Billy Bloom isn't like other boys. Mostly because he's FABULOUS. Unfortunately, students at his new school don't like his gender bender style and decide that one "faggot" at Eisenhower High School is too many. As their hate crimes escalate, Billy takes them in stride until one day the assaults go too far and he ends up broken and in a coma. Surprisingly, he wakes up to find his secret crush, Flip, not only keeping vigil by his bedside, but swearing to protect him. Everything seems to be going well for Billy after he returns to school and people see that Flip has taken him under his wing until he announces his candidacy for homecoming queen, then, all hell breaks loose. What people consider a joke, at first, turns into a social movement that demands people to stop being cruel to others, and learn to love the "freak" within themselves.
This is a great story for tolerance. Billy is very witty and funny, but I found myself getting frustrated with all of the sidebars and random ramblings, even though I know that that is probably authentic because I have friends who do the same thing - I do the same thing. Overall, the author does a good job of using humor to address the very real issues of hate crimes and intolerance. I feel like the ending was a little too perfect, though. Everything seemed to wrap up in a neat bow, which isn't often the case.
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