Flamboyant: A Novel

by Elizabeth Swados

When Chana Landau begins her job as a teacher at Harvey Milk High School, she leaves the protection of her traditional Orthodox Jewish enclave in Brooklyn for a school that embodies everything she has been forbidden to experience. In a hostile classroom filled with sexually "different" teens, street kids, and drug addicts, Chana's one support is Flamboyant, a fifteen-year-old prostitute and an accomplished writer. Flamboyant is an unforgettable novel of cultural difference, friendship, and faith.

Genres: Queer, Young Adult

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

Elizabeth Swados (February 5, 1951 – January 5, 2016) was an American writer, composer, musician and theatre director. While some of her subject matter is humorous, such as her satirical look at Ronald Reagan (Rap Master Ronnie) and Doonesbury — both collaborations with Garry Trudeau — much of her work deals with darker issues such as racism, murder and mental illness.

Born February 5, 1951 in Buffalo, New York, Swados wrote about her life in her 1991 autobiography, The Four of Us, A Family Memoir, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Her father, Robert O. Swados, was a successful attorney who helped Seymour H. Knox III convert the local Buffalo Sabres hockey club into a full National Hockey League team. His autobiography, Counsel in the Crease: A Big League Player in the Hockey Wars was published by Prometheus Books in 2005.

Her mother struggled with depression, while her older brother (and only sibling) Lincoln developed schizophrenia. Her mother committed suicide in 1974, and Lincoln died in 1989. Swados suffered from depression, a condition she discussed in her book, My Depression: A Picture Book.

She studied music at Bennington College in Vermont, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973. In 1980, the Hobart and William Smith College awarded her an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters.

Swados died from complications following surgery for esophageal cancer on January 5, 2016. She was 64.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the books I had on my list were currently checked out at the library so I picked up this one. Glad I did! I like the way the author switched back and forth between the teacher and the student's point of view. She did an excellent job of giving each character voice. I think this would be a great book club book. Topics that could be discussed include religion, education, sexuality, and making difficult unpopular choices. Overall a good read.

[Guillermo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has its moments.

I still liked the read through and the characters.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a book that I would normally choose but it only cost $1. I liked how the author went back and forth from the teacher's point of view and the student's point of view.

[Chanie]

A random book I found on my school's bookshelf as I was hunting for books for a paper. It was enjoyable in a way I found surprising. Quirky. People and places brought together in surprising ways.