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Wide Awake
I can't believe there's going to be a gay Jewish president.
As my mother said this, she looked at my father, who was still staring at the screen. They were shocked, barely comprehending.
Me? I sat there and beamed.
Everything seems to be going right in Duncan's life: The candidate he's been supporting for president has just won the election. Duncan's boyfriend, Jimmy, is with him to celebrate. Love and kindness appear to have won the day.
But all too quickly, things start to go wrong. The election is called into question... and Duncan and Jimmy's relationship is called into question, too. Suddenly Duncan has to decide what he's willing to risk for something he believes in... and how far he's willing to go to hold on to the people we hold dear.
As my mother said this, she looked at my father, who was still staring at the screen. They were shocked, barely comprehending.
Me? I sat there and beamed.
Everything seems to be going right in Duncan's life: The candidate he's been supporting for president has just won the election. Duncan's boyfriend, Jimmy, is with him to celebrate. Love and kindness appear to have won the day.
But all too quickly, things start to go wrong. The election is called into question... and Duncan and Jimmy's relationship is called into question, too. Suddenly Duncan has to decide what he's willing to risk for something he believes in... and how far he's willing to go to hold on to the people we hold dear.
221 pages, Hardcover
First published September 12, 2006
79 people are currently reading
7322 people want to read
About the author
David Levithan
119 books19.4k followersDavid Levithan (born 1972) is an American children's book editor and award-winning author. He published his first YA book, Boy Meets Boy, in 2003. Levithan is also the founding editor of PUSH, a Young Adult imprint of Scholastic Press.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 368 reviews
May 3, 2016
Actual rating: 4.5 Stars
This book was so fantastic. How do I describe it? Basically, imagine if Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump won the nominations for their parties, only Bernie was gay and instead of being mostly focused on Wall Street &c he was more idealistic and about all of us coming together as "great community." Then imagine he's elected president, but the opponent refuses to concede the election and instead tries a mass voter disenfranchisement tactic to try and make himself the victor. Also, imagine that someone very much like Donald Trump was already elected president last time around, and had actually done all the things that he said he's going to do, and America and the world is still reeling from the aftermath.
Wide Awake is basically about that, and a young gay Jewish boy navigating his way through it, fighting against the voter disenfranchisement, and figuring out his relationship. I LOVED it. If I'd read this book a year ago I would've thought it was too unrealistic, that it would never happen. And there are certainly still parts that I hope to God won't happen, but given our current political state, they're now legitimate possibilities. So it was kinda great to see some of those possibilities explored.
Wide Awake was also the best exploration of faith I've ever seen in a book. I loved the future of faith (and Christianity in particular) that David Levithan laid out. There's a "Jesus Revolution" that has taken place, which is basically a large amount of Christians saying heck no to the fear-mongering and judgment that other Christians preached. The depiction of faith was really, really lovely and made me hopeful for the future.
There was one very odd bit having to do with a trans character, and a fair bit of misgendering. It wasn't exactly offensive or hurtful, at least not to me, it was simply... odd. There's also a bit where the main character talks about dressing up as Paul Revere dressing up as a "Mohican" for the Boston Tea Party, which... didn't seem like the greatest.
Despite those two things, however, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a quick, fun read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys politics or is looking to find a positive and affirming depiction of faith.
This book was so fantastic. How do I describe it? Basically, imagine if Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump won the nominations for their parties, only Bernie was gay and instead of being mostly focused on Wall Street &c he was more idealistic and about all of us coming together as "great community." Then imagine he's elected president, but the opponent refuses to concede the election and instead tries a mass voter disenfranchisement tactic to try and make himself the victor. Also, imagine that someone very much like Donald Trump was already elected president last time around, and had actually done all the things that he said he's going to do, and America and the world is still reeling from the aftermath.
Wide Awake is basically about that, and a young gay Jewish boy navigating his way through it, fighting against the voter disenfranchisement, and figuring out his relationship. I LOVED it. If I'd read this book a year ago I would've thought it was too unrealistic, that it would never happen. And there are certainly still parts that I hope to God won't happen, but given our current political state, they're now legitimate possibilities. So it was kinda great to see some of those possibilities explored.
Wide Awake was also the best exploration of faith I've ever seen in a book. I loved the future of faith (and Christianity in particular) that David Levithan laid out. There's a "Jesus Revolution" that has taken place, which is basically a large amount of Christians saying heck no to the fear-mongering and judgment that other Christians preached. The depiction of faith was really, really lovely and made me hopeful for the future.
There was one very odd bit having to do with a trans character, and a fair bit of misgendering. It wasn't exactly offensive or hurtful, at least not to me, it was simply... odd. There's also a bit where the main character talks about dressing up as Paul Revere dressing up as a "Mohican" for the Boston Tea Party, which... didn't seem like the greatest.
Despite those two things, however, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a quick, fun read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys politics or is looking to find a positive and affirming depiction of faith.
March 7, 2020
David Levithan's books make me so happy young people have access to his writing - perhaps making their personal journeys a bit less isolating and a lot more promising. Wide Awake in particular becomes a must-read YA novel in this insane election year. What a sense of hope Levithan gives all of us for a near-future full of possibility.
July 19, 2016
I want you to believe me when I say that David Levithan really is one of the best writers in YA. I won't pretend he's consistent, but when he's at his best (Every Day, Will Grayson Will Grayson, Love is the Higher Law), he creates complex characters, with strong voices, and unique premises that only could've come from him. He's also one of the best writers of LGBT fiction I can think of, except maybe Malinda Lo. He's one of the few authors who really explores the different people that identify as gay, and what that identification means in the real world, all without writing stories that feel like vehicles for a positive message. Two Boys Kissing is the best display of what it means to be a gay teenager I know of.
I say all that because all that makes it all the more disappointing when he writes terrible books like this one. This fails at everything that Levithan would later succeed at in Two Boys Kissing - whereas the latter balances character development and a realistic political message, this is idealistic, unrealistic, with bland characters. It's a vehicle for Levithan's mainstream liberalism. The political message itself is far more flawed than the one that appears in Two Boys Kissing, and I plan on writing a piece commenting on that later. But here, I wanted to comment on this failing as a book, rather than Levithan's failing as a political commentator.
The thing that stands out the most is how obvious it is that the characters and writing are Levithan's default. None of the secondary characters get any real development - they're all just nice, dedicated people. Duncan, our protagonist, is the only one that feels even remotely like a real person, and he's the same narrator that appears in a lot of Levithan's books. You could've called him Nick, Ely, Dash, the unnamed narrator of The Lover's Dictionary, or even A and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. Both in personality and voice, he's the same as all of those protagonists of Levithan's. This isn't the only time Levithan has focused on something other than character development - the focus of Love is the Higher Law was on New York in general, rather than the specific characters. But there, I never felt like Levithan had forgotten about developing his characters. They weren't the focus, but after reading the book, I still felt like I knew them. I still got a sense of their lives outside of the plot, I still felt like they were real. That's not the case here - for all I know, Duncan doesn't do anything other than go to political rallies. We know nothing about him except his views on politics. It's boring and frustrating.
The plot itself is difficult to get into without talking about how I feel about Levithan's political views. But I will say this: the way Levithan set up his conflict was pretty frustrating. There really is no conflict outside of the broader politics, outside of the (completely predictable) question of whether or not Stein will be president or not. Duncan experiences no personal conflict. His character has no growth - Levithan doesn't even pretend. There is a minor conflict, among some of Duncan's friends, involving one of his friends cheating on another. But it's not at all engaging or necessary - it feels tacked on.
There really is almost nothing at all to say about this book that doesn't have to do with Levithan's political opinion. This is a politically dominated book. Much like 1984 or Fahrenheit 451, it only exists for the purposes of being an essay. The best I can give it is that Levithan's prose is excellent is always. Other than that, this is Levithan's absolute worst book. The only other book of his that even comes close is Naomi and Ely's No-Kiss List, and even then, the lack of quality was mostly Rachel Cohn's fault. Levithan has so many books that are far better than this - really, if you want to read David Levithan, I'd recommend any of his books over this one.
This review can also be found on my blog.
I say all that because all that makes it all the more disappointing when he writes terrible books like this one. This fails at everything that Levithan would later succeed at in Two Boys Kissing - whereas the latter balances character development and a realistic political message, this is idealistic, unrealistic, with bland characters. It's a vehicle for Levithan's mainstream liberalism. The political message itself is far more flawed than the one that appears in Two Boys Kissing, and I plan on writing a piece commenting on that later. But here, I wanted to comment on this failing as a book, rather than Levithan's failing as a political commentator.
The thing that stands out the most is how obvious it is that the characters and writing are Levithan's default. None of the secondary characters get any real development - they're all just nice, dedicated people. Duncan, our protagonist, is the only one that feels even remotely like a real person, and he's the same narrator that appears in a lot of Levithan's books. You could've called him Nick, Ely, Dash, the unnamed narrator of The Lover's Dictionary, or even A and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. Both in personality and voice, he's the same as all of those protagonists of Levithan's. This isn't the only time Levithan has focused on something other than character development - the focus of Love is the Higher Law was on New York in general, rather than the specific characters. But there, I never felt like Levithan had forgotten about developing his characters. They weren't the focus, but after reading the book, I still felt like I knew them. I still got a sense of their lives outside of the plot, I still felt like they were real. That's not the case here - for all I know, Duncan doesn't do anything other than go to political rallies. We know nothing about him except his views on politics. It's boring and frustrating.
The plot itself is difficult to get into without talking about how I feel about Levithan's political views. But I will say this: the way Levithan set up his conflict was pretty frustrating. There really is no conflict outside of the broader politics, outside of the (completely predictable) question of whether or not Stein will be president or not. Duncan experiences no personal conflict. His character has no growth - Levithan doesn't even pretend. There is a minor conflict, among some of Duncan's friends, involving one of his friends cheating on another. But it's not at all engaging or necessary - it feels tacked on.
There really is almost nothing at all to say about this book that doesn't have to do with Levithan's political opinion. This is a politically dominated book. Much like 1984 or Fahrenheit 451, it only exists for the purposes of being an essay. The best I can give it is that Levithan's prose is excellent is always. Other than that, this is Levithan's absolute worst book. The only other book of his that even comes close is Naomi and Ely's No-Kiss List, and even then, the lack of quality was mostly Rachel Cohn's fault. Levithan has so many books that are far better than this - really, if you want to read David Levithan, I'd recommend any of his books over this one.
This review can also be found on my blog.
September 2, 2008
Everyone should read this book. If 1984 shows us how bad the world can get, this book shows us how good things can get, gives hope that ultimately we humans, though we do bad things, will pull together for the good of everyone.
October 4, 2010
The two books I have read from David Levithan so far have required quite a bit of suspension of disbelief - in "Boy Meets Boy" it was a bit easier to get over the initial resistance to it, but "Wide Awake" suffers because of it. It's a shame, because it could have been a truly great and inspiring YA novel. Levithan's world-building always seems to push a bit too far - my first stumbling block was the notion that in the future we no longer shop for stuff, but just go to look at them and then donate the money we would have spent to charity. Huh? Sorry, hopefully humans will evolve more socio-politically as time passes, but we are still materialistic creatures at heart. The other stumbling block is that, in a book full of pop-culture references, the song "A Boy Named Sue" is used as a plot point - as in, we meet a character named Sue who is living the life of the character from that song. I kept waiting for this point to be referenced, or for it to be explained more as the book progressed, but it wasn't. It just stuck out like a sore thumb and I didn't see why it was used at all.
I feel like I am focusing on the negative aspects too much - there are some really good parts to this book as well and I still recommend it as a read. Your suspension of disbelief may be easier to dial down than mine was.
I feel like I am focusing on the negative aspects too much - there are some really good parts to this book as well and I still recommend it as a read. Your suspension of disbelief may be easier to dial down than mine was.
July 12, 2009
This is a most interesting YA read.
The U.S. has an elected a gay, Jewish president -- or so it seems until Kansas decides maybe the count is off. The group of 16-yr old teens who worked so hard on the campaign are devastated, just as the "Decents" who opposed the candidate are. The tag line of the book is "What are you willing to do for what you believe in?"
Levithan is an excellent writer and may have missed his calling when he decided not to become a political speechwriter (the speeches by the elected officials in the books are outstanding). Plus, he has a sense of humor (as when you meet the boy named Sue who looks for his father, who is now Loretta). The questions posed in this book are valuable and relevant to teen life, no matter what the beliefs. Perhaps one of the most interesting perspectives is that the candidate is elected thanks to the "Jesus Freaks" -- an absolutely fascinating perspective on how values coincide.
I highly recommend this book.
The U.S. has an elected a gay, Jewish president -- or so it seems until Kansas decides maybe the count is off. The group of 16-yr old teens who worked so hard on the campaign are devastated, just as the "Decents" who opposed the candidate are. The tag line of the book is "What are you willing to do for what you believe in?"
Levithan is an excellent writer and may have missed his calling when he decided not to become a political speechwriter (the speeches by the elected officials in the books are outstanding). Plus, he has a sense of humor (as when you meet the boy named Sue who looks for his father, who is now Loretta). The questions posed in this book are valuable and relevant to teen life, no matter what the beliefs. Perhaps one of the most interesting perspectives is that the candidate is elected thanks to the "Jesus Freaks" -- an absolutely fascinating perspective on how values coincide.
I highly recommend this book.
July 26, 2020
Wide Awake
By David Levithan
Alfred A. Knopf, 2006 (Kindle edition 2016)
Five stars
“What are you willing to do for something you believe in?”
Wide awake is a YA story, about a sixteen-year-old gay Jewish boy and his mixed-race boyfriend, who make a pilgrimage to Kansas to help prevent that state’s governor from overturning the legitimate election of the first gay, Jewish president.
First published in 2006, Levithan offers an afterword to this 2016 edition written in the summer of that year. What he, of course, couldn’t know was that four years later, the full power of his story’s worst-case scenario is still upon us, made worse and more surreal by the global pandemic that has engulfed us all due to the utter failure of our national leadership.
Duncan and Jimmy and their friends live in a weirdly plausible not-quite-dystopian USA that has been dragged through the Greater Depression and the War to End All Wars and something referred to simply as the Reign of Fear. Otherwise, they are pretty typical teenagers, struggling with notions of independence and romance as teenagers always have. Levithan uses all sorts of clever details to remind us that this is not the world we know (or knew in 2006) but, rather, a world that we might come to know someday. These are good kids, and as is typical of so many YA novels, their parents barely register on the page. I was relieved and comforted that, while the parents never matter much in the action, they are there, and they are not entirely powerless or pointless.
Duncan and Jimmy and their friends—including the older folks who make the pilgrimage to Kansas possible—are great people, people I’d be proud to know. The most fascinating detail of this future world is an apparent alliance of liberally minded evangelical Christians and LGBTQ youth. This vision of a world where liberal Christians (or, as I like to think of them, actual Christians) embrace ideas of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for everyone brought tears to my eyes, and more than once.
I’ve had this book on my Kindle for a while, and I’m glad I chose this moment to read it. Levithan is probably more appalled than I am at the state of the nation right now, but his faith in people as expressed in this book gave me hope.
By David Levithan
Alfred A. Knopf, 2006 (Kindle edition 2016)
Five stars
“What are you willing to do for something you believe in?”
Wide awake is a YA story, about a sixteen-year-old gay Jewish boy and his mixed-race boyfriend, who make a pilgrimage to Kansas to help prevent that state’s governor from overturning the legitimate election of the first gay, Jewish president.
First published in 2006, Levithan offers an afterword to this 2016 edition written in the summer of that year. What he, of course, couldn’t know was that four years later, the full power of his story’s worst-case scenario is still upon us, made worse and more surreal by the global pandemic that has engulfed us all due to the utter failure of our national leadership.
Duncan and Jimmy and their friends live in a weirdly plausible not-quite-dystopian USA that has been dragged through the Greater Depression and the War to End All Wars and something referred to simply as the Reign of Fear. Otherwise, they are pretty typical teenagers, struggling with notions of independence and romance as teenagers always have. Levithan uses all sorts of clever details to remind us that this is not the world we know (or knew in 2006) but, rather, a world that we might come to know someday. These are good kids, and as is typical of so many YA novels, their parents barely register on the page. I was relieved and comforted that, while the parents never matter much in the action, they are there, and they are not entirely powerless or pointless.
Duncan and Jimmy and their friends—including the older folks who make the pilgrimage to Kansas possible—are great people, people I’d be proud to know. The most fascinating detail of this future world is an apparent alliance of liberally minded evangelical Christians and LGBTQ youth. This vision of a world where liberal Christians (or, as I like to think of them, actual Christians) embrace ideas of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for everyone brought tears to my eyes, and more than once.
I’ve had this book on my Kindle for a while, and I’m glad I chose this moment to read it. Levithan is probably more appalled than I am at the state of the nation right now, but his faith in people as expressed in this book gave me hope.
December 4, 2013
Reviewed by Christian C. for TeensReadToo.com
Decades from today, the results of the election are out, and for the first time in the history of the United States, a gay, Jewish president, Abraham Stein, has been elected. After the Greater Depression, the War to End All Wars, the Reign of Fear, and the Jesus Revolution, the moment has arrived. Seventeen-year-old Duncan, who has spent the last few months working with his boyfriend, Jimmy, as a volunteer at the campaign headquarters, can finally stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance because at last the words "with liberty and justice for all" make sense.
But soon everything will take a 180-degree turn. The governor of Kansas, a member of the opposition party, demands a recount. Stein is determined to fight back, and asks all the people who have elected him to go to Kansas and show their support. Everyone at the election headquarters decides to board their bus that night and join this pilgrimage to Kansas.
Duncan, always insecure, always wondering about what Jimmy will think and what will happen to their relationship, knows that going to Kansas is the right thing to do. It's the once in a lifetime opportunity to help write history, and he decides to board the bus despite his parents' disapproval.
However, the trip proves to be more challenging than he thought. Duncan and Jimmy's relationship seems strained. Their friend Keisha finds out that her girlfriend, Mira, was having an affair with another girl in the group. And when the group arrives in Topeka, Kansas, they have to endure the insults and vicious attacks of the Decents (the supporters of the opposition party). They camp out in the center of town, along with more than half a million other people, with not much food, only a few accommodations, and no quick resolution in sight. Will it be worth it? Will justice prevail?
When I pick up a book by David Levithan, certain things are a given. First, I know it's going to be well written. From a little poem, to a presidential speech, to a sex scene, Levithan proves once again with WIDE AWAKE that he's a talented writer and has a great deal of imagination. This entertaining novel, full of interesting characters, is a combination of a fun parody of good versus evil, and a love story.
Decades from today, the results of the election are out, and for the first time in the history of the United States, a gay, Jewish president, Abraham Stein, has been elected. After the Greater Depression, the War to End All Wars, the Reign of Fear, and the Jesus Revolution, the moment has arrived. Seventeen-year-old Duncan, who has spent the last few months working with his boyfriend, Jimmy, as a volunteer at the campaign headquarters, can finally stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance because at last the words "with liberty and justice for all" make sense.
But soon everything will take a 180-degree turn. The governor of Kansas, a member of the opposition party, demands a recount. Stein is determined to fight back, and asks all the people who have elected him to go to Kansas and show their support. Everyone at the election headquarters decides to board their bus that night and join this pilgrimage to Kansas.
Duncan, always insecure, always wondering about what Jimmy will think and what will happen to their relationship, knows that going to Kansas is the right thing to do. It's the once in a lifetime opportunity to help write history, and he decides to board the bus despite his parents' disapproval.
However, the trip proves to be more challenging than he thought. Duncan and Jimmy's relationship seems strained. Their friend Keisha finds out that her girlfriend, Mira, was having an affair with another girl in the group. And when the group arrives in Topeka, Kansas, they have to endure the insults and vicious attacks of the Decents (the supporters of the opposition party). They camp out in the center of town, along with more than half a million other people, with not much food, only a few accommodations, and no quick resolution in sight. Will it be worth it? Will justice prevail?
When I pick up a book by David Levithan, certain things are a given. First, I know it's going to be well written. From a little poem, to a presidential speech, to a sex scene, Levithan proves once again with WIDE AWAKE that he's a talented writer and has a great deal of imagination. This entertaining novel, full of interesting characters, is a combination of a fun parody of good versus evil, and a love story.
November 25, 2011
Can it be historical fiction if it's set in a fictional future? Because this book is all about making history...in the future. When a gay Jewish man becomes president. You know, when that happens. Someday. Maybe. Possibly...
This was not my favorite Levithan and I've been trying to work out why this book didn't sear into my soul like his other books. (Alright, maybe not my soul, but definitely into my beneath the surface emotions. Definitely there.)
I think it's because this book felt like a project. It felt forced. It felt like every word was constructed not to woo the reader, but to sway the reader. It felt like a political campaign: Read my book! Think like me! Make the future match my ideal! I wasn't able to get lost in the characters because the characters were simply props used to make Levithan's point. Not unlike _Unbearable Lightness of Being_ except that Kundera was brilliant and kept you caring for his stick characters while Levithan's stick characters leave a dry, dissatisfying taste in your mouth. I felt like I was being persuaded and it was not a pleasent feeling.
The setting of this futuristic novel, however, felt very possible to me. Of course there will be another world war and of course gas prices will be $30/gal and of course there will be non-malls. Intriguing, that.
This was not my favorite Levithan and I've been trying to work out why this book didn't sear into my soul like his other books. (Alright, maybe not my soul, but definitely into my beneath the surface emotions. Definitely there.)
I think it's because this book felt like a project. It felt forced. It felt like every word was constructed not to woo the reader, but to sway the reader. It felt like a political campaign: Read my book! Think like me! Make the future match my ideal! I wasn't able to get lost in the characters because the characters were simply props used to make Levithan's point. Not unlike _Unbearable Lightness of Being_ except that Kundera was brilliant and kept you caring for his stick characters while Levithan's stick characters leave a dry, dissatisfying taste in your mouth. I felt like I was being persuaded and it was not a pleasent feeling.
The setting of this futuristic novel, however, felt very possible to me. Of course there will be another world war and of course gas prices will be $30/gal and of course there will be non-malls. Intriguing, that.
December 8, 2007
This one suffered from some pretty heavy-handed moralizing about politics in the US, plus there were too many characters to even begin to keep straight (no pun intended.) A good "what if" concept gone wrong.
October 28, 2018
This book was published in 2006, but all I could think was how easily it could have happened in 2016. It fit everything happening with Trump so perfectly, and I was amazed to find out it wasn't based on all of that. I loved seeing how focused and passionate this group of people was on what was happening in their government, even though they weren't old enough to vote. The way he described people like the teacher, or those boys who they got into a fight with, was just so real. Don't we all know people like that? My favourite thing, though, was the sense of hope that came from it. Yeah, there are times where it all seems completely hopeless. But the way they fight, you just know it's going to be okay.
TBC
TBC
December 4, 2019
I have never read a book, especially one written over a decade ago, that is so incredibly relevant to current events. I was floored with my love for this book. Absolute necessity. Read it IMMEDIATELY.
July 30, 2024
Pretty cheesy but such a trippy book to read in 2024. Honestly scary how much of the current political climate David levithan predicted 20 years ago
October 24, 2015
David Levithan is one of my favorite ya contemporary authors. That said, this book was a miss. David Levithan's books are truly amazing (The Lover's Dictionary, Every Day,and The Realm of Possibility are all wonderful) but this book just fell lame for me.
I thought I'd love this. As a Jewish gay (if we use the umbrella term gay for everyone who isn't straight), I thought this would resound with me. Yet I didn't feel it. In David Levithan's books, I normally feel like I get a real sense of who the person is. Here, I just didn't. I didn't feel connected to the characters. Any of them, apart from maybe Sue.
Moreover, I'd hoped to feel that change, to get that feeling of becoming a better nation, a better community. I remember how overjoyed I felt when the USA legalized marriage. I felt like we won, like there was a victory for my side. I'd hoped to feel the same while reading this. Instead, I just didn't. I didn't believe this world. Something just struck me as unbelievable.
I disliked how Levithan attempts to showcase both Judaism and Christianity. It felt like he was trying to portray both of them, to show them both. Being me, I felt that Judaism was used to push the author's own political stance (which I generally agree with). Don't use our history for your agenda. I also felt Judaism played an infinitely small part next to Christianity. It was all about being like Jesus. I did like the portrayal of Jesus though.
One thing I will say, David Levithan writes non straight characters and I love it. We need more. Of course, there's more to the community than gay and lesbian. Where are my asexual, aromantic, pansexul, demisxual, bisxual, intersex and nonbinary characters at? Still, it's not his burden to write those characters and I'm just being pedantic so I'll shut up.
All in all, it's not a bad book. It's just not his best book, not by a long shot.
Also heck yeah, I'm eight books ahead in my challenge.
I thought I'd love this. As a Jewish gay (if we use the umbrella term gay for everyone who isn't straight), I thought this would resound with me. Yet I didn't feel it. In David Levithan's books, I normally feel like I get a real sense of who the person is. Here, I just didn't. I didn't feel connected to the characters. Any of them, apart from maybe Sue.
Moreover, I'd hoped to feel that change, to get that feeling of becoming a better nation, a better community. I remember how overjoyed I felt when the USA legalized marriage. I felt like we won, like there was a victory for my side. I'd hoped to feel the same while reading this. Instead, I just didn't. I didn't believe this world. Something just struck me as unbelievable.
I disliked how Levithan attempts to showcase both Judaism and Christianity. It felt like he was trying to portray both of them, to show them both. Being me, I felt that Judaism was used to push the author's own political stance (which I generally agree with). Don't use our history for your agenda. I also felt Judaism played an infinitely small part next to Christianity. It was all about being like Jesus. I did like the portrayal of Jesus though.
One thing I will say, David Levithan writes non straight characters and I love it. We need more. Of course, there's more to the community than gay and lesbian. Where are my asexual, aromantic, pansexul, demisxual, bisxual, intersex and nonbinary characters at? Still, it's not his burden to write those characters and I'm just being pedantic so I'll shut up.
All in all, it's not a bad book. It's just not his best book, not by a long shot.
Also heck yeah, I'm eight books ahead in my challenge.
September 10, 2017
David Levithan's future is the first one I've read I would actually want to live in! I treasure his optimism. An America that again merits the name of democracy--equal justice for all--would be worth fighting to achieve. Instead we have our political reality in all its intolerance and ugliness. A book about the President stealing the election via shenanigans with the electoral college, while losing the popular vote, is all too familiar.
But politics is just one aspect of the story--there's also teenage romance! His characters are people I care about, some more deeply than others, but their journey together is quite remarkable. His boys in love are adorable, as is the older couple who dust off their protest signs. And Gus! And Sue! I loved Sue (can't say more without a spoiler).
The ebook edition I read includes an author's note on the 10th anniversary of the book's release in July 2016. In the run-up to the 2016 election, the author's fears for the future are unfortunately well-founded. This edition also includes his Margaret A. Edwards Award acceptance speech, in which he acknowledges the lineage of YA authors who have likewise been honored not for a single book but for a body of work that consistently delivers a clear and coherent message of hope for the future. He also scorches the committee that so honored Orson Scott Card, while it willfully set aside the man's homophobia, bigotry and dogmatism. Yes, thank you, Mr. Levithan.
But politics is just one aspect of the story--there's also teenage romance! His characters are people I care about, some more deeply than others, but their journey together is quite remarkable. His boys in love are adorable, as is the older couple who dust off their protest signs. And Gus! And Sue! I loved Sue (can't say more without a spoiler).
The ebook edition I read includes an author's note on the 10th anniversary of the book's release in July 2016. In the run-up to the 2016 election, the author's fears for the future are unfortunately well-founded. This edition also includes his Margaret A. Edwards Award acceptance speech, in which he acknowledges the lineage of YA authors who have likewise been honored not for a single book but for a body of work that consistently delivers a clear and coherent message of hope for the future. He also scorches the committee that so honored Orson Scott Card, while it willfully set aside the man's homophobia, bigotry and dogmatism. Yes, thank you, Mr. Levithan.
August 30, 2011
David Levithan was recommended to me as an author who could write about homosexuality front and center and give it a happy ending. But this book was not really what I was looking for. It was an interesting journal of a political movement, but honestly, it was really a one note samba. It definitely wanted to give a positive message, but the nuance it had in the beginning was swept away as Duncan joined the protest.
In the end, the only thing i found convincing about the book was the relationships. Duncan was a mushy egg. Jimmy was awful, insensitive, careless and selfish, even as he pretended to be entirely of noble motive. None of the girls actually got any characterization. There were just the lesbians and the Jesus Freaks, nothing more complex. The truth is, even though it dealt with 'issues' like homosexuality and prejudice, this was really an MG novel, not YA. It was interesting, but very, very simple. At first i was worried something bad would happen, and then, about halfway though, i was angry that it hadn't.
In the end, this was a fantasy about how the Al Gore election should have gone, but it didn't work out that way, and as even the Obama election isn't working out all that well, it just becomes more and more of a tragedy, a tragedy where you can't even trust in your own feelings, because love will betray you too.
In the end, the only thing i found convincing about the book was the relationships. Duncan was a mushy egg. Jimmy was awful, insensitive, careless and selfish, even as he pretended to be entirely of noble motive. None of the girls actually got any characterization. There were just the lesbians and the Jesus Freaks, nothing more complex. The truth is, even though it dealt with 'issues' like homosexuality and prejudice, this was really an MG novel, not YA. It was interesting, but very, very simple. At first i was worried something bad would happen, and then, about halfway though, i was angry that it hadn't.
In the end, this was a fantasy about how the Al Gore election should have gone, but it didn't work out that way, and as even the Obama election isn't working out all that well, it just becomes more and more of a tragedy, a tragedy where you can't even trust in your own feelings, because love will betray you too.
Read
November 8, 2014There are three things about David Levithan's books that I adore: the tenderness with which the protagonist views the world, the writing that has so much energy it seems to pop off the page, and finally, the creation of a world that is so idealistic and believable that I want to pack my bags and move to it. It's the last one that I had a problem with in this book.
Wide Awake is set sometime in the distant future where teens hang out at non-shopping malls and give their money to charity rather than spend it on CDs and clothing, being gay is no big thing, America has just elected its first gay, Jewish president. To be clear, I'd back my bags and move to this America in a heartbeat, if I believed it could exist.
So part of my ambivalence to the story is my cynicism, but the other part is that the messages seem so heavy handed. Early in the book the social commentary and political statements overtook the characters and the story.
Wide Awake is set sometime in the distant future where teens hang out at non-shopping malls and give their money to charity rather than spend it on CDs and clothing, being gay is no big thing, America has just elected its first gay, Jewish president. To be clear, I'd back my bags and move to this America in a heartbeat, if I believed it could exist.
So part of my ambivalence to the story is my cynicism, but the other part is that the messages seem so heavy handed. Early in the book the social commentary and political statements overtook the characters and the story.
October 28, 2008
I wanted to like this book, but I think I might be just a little too cynical to see this future as "not too distant." The picture that Levithan painted was just way too rosy - so rosy that I didn't for second feel any real tension in the book. Everything in this future is just so nice that of course our protagonist is going to get everything that he wants eventually.
And the song references were way too numerous and trite. Seriously, triplets named Glen, Gary and Ross? Couldn't they have at least been introduced in a different order? And the reference to 'A Boy Named Sue' was over the top as well, since the lyrics from the song were directly incorporated into the dialog. Not subtle at all. Maybe if these were references to protest songs, which Levithan acknowledges as being part of the inspiration for the book, these references would make sense.
And the song references were way too numerous and trite. Seriously, triplets named Glen, Gary and Ross? Couldn't they have at least been introduced in a different order? And the reference to 'A Boy Named Sue' was over the top as well, since the lyrics from the song were directly incorporated into the dialog. Not subtle at all. Maybe if these were references to protest songs, which Levithan acknowledges as being part of the inspiration for the book, these references would make sense.
October 22, 2009
Umm -- slow day at work, so I read my first Levithan. I know, I'm embarrassed on two fronts.
Yes, it's super-idealistic, but why not? Isn't that what this country is all about? It was founded in idealism and I just keep wondering, where is our outrage? I sleepwalked through the Bush presidency. I could not believe that I lived in a country where he was elected! Eight years and I didn't do anything, not really, to express my dismay. Well, I love that David Levithan imagines a better world and describes it. Bravo!
Yes, it's super-idealistic, but why not? Isn't that what this country is all about? It was founded in idealism and I just keep wondering, where is our outrage? I sleepwalked through the Bush presidency. I could not believe that I lived in a country where he was elected! Eight years and I didn't do anything, not really, to express my dismay. Well, I love that David Levithan imagines a better world and describes it. Bravo!
April 12, 2012
A huge disappointment after Boy Meets Boy. This novel was way too preachy, I felt like Levithan hammered me over the head with his message at every point. Where Boy Meets Boy was beautiful, funny and sad, Wide Awake was just... boring. I felt no sort of relationship with the characters at all, there was never any doubt as to how it all would turn out, and the beautiful phrases that had made Boy Meets Boy such a joy to read was sorely lacking from this novel.
abandoned
February 23, 2015I'm not in the mood to continue reading this right now and I hate having it as "currently-reading" on my main page because there's too many books and I get stressed, so I'm shelving as "abandoned" for now.
October 8, 2019
did i love the experience of reading this book? no not really. am i glad the story exists and does it feel alarmingly relevant currently? 1000% yes. ultimately i didn’t love the story, but i loved the characters and the underlying themes.
January 1, 2021
Fast paced and engaging enough but a little too political for me. I was weirded out realising this was written in 2006 though, as the situation described in the book could have very well happened a couple of months ago. Points for political accuracy o.o
March 22, 2017
This was neat. I found myself mostly invested in the idea of this alternate future. I say alternate because events in the last decade are different than what David Levithan originally wrote (but on the other hand, some other things are amusingly in sync or a bit predictive of the mood surrounding Barack Obama's election.)
I was less interested in the romance this go around but that was all fine. I appreciate the honesty about how fleeting teenage relationships can be and the honesty that teenage relationships usually don't last forever.
I was less interested in the romance this go around but that was all fine. I appreciate the honesty about how fleeting teenage relationships can be and the honesty that teenage relationships usually don't last forever.
February 24, 2018
The fact that this book was published in 2006 and the ideas are still relevant in 2018, perhaps even more than they were then, made me emotional more than once. It's not a perfect book, sometimes unnecessarily poetic, but it's really good.
October 2, 2020
A good book that is relevant now, right before the 2020 election, more than ever.
May 12, 2015
What a disappointment! I have adored everything else I've read by David Levithan but this was embarrassing. The premise seemed cool enough--a dystopian future where a Jewish gay man becomes president after our country has fallen apart and rebuilt itself. And it started off well, too! The beginning really painted a nice picture of where our narrator, Duncan, was living.
And, it fell flat.
Basically, good old President-elect Stein was having his election thrown in question because Kansas was too close to call and the governor demanded a recount. (Sound familiar?) So, all the Stein supporters flocked to Kansas to express their dissent for the governor and support for the infallible Stein. It should have been interesting, but all the characters were bland cardboard cut outs of real people. Their struggles in life were non-existent. Duncan loved his boyfriend and was worried he didn't love him back. (Don't worry-- he does. And they don't break up, falter, cheat on one another, find someone else attractive, etc. etc. He just, you know, realizes that he loves him.) These characters just bumble through the story and it's annoying. There is no conflict, save for some minor characters cheating on one another, but even still they're so one dimensional it's hard to care about their struggles. Maybe the story should have been told from their point of view? I don't know.
What really bothered me were the small, lazy choices. For instance, even though I can tell you all sorts of stupid details about Abe Stein and his VP Alice Martinez, I cannot tell you a single thing about his opponent. The opponent was so unimportant he wasn't even given a name. His VP wasn't even given a gender. That is so lazy. Okay, so he wasn't even worth a name? Not even "Bob Smith"? That was annoying, because it made the character's dialogue so unnatural. Think about it--say we're discussing the most recent presidential race. Say you supported Obama. You didn't just refer to Romney constantly as "the opponent". He wasn't some faceless creature--ESPECIALLY if you were so passionate about Obama that the hypothetical you is spending all your free time at the volunteer centers! That's what drove me crazy. No one mentioned what made Stein's opponent so bad. I mean, if you feel so passionately about wanting Stein as a president, maybe I ought to know what makes "the opponent" so bad.
Another lazy choice that bothered me was the boy named Sue. Yes. He was a boy named Sue. Who had a father ditch him as a little kid. Who chases the father down in a bar and greets him with, yes, you guessed it: "My name is Sue! How do you do?!?" No mention to Johnny Cash or anything. That character, in all seriousness was super pointless. I didn't get why he even existed.
After a bunch of boring events (like, the character waffling over whether he will go to Kansas after his parents forbade him to...then five pages later goes "oh, okay I will go" and his parents rolling over and not getting mad over his disobedience. Then...getting to Kansas and sitting around a while. Then, an almost fight that leaves everyone intact without a bruise to speak of. Then, more sitting around) a tape emerges that shows that the governor is *gasp* a purely evil man who rigged the entire system to ensure that the recount would go to the nameless opponent and somehow this just conveniently surfaces. Before anything interesting happens like, say, the election got handed to The Opponent (I'm making the story better in my retelling just now. I've decided that The Opponent is actually the dude's name, much like The Impostor. When he fills out forms and his last name goes first, it's "Opponent, The." There. Fixed it.) this tape surfaces and the election goes straight to Stein and everyone lives happily ever after.
No, really. That's how it ended. With some maudlin speech from Abe Stein that is supposed to be inspirational but instead reads as some over the top garbage. That's it. That's your story. I wasted two nights of reading on this guy.
Hopefully you won't do the same.
And, it fell flat.
Basically, good old President-elect Stein was having his election thrown in question because Kansas was too close to call and the governor demanded a recount. (Sound familiar?) So, all the Stein supporters flocked to Kansas to express their dissent for the governor and support for the infallible Stein. It should have been interesting, but all the characters were bland cardboard cut outs of real people. Their struggles in life were non-existent. Duncan loved his boyfriend and was worried he didn't love him back. (Don't worry-- he does. And they don't break up, falter, cheat on one another, find someone else attractive, etc. etc. He just, you know, realizes that he loves him.) These characters just bumble through the story and it's annoying. There is no conflict, save for some minor characters cheating on one another, but even still they're so one dimensional it's hard to care about their struggles. Maybe the story should have been told from their point of view? I don't know.
What really bothered me were the small, lazy choices. For instance, even though I can tell you all sorts of stupid details about Abe Stein and his VP Alice Martinez, I cannot tell you a single thing about his opponent. The opponent was so unimportant he wasn't even given a name. His VP wasn't even given a gender. That is so lazy. Okay, so he wasn't even worth a name? Not even "Bob Smith"? That was annoying, because it made the character's dialogue so unnatural. Think about it--say we're discussing the most recent presidential race. Say you supported Obama. You didn't just refer to Romney constantly as "the opponent". He wasn't some faceless creature--ESPECIALLY if you were so passionate about Obama that the hypothetical you is spending all your free time at the volunteer centers! That's what drove me crazy. No one mentioned what made Stein's opponent so bad. I mean, if you feel so passionately about wanting Stein as a president, maybe I ought to know what makes "the opponent" so bad.
Another lazy choice that bothered me was the boy named Sue. Yes. He was a boy named Sue. Who had a father ditch him as a little kid. Who chases the father down in a bar and greets him with, yes, you guessed it: "My name is Sue! How do you do?!?" No mention to Johnny Cash or anything. That character, in all seriousness was super pointless. I didn't get why he even existed.
After a bunch of boring events (like, the character waffling over whether he will go to Kansas after his parents forbade him to...then five pages later goes "oh, okay I will go" and his parents rolling over and not getting mad over his disobedience. Then...getting to Kansas and sitting around a while. Then, an almost fight that leaves everyone intact without a bruise to speak of. Then, more sitting around) a tape emerges that shows that the governor is *gasp* a purely evil man who rigged the entire system to ensure that the recount would go to the nameless opponent and somehow this just conveniently surfaces. Before anything interesting happens like, say, the election got handed to The Opponent (I'm making the story better in my retelling just now. I've decided that The Opponent is actually the dude's name, much like The Impostor. When he fills out forms and his last name goes first, it's "Opponent, The." There. Fixed it.) this tape surfaces and the election goes straight to Stein and everyone lives happily ever after.
No, really. That's how it ended. With some maudlin speech from Abe Stein that is supposed to be inspirational but instead reads as some over the top garbage. That's it. That's your story. I wasted two nights of reading on this guy.
Hopefully you won't do the same.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2021
i really enjoyed this book, i loved the writing, and even though at some points you’re supposed to hate the characters, the way it’s written just makes you feel empathy for them no matter what. it was a really short book, but i kind of enjoyed that in a way, it didn’t really need to be longer. there could have been more detail about the issues in duncan and jimmy’s relationship, they all seemed resolved a little too fast and almost felt rushed. apart from that, i loved it all, especially the depiction of the election and the unity between everyone, no matter who you are or who you love. i have so many highlighted quotes from this book, some of them just hit different. anyways i definitely recommend this book, especially for people who don’t usually read mlm (it’s a nice introduction).
March 19, 2013
Reading the synopsis of Wide Awake, I found it difficult to see how David Levithan could pack religion, politics and sexuality into a book that's just over 200 pages long and make it meaningful. It's a minefield of hot topics that could have been awkward, preachy or uncomfortably controversial.
But in true David Levithan style, he takes a story and completely ensnared me in the life of Duncan, his boyfriend Jimmy, his friends and a cast of characters caught up in the election of the first gay Jewish president of the United States. Jimmy's world is similar to ours now, but global recession, war and terrorism have greatly changed the political and religious outlook of America and the rest of the world.
Duncan is a sweet, rather naive boy who seems to believe that what is right will always win - and it's an endearing quality rather than a frustrating one, as the story of his journey in realising that the world can be a frightening and pretty unfriendly place when you are different. In his home town, with his family and friends, his religion, sexuality and political beliefs are fairly widely accepted, with a few exceptions among his peers and with one particularly nasty teacher.
Jimmy is rather more dark and negative, but with Duncan as his partner they balance each other perfectly. There's a fantastic supporting cast of teen and adult characters that make for a memorable group of people who are simply standing up for what they believe in, without any doubts that their cause will fail.
I love that David Levithan took a world that could have been dark and disturbing and made it into an exciting, interesting take on what change could really mean. Although there are still divisions between religious and political beliefs, there are also groups that have changed how they interact with each other to make a more varied, joined country. As an imagining, this world felt like a real possibility.
I enjoyed Wide Awake far more than I thought I would given the synopsis, and I loved returning to David Levithan's imagination.
Read more of my reviews at The Aussie Zombie
But in true David Levithan style, he takes a story and completely ensnared me in the life of Duncan, his boyfriend Jimmy, his friends and a cast of characters caught up in the election of the first gay Jewish president of the United States. Jimmy's world is similar to ours now, but global recession, war and terrorism have greatly changed the political and religious outlook of America and the rest of the world.
Duncan is a sweet, rather naive boy who seems to believe that what is right will always win - and it's an endearing quality rather than a frustrating one, as the story of his journey in realising that the world can be a frightening and pretty unfriendly place when you are different. In his home town, with his family and friends, his religion, sexuality and political beliefs are fairly widely accepted, with a few exceptions among his peers and with one particularly nasty teacher.
Jimmy is rather more dark and negative, but with Duncan as his partner they balance each other perfectly. There's a fantastic supporting cast of teen and adult characters that make for a memorable group of people who are simply standing up for what they believe in, without any doubts that their cause will fail.
I love that David Levithan took a world that could have been dark and disturbing and made it into an exciting, interesting take on what change could really mean. Although there are still divisions between religious and political beliefs, there are also groups that have changed how they interact with each other to make a more varied, joined country. As an imagining, this world felt like a real possibility.
I enjoyed Wide Awake far more than I thought I would given the synopsis, and I loved returning to David Levithan's imagination.
Read more of my reviews at The Aussie Zombie
December 22, 2015
A Gay Jewish President? Well, I'm not as surprised after reading Boy Meets Boy. It's idealistic. Fantastical. Impractical. And Fanciful. But nevertheless, pretty good once you wrap your mind around the fact that it's fiction and decide to
Gotta admit it took me a few pages to do so. I'm a realist and half the time also a pessimist. When I dislike something, there's a tendency I'd lash out against it, especially when said it is defenseless and just begging to be bashed.
Wide Awake might have ended up with the sharp end of my knife but seeing as I've read something of Levithan's before, I've steeled myself up against possible barfing unreasonable rainbows. And to my surprise, it worked. I actually liked it to some extent because I knew what to expect. My expectations weren't too high nor were they too low. Get pass the slightly one dimensional characters and you'll get a very inspiring, open YA book. [Levithan's writing style does help in a great way (because I know for sure that if the style was of lower quality,I wouldn't have given this book a second thought, so, yehey for Levithan!)]
To conclude, it's a book that made me want to MOVE for something I'd want to live for (after making me feel like a sack of potato, that is).
Recommended
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