I loved that this graphic novel made me feel. There were so many times I would think “Aw, poor guy” and have a lot of sympathy or empathy for main character Aiden, and other times he made me laugh. The book is funny sometimes, especially if you, like me, can sometimes have a juvenile sense of humor. These varying emotional beats could easily occur within a page or two of each other.
While the book is about Aiden Navarro, author Mike Curato drew on his own life when he wrote this. Aiden is attending summer camp after finishing middle school and started to go through a bit of an identity crisis. While he does have some friends, he sometimes feels like he doesn’t fit it, and he gets bullied for being Asian and “different.” It’s also during this last week of camp during which the book takes place that he seems to more seriously question his sexual identity. However, a boy scout camp is not an emotionally or physically safe place to do that, and Aiden is also thinking ahead to starting a new high school and worrying what that will be like.
There is a lot of homophobia, from both the kids and adults, and a lot of slurs of various types are thrown around. There’s also a significant moment of suicidal ideation. As if that weren’t enough, Aiden has a difficult home life that he will have to return to when camp ends. However, the book also ends on a hopeful note. While I’m not the target audience for this book, it was still emotionally affecting, and it’s very well done. I read it for banned books club (banned for a variety of reasons, and I also suggest checking other content warnings), and it seems like an important book for LGBTQ+ kids and young adults.