Status
Call number
Genres
Publication
Description
Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. LGBTQIA+ (Fiction.) HTML: An American Library Association Youth Media Award Stonewall Honor Book Ray Liu knows he should be happy. He lives in a big suburban house with all the latest electronic gadgets, and even finds plenty of time to indulge in his love of gaming. He needs the escape. It's tough getting grades that will please his army veteran father, when speaking English is still a struggle. And he can't quite connect with his peers at high school �?? Chinese immigrants like himself but who seem to have adjusted to North American life more easily. Then comes the fateful day when his father accesses Ray's internet account, and discovers Ray has been cruising gay websites. Before Ray knows what has hit him, his belongings have been thrown on the front lawn, and he has been kicked out. Angry,defiant, Ray heads to downtown Toronto. In short order he is robbed, beaten up and seduced, and he learns the hard realities of life on the street. Could he really sell himself for sex? Lots of people use their bodies to make money �?? athletes, actors, models, pop singers. If no one gets hurt, why should anyone care… (more)
User reviews
It's similar to a lot of gay YA I've read, there's drama when his dad finds out he's gay. He has to go out into the world to find himself, but that's where a lot of similarities end. Ray's a computer gamer, he has to live on the streets (which is also where he finds himself). And yes, it does have a happy ending -- but it's not a happily ever after. It also made me cry. We don't know that Ray's life will be easier after he's figured out who he is and that's okay. The ending gives us closure, because we need it. As the novel told us a few times, Ray's young and has plenty of time, which makes the end of the novel all the more bittersweet and wonderful.
There are sexual themes, but not any descriptions of sex. If you're interested in gay YA lit, definitely check it out. But, really, it's a good enough book that people who aren't necessarily interested in gay YA could pick it up, too. Just don't expect it to be sunshine and roses. Paul Yee's book is a twist of harsh reality, the kind that makes a really good YA novel. And it is good.
Having recently immigrated to Canada, teenaged Ray Liu can’t live up to the perfect student his ex-military father expects him to be. Ray daydreams of returning to China. These daydreams are interrupted when Ray’s father discovers Ray has been surfing gay websites. Ray is kicked out
Ray navigates shelters and soup kitchens, and explores downtown. He meets friends who help him and model that happiness is possible for people who come out. However, many strangers seek to harm him. As Ray’s resources dwindle, he fears he must sell his body as a “money boy.”
Ray’s harrowing experience on the streets is also a time of self-discovery. At the start, Ray is isolated and embittered by fear and confusion; Ray transforms into someone who openly declares who he is, and embraces the freedom and chance for a happy future his new country offers.
The cruel and frightening elements of the novel are counterbalanced by hope: family can overcome prejudice, mismatched expectations, and cultural differences to love and support one another. Yee gives readers a nuanced narrative examining the intersecting identities of a young man who is both gay and a member of the Chinese immigrant community. Recommended.