This book gave me so many feels, I don't even know where to begin.
It's heart-wrenching, realistic, and just wonderfully written. The setting is 1973 when homosexuality was, at the time, deemed a mental disorder. Those who were LGBT were subjected to "treatments" to cure themselves of homosexual thoughts. Some of these treatments were harmful and inhumane. This happens to our main character, 17-year-old Jonathan Collins. He's fighting his urges and wants to be cured. On top of that, he's bullied at school, lives with his alcoholic father, and feels alone (aside from his best, and only, friend Starla). His only source of comfort is his imagination, where he receives guidance from his dead mother, and Ziggy Stardust himself, David Bowie. When new kid, Web, enrolls into his school, Jonathan finds a kindred spirit. Web's not ashamed of who he is. He's a member of the Lakota tribe who shows no fear and is open about being gay. When these two find each other, they can be themselves, but the time they're living in is not so open and welcoming. At first, what attached me to this book was the title. I'm a huge David Bowie fan, and remember mourning his loss when I heard of his passing. I even when to the shrine made for him that was located outside of his apartment building in SoHo. When I read the premise of the story, it created a deeper meaning for me. Just trying to find yourself in a time where you're considered unwell for loving someone who's the same gender as you. What I found more incredible, and not in a positive way, was that the ones who considered Jonathan broken were the most broken in my view. He is trying to live and be accepted, and I felt the pain Jonathan goes through as he tries to go through not only his everyday life, but endure the treatments in order to be cured. Finding solace in Web gives what Jonathan yearns for, while dealing with bigotry and a very misinformed community. Major kudos goes to James Brandon. He truly delivers in his debut novel, and it's a great read for those who can relate to Jonathan and Web. On a personal level, what makes this book more meaningful for me was 1) I finished this book on National Coming Day, 2) while reading, it inspired me to tell my own story of being pansexual to some of my friends and family, and 3) inspired two of my teens to come out to me. Ziggy, Stardust, & Me definitely earned a 5/5 from me, and I definitely consider it one of the best novels of 2019.
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Who am I?The Library Lady is a Young Adult Librarian and reviewer. She's also a music, anime, and film nerd. Archives
January 2024
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