Rainbow Road

RAINBOW ROAD

By Alex Sanchez

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Sanchez, Alex. (2005). RAINBOW ROAD. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-689-86565-1.

PLOT SUMMARY:

This is the third book in a trilogy about the lives of gay teens Jason Carillo, Kyle Meeks, and Nelson Glassman. This story has the boys embarking on a road trip to California after their graduation from high school. Jason recently came out to his coach and his basketball team and in turn lost his university scholarship. He has been invited to speak at the opening of a gay and lesbian high school. He is unsure of himself and his sexuality and doesn’t feel he has any great message to share with the school. Kyle is Jason’s boyfriend and wants to spend as much time with him before he goes off to Princeton in the fall. He suggests the road trip and is excited about spending two weeks with Jason on this trip. But, he also worries : “Will their romance survive two weeks crammed together in a car?” Add to the mix, Nelson, Kyle’s best friend who is way more outgoing and comfortable with himself. Will the three get along or rub each other the wrong the way? Take the journey with Kyle, Nelson, and Jason as they discover friendship, love, the truth about themselves, and the hate that can exist in this world just because of who you are.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Although I did not find this book terribly well-written, I appreciate its existence and its message of love and acceptance of who you are, who your friends and family may be. It is an important story to be shared with teens who are gay and who are not gay. The characters are well developed and explore different aspects of GLBTQ culture. There is the conservative Jason who is not certain he is gay—he might be bisexual since he still finds girls attractive; there is funny, outgoing Nelson who lives life to the fullest (my hero in the story); and Kyle caught in between—just looking to build a meaningful relationship with the boy he loves. There are plenty of examples of different kinds of adults in the story—the loving mom who accepts her son and belongs to an organization for gay teen and their parents; the overprotective but hesitant parents; the abusive, absent father; and the caring, encouraging teacher/mentor who happens to be a male coach. It is at times terrifying as they encounter homophobia in the worst way with a couple of men in a truck trying to run them off the road, and a macho, abusive father at a camp site who belittles and denigrates his young son for acting wimpy. It is also a truly joyful and funny story—mostly thanks to Nelson and his madcap ways. He is outspoken, unafraid of exposing who he is, and on the hunt for some love! They find themselves at a Fairie camp and see people like them, but not like them—dressed in various costumes and freely singing and dancing and being themselves—Nelson has died and gone to heaven! They meet a transgender girl who is going to compete in a Britney Spears contest. Nelson gets engrossed in this and even shaves and dresses like Britney too. They meet a couple of older men in an RV and have lunch with them and learn that they have been in a loving and committed relationship for twenty years. In the end, this is what they all seem to want—deep and lasting love, a committed partner, and a life of acceptance and happiness. In California, Nelson finds instant attraction to a boy named Manny who has pink hair just like he does. Overall, an enjoyable read with laugh-out-loud humor and the seriousness of issues that GLBTQ teens face in their lives everyday. There are some themes and sexual situations in the story that would make me recommend this book to older teens, but the frankness with which the author tackles these issues is admirable. It is also very commendable that the author included some very important resources in the back matter of the book. There are seven pages of resources for gay teens that include dealing with parents, suicide, teen sexuality, HIV, hate crimes, and peer support.

AWARDS:

Lambda Literary Award 2005 Finalist
New York Public Library 2006 “Book for the Teen Age”
2009 ALA “Popular Paperback for Young Adults”

REVIEWS:

School Library Journal: “Grade 9 Up–The final installment of this trilogy is a true winner. Even though coming out publicly resulted in Virginia high school basketball star Jason Carrillo's losing his college athletic scholarship, it turned him into an important role model for gay and lesbian teens. And so, when a new GLBT high school in Los Angeles is searching for a keynote speaker for its opening ceremony, it is not surprising that Jason is given an all-expenses-paid invitation. His boyfriend, Kyle, definitely wants to be there, too. And Kyle's best friend–pink-haired, boy-hungry Nelson–has a car and thinks that this would be the perfect opportunity for a post-senior-year road trip. Virginia to L.A. by car: 3000 miles and plenty of time to gain an understanding of what being gay in America is all about. These boys are distinct personalities and genuine teens, searching for clarity and identity and acceptance, trying to make sense of themselves and a world that can be equally bright and dark. Sanchez writes with humor and compassion. Some mature romance scenes, occasional frank language, and an inclusion of transgender/transsexual/bisexual story lines translate into a tender book that will likely be appreciated and embraced by young adult readers.”

Booklist: “Gr. 9-12. The third and final novel about gay teen friends Jason, Kyle, and Nelson finds the boys on a road trip, driving across country from their D.C. homes to Los Angeles, where Jason has been invited to speak at the opening of an alternative high school. Along the way, the young men encounter a variety of people and situations that occasionally seem clearly designed to educate the reader--for example, a transgender boy who looks like Britney Spears; an enclave of Radical Faeries who live off the land in rural Tennessee; a devoted gay couple who have been partners for 20 years; and, of course, the usual homophobes. In short, there's plenty of expected stuff. About halfway through the cross-country journey, however, Kyle begins questioning his relationship with bisexual Jason, and the story becomes more involving as characterization finally takes the driver's seat. Flamboyant Nelson remains annoyingly predictable, alas, but the other two boys are sympathetic charmers, and fans of Sanchez's first two Rainbow novels will certainly want to read this one.

CONNECTIONS:

Rainbow Road Homepage: http://www.alexsanchez.com/Rainbow_Road/Rainbow_Road_Home_Page.htm

Resources from Alex Sanchez’s website:

Gay Youth Resources Being a teen isn't always easy. And if you're gay, bi, or otherwise different, sometimes life can really suck! Part of the reason I wrote my books was to let you know you're not alone. There is hope and help. If you need someone to talk to, or help with an issue, check out the following resources: Trevor Helpline for Gay and Lesbian Youth 24 Hrs a Day / 7 Days a Week 1-866-4-U-TREVOR or 1-866-488-7386. www.thetrevorproject.org The GLBT National Youth Talkline Monday thru Friday from 1pm to 9pm, pacific time (Monday thru Friday from 4pm to midnight, eastern time) Saturday from 9am to 2pm, pacific time (Saturday from noon to 5pm, eastern time) Toll-free 1-800-246-PRIDE (1-800-246-7743) Email: youth@GLBTNationalHelpCenter.org Services are free and confidential. Telephone volunteers are in their teens and early twenties, and speak with teens and young adults up to age 25 about coming-out issues, relationship concerns, parent issues, school problems, HIV/AIDS anxiety and safer-sex information, and lots more! The Nine Line For Homeless / Runaway Teens 24 Hours a Day / 7 Days a Week 1-800-999-9999 http://nineline.org/ For information about... ...Communicating with other LGBT teens on the internet, contact Youth Guardian services 1-877-270-5152 www.youth-guard.org ...Starting a Gay-Straight Alliance or other school issues, contact the Gay-Straight Alliance Network 415.552.4229 www.gsanetwork.org/ Also, check out GLSEN'S Jump-Start Guide for starting a GSA ...Issues with parents, contact PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) 202-467-8180 www.pflag.org ...HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), contact the CDC 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) 1-888-232-6348 TTY E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov www.cdc.gov/hiv ...Teen Sexuality, contact Advocates for Youth 202-347-5700 www.advocatesforyouth.org ... Sexually Transmitted Diseases STD Info Line Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM Eastern Standard Time 1.800.227.8922 or STD Information & Referral (Prerecorded information) 1.800.653.4325 ...College scholarships for LGBT students: http://www.pointfoundation.org/