of subtle ways that framing and design can make a viewer feel uncomfortable.

Quincy Jones said about producing music, “I always say you have to leave space for God to walk into the room.” That’s how Jason feels about the appearance of poetry in text.

The first scene of Boyz ‘n the Hood shows one kid asking another, “Do you want to see a dead body?”

Fresh Ink: An Anthology, edited by Lamar Giles (author of Fake ID and Spin), and Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America, edited by Ibi Zoboi (author of American Street, a National Book Award finalist, and Pride) are among the anthologies that Jason thinks are wonderful. He wonders why we’ve moved away from the short story format for younger readers.

The TV show High Maintenance is another example of vignette storytelling that Jason was going for with Look Both Ways

Jason shouts out Jennifer Buehler, Ph.D., Associate Professor at St. Louis University, Educational Studies who specializes in young adult literature

Jason’s friend and co-author of All American Boys, Brendan Keily (author of Tradition, listen to his First Draft episode here), refers to the story under the story as “vertical narrative”

I want to hear from you!

Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. You can also email the podcast at firstdraftwithsarahenni@gmail.com. 

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Listen now!

[thesinglesjukebox]

EMINEM - DARKNESS

[2.20]

We’ve come to talk about Em again...

Alfred Soto: Good lord -- an Eminem single called "Darkness," surprised yet? The Simon and Garfunkel interpolation and sound effects come off as cheap contexualizing for the sake of a bait-and-switch in which Em unmasks himself as Stephen Paddock. With critics paying renewed attention to the complexity of his flow, it's also worth stressing that ability tethered to self-pity deserves scorn. [4]

Brad Shoup: I swear to Christ I saw the title and knew he was gonna interpolate Simon and Garfunkel. But I also knew he and Royce were making their own "Six Feet Deep," and I was way off. Turns out it's a creative-writing assignment designed to keep the grader's pen dangling forever. What do you do with something detailed so painstakingly and painfully? The parallels Em draws are clever enough linguistically. (Has any song ever flattered Genius annotators more?) But the only ones that feel legit involve substance abuse. This is a megalomaniacal idea presented bashfully -- I should be grateful he isn't trying to do voice acting -- and framed thoughtlessly. The gunshots and screams are ghoulish enough without considering how the rest of his catalog uses them as cartoon gags. A fantastically bad idea that I will be thinking about for at least as long as the song's excruciating runtime. [5]

Kylo Nocom: Em forces the audience to endure his balladry, only to reveal that they were, like, empathizing with the Las Vegas shooter the entire time! The set-up is... intriguing (to call it "well-executed" feels like making another lame pun he'd squeeze in) yet it still sucks in many ways that don't even require public moral outcry: the sound effects spoil the twist way too early, his singing burps out remnants of emo rap, the beat samples fucking Simon & Garfunkel, and I still hate the sound of this guy's voice doing anything. To write any more on this feels like losing a game that Eminem will win -- a point he makes annoyingly often and remains true. But it's a shame that something meant to be poignant from the guy comes out as weak shock humor. [3]

Julian Axelrod: In theory, I'm not mad that Eminem is still trying to pivot to Social Commentary Anthems. I guess I'd rather hear him use his platform to wrestle with knotty issues than peddle stale punchlines about killing Honey Boo Boo or whatever. But what's really frustrating is Eminem's refusal to drop his gimmicks when it matters. You can't make a song about real life survivors and reference Saturday Night Fever. You can't condemn gun violence at festivals and condemn festival-goers concerned about gun violence. And regardless of the subject matter, you cannot punctuate a belabored alcohol-as-gun metaphor by muttering "Double entendre" like a sadistic, self-satisfied SparkNotes. That's the worst part: No one outside of Eminem's stanbase will be swayed by this, and very few within it will either. When will his reign of terror end? When no one cares. [0]

Isabel Cole: Oh, fuck you: for being tacky enough to open a limp-pulsing track called "Darkness" with a phrase that's been memed into meaninglessness and then marrying it to our particular American plague so that I feel irrationally bad about dismissing it with a flippant joke. But, fine, Eminem has put on his (boring, ill-fitting) big boy clothes, so let's do this. Being a grown-up, like being an artist, means being accountable for your choices, beginning with not just the choice to rap from the perspective of a mass shooter (although it's hard to imagine a level of artistic merit or political efficacy that would justify that decision), but specifically the choice of this shooter, this tragedy. It's easy to imagine why this particular incident would call to Eminem, from the infamy of the body count to the anxiety he must feel about the possibility of a similar event striking one of his own audiences. In choosing a mass murderer who remains so enigmatic, Eminem gets to dwell in the alleged mystery of violence, emphasizing its senselessness even to those who commit it. But it's more than the scale that makes that massacre unusual (although the scale also bears on the irresponsibility of his selection: come on, dude, how can you profess concern and not see yourself laying the groundwork for some other asshole to think "if I kill enough people someone famous will write a song about me?"); the perpetrator had no known history of domestic violence, but the majority of such men do. You can't talk about American violence without talking about American misogyny, and selecting a narrative that enables you to avoid the connection between the two marks you as someone with nothing to contribute to the conversation; implicitly generalizing this genderless narrative by layering news audio clips of shooting after shooting brings it from stupid to evil, emphasizing the pervasive danger of American culture now that men are dying too. This is of course particularly galling coming from goddamn Eminem, who has profited so handsomely from the commodification of violence against women. Galling partly because it retroactively dims whatever insights on the topic he may have laid claim to: rather than the inscrutable, almost mystical lost soul portrayed here, most of these men are something more like the narrator of "Love the Way You Lie" plus a couple years on the wrong parts of Reddit. He could have chosen to bridge that gap for his long-time listeners, to make the connection between hating the bitch who ruined your life and being self-centered enough to want to watch the world burn, but he didn't. Making me wonder what exactly he thought he was rapping about all those years, if he finds this form of violence so novel. [0]

Will Rivitz: I see Lin-Manuel's done away with his orchestra's string section. [2]

Andy Hutchins: The distance between "Hi, kids! Do you like violence? / Wanna see me stick nine-inch nails through each one of my eyelids?" and a three-verse double entendre that doesn't exactly strain itself to not sympathize with one of history's most nefarious mass murderers is not as far as one should probably walk in 20 years of life. A less clever rapper would not have found as many ways firearms buttress our vernacular; a cleverer one might have made this song about that instead of a five-minute trigger warning. A wiser one wouldn't have attempted this at all: Noble though the aim may be, there is no target audience here. [3]

Will Adams: Eminem stepping into the mind of a mass shooter is not surprising. Punctuating said narrative with in media res sound effects (shower curtains! pill bottles! loading clips! screams!), turning "The Sound of Silence" into a Talkboy sample, and making this shit five and a half minutes long? That takes extra chutzpah. [2]

Katherine St Asaph: I suspect the efforts to prevent copycat shootings were doomed ages ago, if not after Columbine then definitely after Rodger. Even if every mass shooter permanently closed off his chosen inspiration to all future comers, there are still enough sprees strewn throughout history -- hell, just through this millennium -- to produce years of trauma; and even if every media outlet declined to report shooters' names or manifestos, all of that would still circulate on chans and Discords (where they probably originated anyway) that any given proto-shooter is far more likely to read than the Associated Press, and infinitely more likely to trust. It's a failure of imagination: far easier to high-mindedly decline to acknowledge shootings than to reckon with them, to dissect and understand what makes them happen and more importantly what doesn't, and thus learn how to stop them. As a certain folk duo sang, silence like a cancer grows -- which brings us to Eminem's "Sound of Silence"-sampling, presumably cautionary foray into the Vegas shooter's mind. If your average caustic millennial isn't reading the mainstream news, he's definitely not listening to Eminem in 2020, and yet "Darkness" crumples under the burden of needing to not inspire anyone. The rapping is low-energy, the rhymes distractingly stiff or goofy -- trigger/convictions, booze/snooze -- the flow lumbering and often just bad. Where Disturbed heightened "The Sound of Silence" to Game of Thrones grandeur, Em and Royce -- perhaps building on a popular mashup -- desiccates it. The arrangement is the midpoint of Alex da Kid and "Teardrop": a smothering quicksand, meant to drag listeners into inertia and keep them there. (For all the gunshots-and-cussing masculinity of this, the piano loop reminds me most of Sarah Brightman's cover of "Scarborough Fair": delicately hypnotic.) Eminem conveys neither Slim Shady's glee nor "Love the Way You Lie"'s visceral anger, nor much but a morose slog, but give him this: It is mostly impossible to imagine someone hearing "Darkness" and buying a gun. Mostly. Why, if you're aiming not to inspire, would you musically accompany the killing-spree verse by finally moving past line two of "The Sound of Silence," to where the melody gratifyingly blooms upward? The vodka bottles in the video -- the lyrics' metaphorical gun, shown in appealing product-placement close-up -- are thankfully fake prop brands -- but then why do the close-ups at all? Most tellingly, Eminem chooses one of the few shooters with no manifesto to disseminate and few known motivations. Whether that's out of a desire to avoid spreading the truly hateful shit (which would be a recent development), to avoid the issue in general, or just to play the guy with the biggest body count, it means he gets away with lines like "you'll never find a motive, truth is I have no idea" instead of engaging with the specific kind of nihilism shooters are all too happy to tell you about -- a nihilism that is, in some part, his creation. When will this end? When enough people care what "this" is. Begrudging point for the part where, after Eminem says "magazines," the video cuts to actual magazines, like the glossy paper kind: the best trolling he's done in years, specifically of the sort of gunfuckers who were already halfway through a comment about him saying "clips." I suppose it's not the bleakest way he's made people laugh. [3]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: At one point Eminem had the capacity to make jokes. He's way funnier here, his faux-double entendres and sampha-soundalike Simon and Garfunkel interpolation adding up to something so maudlin and obvious that it's almost impossible to listen to as serious political rap. It's not even disgusting. [0]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[cover2covermom]

Hello bookworms!

While on my quest to diversify my reading, I realized that I needed to read more books within the realm of LGBTQIA+ fiction.  So today, I am brining you mini reviews for two young adult book that I’ve recently read, and I think you should as well.

Books included in this post: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Bengamin Alire Saenz & Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Genre: Young Adult • Contemporary • LGBTQIA+

Version: Audiobook (7h 29min listening length)

Narrator: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Source: Hoopla

Amazon • Goodreads

Book Synopsis:

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

My Thoughts:

Is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe the longest book title ever?  I wonder what the record is?  It has to definitely be up there…

“I had a feeling there was something wrong with me. I guess I was a mystery even to myself.”

Honestly, I was anticipating a fluffy YA romance, but that is NOT what this book is.  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is Aristotle’s (Ari) journey towards self discovery.  Ari is a Mexican-American teenager who seems more at ease when he is alone.  To say that Ari keeps to himself is an understatement… that is until Dante walks into his life.

Dante has my heart.  As many of you know, I am such a sucker for quirky characters.  Dante walks to the beat of his own drum and does not apologize for it.  He is so secure in who he is, something that I greatly admire in characters.  The friendship between Ari and Dante was everything.  This is the type of friend I want by my side.

I will say that I did not find this book predictable in the slightest.  I kept thinking that I knew what was coming next, waiting for “the moment,” but that moment did not come when I was expecting it to.  I found myself second guessing my theory throughout the entire book… I’m sure those of you who have read it know what I am talking about.

Can I just say kudos to the author for including positive family dynamics in a YA book?  Sure there was some family drama and secrets, but both sets of parents in this book not only loved their sons, but supported them.  It is so rare to see parents who are so involved in YA, which is such a shame because strong parental relationships are so important during the teen years.

Unfortunately, the pacing for the first 60% of this book was a big issue for me.  I remember reaching the 60% mark and thinking to myself, “Is anything going to actually happen in this book?”  I feel like the majority of this book was some serious angst.  I understand this book was about Ari discovering who he really is, but I felt like this book was way too heavy for the first half of the book, thus feeling very dense.  I feel like it was missing some balance. 

“We all fight our own private wars.”

With that being said, the last 40% of this book was a 5-star read for me.  The ending was absolute perfection.  I feel like this book could be very relatable to so many teens who don’t yet fully understand themselves.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a very character driven story, so if you are one for action-packed plots, this probably isn’t going to be your cup of tea.  HOWEVER, if you are looking for a beautiful book about self discovery, you need to give this one a go.

My Rating:

*3.75 Stars

About the Author:

Benjamin Alire Sáenz is an author of poetry and prose for adults and teens. He is the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the American Book Award for his books for adults. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was a Printz Honor Book, the Stonewall Award winner, the Pura Belpre Award winner, the Lambda Literary Award winner, and a finalist for the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award. His first novel for teens, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood, was an ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His second book for teens, He Forgot to Say Goodbye, won the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, the Southwest Book Award, and was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. He teaches creative writing at the University of Texas, El Paso.

Twitter

Author:  Jeff Garvin

Genre:  Young Adult • Contemporary • LGBTQIA+

Version: Audiobook (7h 47min listening length)

Narrator: Tom Phelan

Publisher: HarperAudio

Source: Hoopla

Amazon • Goodreads

Book Synopsis:

The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is…Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

My Thoughts:

You all know how much I sometimes struggle with the YA genre, but I am here to tell you that Symptoms of Being Human is YA done right!  Not only was I educated about all kinds of LGBTQIA+ issues and terminology that I didn’t previously fully understand, but I was also highly entertained while I was learning.  These are the types of YA books that I enjoy, those that both educate and entertain at the same time.

“The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?”

Symptoms of Being Human was my first book with a gender fluid main character.  I have read a book with a gender fluid secondary character before, but this one is the first book I’ve read where the focus is on gender issues and that really explores what it means to be gender fluid.   I must admit, before reading this book I did not fully grasp the concept, but after reading it, I really feel like I have a good understanding.  I am amazed at how Garvin was really able to take a very complex idea and simplify it into an explanation that is easy for everyone to understand.

“The world isn’t binary. Everything isn’t black or white, yes or no. Sometimes it’s not a switch, it’s a dial. And it’s not even a dial you can get your hands on; it turns without your permission or approval”

This book goes into some deep issues like suicide, hate crimes, bullying, etc.  There were some shocking statistics mentioned in this book…

“64% of transgender and non-binary people in the US experience sexual violence in their life—12% before they graduate high school. 41% will attempt suicide. “

41% of transgender and non-binary people attempt suicide?! This number literally had my jaw on the floor.  64% have suffered from some type of sexual violence?  This is NOT acceptable.  According to a 2008 National Transgender Discrimination Survey, these statistics are fairly accurate.  I only hope that these rates have been reduced since 2008 as more and more people are becoming aware of transgender and non-binary experiences.  This is one reason why this book is so important, it can help enlighten readers about the injustices and violence that non-binary gender individuals face, thus hopefully creating empathy.

“People do judge books by their covers; it’s human nature. They react to the way you look before they hear a single word that comes out of your mouth.”

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Riley, our main character, suffers from anxiety.  I’m sure we all can relate to having some form of anxiety at moments in our lives, but I feel that Garvin accurately depicts how debilitating it can be to those who suffer from sever anxiety.  Anxiety is definitely something that needs to be better represented in literature overall, so I was happy to see it represented here.

From what I’ve mentioned in this review, you would think that this book is a bit of a downer, but it also has some lighter moments with a touch of romance, friendships, and family dynamics.  The friendship included in this book was so heartwarming.  Riley, Bec, and Solo reminded me a lot of the dream team in Harry Potter: Harry, Ron, and Hermoine.  I also appreciated the family dynamics included: Riley’s parents were not perfect by any means, but they did love their child and were involved and supportive of Riley.

While it is true there are definitely some tough topics addressed in Symptoms of Being Human, it definitely ends on a positive and uplifting note. This is a very important book that brings to light *some* of the experiences of those who are gender fluid (also referred to as non-binary gender or genderqueer).  Books like these need to exist.  If you are fuzzy on these concepts, I strongly encourage you to pick this book up.  Educate yourself, so that you can in turn educate others.

My Rating:

About the Author:

Jeff Garvin grew up in Orange County, California, the son of a banker and a magician. He started acting in high school, and enjoyed a fifteen-year career including guest-starring roles in network television series ranging from The Wonder Years to Roseanne to Caroline and the City, as well as several independent features.

While studying at Chapman University, Jeff won awards for classical guitar and visual storytelling before graduating with a BFA in Film. As the front man of his rock band, 7k, Garvin released three albums and toured the United States. When the band dissolved in 2011, Jeff, who had always written short stories and lyrics, found his passion in full-length fiction.

His debut novel, SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN, tells the story of Riley, a 16-year-old gender fluid teen who starts an anonymous blog to deal with hostility from classmates and tension at home. But when the blog goes viral, a storm of media attention threatens Riley’s anonymity. Coming February 2, 2016 from Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins.

Jeff lives in Southern California with his music teacher wife, their menagerie, and a respectable collection of books and guitars.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram

Have you read either of these books?  If so, what did you think?

Comment below and let me know :)

Diverse #YoungAdult Books in Review: #AristotleandDante & #SymptomsofBeingHuman. #BookBlogger Hello bookworms! While on my quest to diversify my reading, I realized that I needed to read more books within the realm of LGBTQIA+ fiction. 

[firstdraftpod]

Holding Your Square with Jason Reynolds

First Draft Episode #214: Jason Reynolds

Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author of critically acclaimed books, including National Book Award finalist Ghost, Newberry and Printz-honored Long Way Down, Coretta Scott King Honoree As Brave as You, and his latest, middle grade Look Both Ways, which was just named to the National Book Award Longlist for Young People’s Literature.

This episode was brought to you by Freedom — upgrade to Premium and use code FIRSTDRAFT for 40% off a yearly or Forever plan!

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

Jason didn’t grow up writing prose, but he and all his friends had rhyme books where they would write lyrics. They wanted to be the next Nas, Slick Rick, Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, or Rakim.

Jason’s aunt would give him classic books as gifts, including Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Bob Marley’s “Kaya,” Nina Simone’s “Four Women,” Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” were hugely influential on Jason because of the beauty of the lyrics

Jason teamed up with the artist and writer Jason Douglas Griffin for an early book, My Name is Jason. Mine Too: Our Story. Our Way.

Jason credits Joanna Cotler, author and artist, and then publisher of her own imprint at HarperCollins, with teaching him how to write narrative and gave him the mantra: “Your intuition will take you farther than your education ever will.”

Jacqueline Woodson (author of Brown Girl Dreaming, winner of the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and Newberry Honor winner), Rita Williams-Garcia (author of Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, a National Book Award finalist), and Walter Dean Myers (author of more than 100 books for young people, including Monster, winner of the Printz Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and National Book Award, and more) are people Jason considers predecessors to his career.

Christopher Myers, writer, artist, and the son of Walter Dean Myers, pressed Jason to return to writing, to carry on his father’s legacy. At Christopher’s urging, Jason read The Young Landlords by Walter Dean Myers (which the TV show 227 was based on)

Caitlyn Dlouhy, Vice President & Editorial Director of Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, nurtured Jason’s career by focusing on the integrity of his work

Laurie Halse Anderson (author of Speak and The Impossible Knife of Memory), Eliot Schrefer (author of Threatened, a National Book Award finalist), and Gene Luen Yang (author and illustrator of American Born Chinese), and Jason also shouts out Sharon Draper’s New York Times bestselling Stella by Starlight

Jason references part of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself: “Unscrew the locks from the doors! Unscrew the doors themselves from their jambs!”

Jason admires writers who use verse for all or many of their books, specifically Kwame Alexander (poet and educator, and New York Times bestselling author of The Crossover: A Novel, winner of the Newbery Medal and a Coretta Scott King Honor) and Ellen Hopkins (New York Times bestselling author of Crank)

Alfred Hitchcock’s works (including Psycho and Rear Window), and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining are examples of subtle ways that framing and design can make a viewer feel uncomfortable.

Quincy Jones said about producing music, “I always say you have to leave space for God to walk into the room.” That’s how Jason feels about the appearance of poetry in text.

The first scene of Boyz ‘n the Hood shows one kid asking another, “Do you want to see a dead body?”

Fresh Ink: An Anthology, edited by Lamar Giles (author of Fake ID and Spin), and Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America, edited by Ibi Zoboi (author of American Street, a National Book Award finalist, and Pride) are among the anthologies that Jason thinks are wonderful. He wonders why we’ve moved away from the short story format for younger readers.

The TV show High Maintenance is another example of vignette storytelling that Jason was going for with Look Both Ways

Jason shouts out Jennifer Buehler, Ph.D., Associate Professor at St. Louis University, Educational Studies who specializes in young adult literature

Jason’s friend and co-author of All American Boys, Brendan Keily (author of Tradition, listen to his First Draft episode here), refers to the story under the story as “vertical narrative”

I want to hear from you!

Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. You can also email the podcast at firstdraftwithsarahenni@gmail.com. 

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Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent; Linda Holmes, New York Times bestselling author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun, internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone’s an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too;  Michael Dante  DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie’s Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.

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Rate, Review, and Recommend

How do you like the show?

Please take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you!

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[firstdraftpod]

Special 200th Episode!

First Draft Episode #200: Special Anniversary Episode

For the 200th episode of the First Draft with Sarah Enni podcast, previous guests sent in answers to questions like, where do you turn for inspiration? What are you hopes and dreams at this moment in your career? What do you do besides writing that makes you a more skillful storyteller? And, of course, any advice! Listen in to hear tips, tricks, and reassurances and encouragement from dozens of bestselling and award-winning writers!

People Featured, and Links and Topics Mentioned, In This Episode

Podcasts I listened to obsessively, which inspired me to start this podcast, include Fresh Air with Teri Gross, WTF with Marc Maron, and You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent series, Carve the Mark duology and the forthcoming short story collection, The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future (listen to her First Draft podcasts here, here, and here)

Kayla Cagan, author of Piper Perish and Art Boss (listen to her First Draft interview here)

Will Hines, author of How to be the Greatest Improviser on Earth (hear his First Draft episode here)

Sara Farizan, author of Here to Stay, Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel, If You Could Be Mine (hear her First Draft interview here)

Kass Morgan, author of The 100 series and Light Years (stay tuned for her episode of First Draft!)

Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Beasts Made of Night, Crown of Thunder, and War Girls series

Tochi recommends playing narrative video games, like God of War, Assassin's Creed, or Red Dead Redemption

Leigh Bardugo, author of the Shadow and Bone series and Six of Crows duology, and the forthcoming adult novel, Ninth House , and more (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here)

Josh Gondelman, author of the forthcoming memoir Nice Try, writer and producer of “Desus and Mero” and Emmy-winning writer for “Last Week Tonight on John Oliver” (hear his First Draft interview soon!)

Maris Kreizman, author of Slaughterhouse 90210 and host of LitHub’s The Maris Review podcast

Ryan Graudin, author of the Wolf by Wolf, Invictus, The Walled City, and more (hear her First Draft interview here)

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Jason Reynolds, author of Look Both Ways, the Track series, Long Way Down, As Brave As You, All American Boys, and many more (stay tuned for his episode of First Draft)

The New Yorker

The Newberry Award; The National Book Award; The Pulitzer Prize

Stephanie Garber, author of the Caraval series (listen to her First Draft episode here)

Elana K. Arnold, author of A Boy Called Bat, Damsel, What Girls Are Made Of, Infandous, and more (listen to her First Draft episodes here and here)

Lance Rubin, author of Denton's Little's Deathdate, Denton's Little's Still Not Dead, and Crying Laughing (listen to his First Draft episode here)

Freedom (computer app)

Deep Work Work by Cal Newport

Courtney Summers, including Sadie, Cracked Up to Be, This Is Not a Test, Fall for Anything, All the Rage, Some Girls Are (hear her First Draft episodes here and here)

“Real Romance,” The New Yorker profile about Nora Roberts

Mary H. K. Choi, author of Emergency Contact and Permanent Record (stay tuned for her episode of First Draft)

The Venice Biennale (La Biennale di Venezia) and Dia:Beacon

Bridget Tyler, author of The Pioneer and The Survivor (listen to her First Draft episode here)

Scientific American, which Veronica just subscribed to

Samantha Mabry, author of A Fierce and Subtle Poison and All the Wind in the World (listen to her First Draft episode here)

Elissa Sussman, author of Stray and Burn (listen to her First Draft interview here)

Abdi Nazemian, author of Like a Love Story, The Authentics, and The Walk-In Closet (listen to his First Draft interview here)

Madonna, the queen of Abdi’s book

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Morgan Matson, author of he Date, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, The Unexpected Everything, and more! (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here)

Julie Buxbaum, author of Tell Me Three Things, What to Say Next, and Hope and Other Punchlines (listen to her First Draft interview here)

Danielle Paige, author of Dorothy Must Die, Stealing Snow and Mera: Tidebreaker (listen to her First Draft episode here)

David Yoon, author of Frankly in Love (stay tuned for his episode of First Draft!)

Zan Romanoff, author of Look (due Spring 2020) and A Song to Take The World Apart and Grace and the Fever (listen to her First Draft interview here)

Writing Workshops LA

Francesca Lia Block, author of Weetzie Bat, The Thorn Necklace, and so many more (listen to her First Draft episode here)

Aminah Mae Safi, author of Not the Girls You're Looking For and Tell Me How You Really Feel (listen to her First Draft interview here)

Alex London, author of Black Wings Beating, Proxy, The Wild Ones series and more (listen to his First Draft episodes here and here)

Nina LaCour, author of We Are Okay, The Disenchantments, Everything Leads to You, Hold Still and more (hear her First Draft episodes here and here), and listen to Nina’s podcast, Keeping a Notebook

Hamline University’s MFA program

The Slow Novel Lab, Nina LaCour’s online course on writing

Lilliam Rivera, author of Dealing In Dreams and The Education Of Margot Sanchez, (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here)

Pseudonymous Bosch, aka Raphael Simon (author of the The Name of This Book is a Secret and the Bad Magic series, and more) and Shane Pangburn, who together created The Unbelievable Oliver and the Four Jokers (stay tuned for their First Draft episode!)

Amy Lukavics, author of Daughters into Devils and The Ravenous (listen to her First Draft episode here)

Maurene Goo, author of Somewhere Only We Know, I Believe in a Thing Called Love and The Way You Make Me Feel and Since You Asked (Listen to Maurene’s first, second, and third episodes of First Draft)

That time Maurene interviewed Sarah Enni for this podcast! (The Sarah Enni episode of First Draft )

Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni

Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; Linda Holmes, author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun, internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone’s an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too;  Michael Dante  DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie’s Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.

Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. It’s free!

Rate, Review, and Recommend

How do you like the show?

Please take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you!

Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Please share this episode on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or via carrier pigeon (maybe try a text or e-mail, come to think of it). Just click the Share button at the bottom of this post!

Thanks again!

Listen now!