Nothing Pink

by Mark Hardy

Vincent has always known, deep down inside, that he was gay. He was fine with that. The problem was that his faith told him he was a sinner and damned to hell.

Genres: LGBT, Young Adult, Religion, Fiction, Queer, Realistic Fiction, Gay

200 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2008

Reviews

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing Pink is an eye opening story about a boy named Vincent who struggles with being gay. To make things even harder, his father is a preacher.
This book was so sad to me. Growing up very religious myself, I've heard so many of the things that were said in this book. The idea of someone not being accepted just by who they are attracted to is a concept that baffles and bothers me. Moving forward, this book is all about finding the balance between religion and love, that's what I loved so much about it. Religion and faith, is not supposed to break someone down. The fact that Vincent felt so much guilt for being gay, and thought that God wouldn't love him was something that so many people struggle with. The ending has me in tears. Everyone should be accepted, especially when you are part of a faith as strong as this (sorry, not trying to be overly religious) but we for Vincent to be so dedicated to his faith and the Bible and feel scared that he had done something wrong?

It was short, sweet, and honestly made me feel renewed. So many parts of this book made Christianity seem archaic and unaccepting, but the end leaves hope for change that is coming quick. I absolutely loved it!

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Margaret Waterman for TeensReadToo.com

NOTHING PINK, by Mark Hardy, is Vincent's story. It is about a preacher's son dealing with his demons - particularly those pertaining to his homosexuality; because in his church, homosexuality is viewed as a sin.

Vincent meets a boy, Robert Ingle, at church one day. Through horseback riding, birthday picnics, and Barry Manilow, they grow closer and closer, much to Vincent's mother's dismay.

Robert and Vincent's relationship is only part of the story. Vincent's relationship with God becomes increasingly more important as the story progresses; he is forced to wonder whether God will accept him, or change him.

When Vincent's secret is revealed to his family by a magazine found in his room, hidden away beneath his mattress, his parents pray for God to deliver him from his sins. Although his parents claim to love him unconditionally, Vincent wonders how they can, when they hate homosexuality.

Since he was a little boy, Vincent has felt that his gayness is as much a part of him as his religion. If Vincent were to have his way, everything would remain exactly how it is then. But, unfortunately, this seems out of his control; ever since a defining moment early in his childhood, there has been "nothing pink" in his life.

NOTHING PINK is a beautifully written story about a boy's acceptance of himself, and a higher power's acceptance of a boy.

[Elisa Rolle]

Nothing Pink is almost a fairy tale (no pun intended), not since it’s unrealistic, but since it preserves all the innocence of young age, and like in a fairy tale, there is a prince who comes to rescue the love of his life.

Vincent is the 15 years old son of a Baptist minister and he is gay. Vincent has never kissed a boy, he has never ever met another gay boy, or man, but he knows deep inside that he is gay; he knows since he was a little child, since his favourite shirt was a pink one, and when the realization struck on him, that he was gay, he swore out pink from his life. For all his life he has behaved like the good son of the preacher, he goes to all the function, he does the chores at home, he is the perfect good boy and he avoids everything that is “gay”. But the gayness is inside him, and he seems to not be able to get rid of it, no matter how many prayers he says.

And then the gayness arrives even in the safe shelter of his father’s church, when he moves with the family on a new town and he meets Robert, one of the new parishioners, 16 years old and gay. It’s like the meeting of two souls, or maybe it’s only that they are alone among all the others, it seems natural to stay together. Love for them is riding together on the same horse, having a picnic alone on the top of an hill overlooking the horizon, or walking together side by side. There is time for what it will come, for now is enough for Vincent to know that he is not alone.

It’s not simple for Vincent and he knows it. He knows that it will arrive the time when he will have to leave his parents’ house since they love him, and he knows that, but they will never accept his homosexuality. Even in a fairy tale like this one, where he is able to meet his prince charming, the happy ending of his parents’ acceptance is not possible. Nevertheless, the story is innocent and fresh, maybe since it’s about teenager, or maybe it’s since the time is the beginning of the ’80, when the AIDS plague was not part of the trouble a young gay boy will have to fear.

Maybe Vincent is too clever for his age, maybe he has lost the chance to be a careless teenager, but at least I think he will be able to find his path in the world, far from his family, that, I highlight again, it’s not cruel or unwelcoming, it’s simple not the family in whose embrace he can live forever. But Vincent has learned the more important lesson, to love himself so that everyone, even God, will love him, and I think that, despite all, he learned it from his family.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1932425241/?...

[Diana Welsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vincent Harris is a 14-year old preacher's son who has known he was gay since he was a wee lad. He walks like a sissy, feathers his hair, and was excessively fond of a pink short suit when he was 6. He pounds his gayness down inside him, tries to pray his problem away, flings himself upon the altar at church and begs God to rip his homosexuality right out of his body. Then, he meets a boy.

Robert Ingle is a sexy teenage son of a farmer who approaches Vincent at a church potluck. He and Vincent become friends, then begin a tentative, forbidden teenage romance.

Because of his connection with Robert, Vincent starts to question whether denying his desires is truly what "God" wants. Should he continue listening to his parents and his church, who love him but treat him as a demon-possessed sinner? Or should he follow his heart to the land of milk and honey?

This was a decent short read, not terribly well-written or compelling, but will definitely satisfy a teenage urge for a sweet gay romance. It was set in the late 70s, which didn't come through as much as it should have. There were a few details about linoleum floors and Charlie's Angels, and the boys spent a lot of time listening to Barry Manilow. This just seems kind of dated and hokey, and might impede a young person's ability to get into the story. It would have been just as compelling if it were set today, when young people listen to artists that aren't currently basically punch lines. Also, on page 12, Vincent claims that no one thinks that John Travolta is gay, which made me chuckle. Maybe they didn't back then!

I wouldn't rave about it to everyone I meet, but I would definitely recommend it to a teen who asked.

[sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not the most literarily amazing book i've ever read, but in the context of reading for the rainbow list, I have to say that I really appreciate a book about a religious young person trying to come to terms with his/her sexuality that doesn't devolve into a million quotes from scripture and arguements for or against them in terms of homosexuality in religion. This is just the story of a boy from a born- again family who is gay and he is dealing with it. Religion is still important, but it's a story - not a bible study.

[Runa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Important topic, tackled very boringly in this book. The book gets its point across, but I'd easily recommend books like Beckie Weinheimer's Converting Kate, Alex Sanchez's The God Box, or David Levithan's Wide Awake instead of this. The characters are astoundingly flat, we don't get much of a story out of the 100 or so pages of this short book, it's just not that great a story. Pick a different book related to the same topic if you're looking for something to read.

[Megan]

So wonderful to see this book come into being after many years in Mark's imagination... sense-rich, sensual, sweet, and spot-on.

[Isabella Worthington · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be extremely boring in the beginning but as it keeps going it gets better and better. This shows what it is like to be the pastors son and be gay at the same time. The real question is this even possible? In the narrators case, it just might be.
This book had a bunch of scenes that were to me extremely weird. Like I’ve read fan fiction before and so the way how this book described the events that would happen between these two boys never did them any justice in my opinion. They both sounded desperate with the words that the author used and the magazine and the events that followed it to me annoyed me. It was so stupid.
Overall I gave it a two star rating because it was very hard to get into the book, and it was way to slow in the beginning

[César Iván · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a boy-meets-boy story, but it's very charming; it's not like a full drama book, but have a few struggling moments. All the ideas about never using pink touched me personally: pink it's my favorite color, but I never said that when I was younger, because pink "it's a girl's color". But we grew up, and understand things, color, sexualities. Pink it's the color of the brave.

[Lawral]

Nothing Pink is a pretty straight forward coming out story. That said, it's a very well done coming out story. Vincent does a lot of struggling within himself, with the help of his strict Baptist upbringing, about his sexuality. He does everything he can to try to change himself including making out with girls, avoiding TV shows featuring guys in tight pants, and a whole lot of praying. But this is not the focus of the book. This all happens before the book starts, though it is alluded to throughout the beginning. The book actually starts on the day things start to get better, the day Vincent meets Robert. Even though Vincent still has doubts about the morality of his relationship with Robert and has to hide the extent of their relationship from his parents, this is mostly a happy book about Vincent's first love and eventual acceptance of himself.

A lot of Vincent's happiness with himself hinges on religion, or rather, God. His relationship with God factors largely into Vincent's life and the story. Vincent is moved by his father's sermons, hymns, and prayer. He acutely feels God's presence in his life. He is a devout and upstanding Christian, except for his sexuality. That's why he's so confused and hurt by God's lack of response to his prayers to be straight. As he becomes more comfortable with Robert and his relationship with him, he becomes more convinced that God is okay with it too. It's great. His parents, however, do not agree. When they figure out what's going on, they give him a talking-to that centers around this oft heard sentiment:

"We love you, Vincent...But God hates the sin of homosexuality, so we must hate it too, son."
p.99

To their credit, they never say that God hates Vincent, and they stress that they love him unconditionally, though Vincent doubts that their version of "unconditional" should count when they hate something that is so much a part of him. I did get the feeling that the mom, at least, would come around at some point after the end of the book.

During the talk with his parents and later when he is at church camp, Vincent does a lot of defending himself. In his own head. I love that he didn't have to stand up and be out and and proud right away or a spokesperson/defender of all people queer in his Baptist community. Sometimes that's all you can do, and it's great that Hardy provides this positive role model of someone who can only hold it together for himself but is still not weak. Outwardly, Vincent simply stops asking God to make him straight. Internally, he does a lot of building himself up, and that involves a lot of "God-talk." The religious over tones and general message of God loves the gays becomes a bit redundant and heavy-handed toward the end. This is definitely not a book for readers uncomfortable with Christianity. I appreciated the message, but it did kind of take over the book in a couple of places and pull me out of Vincent's story. But given how heavy-handed much of the anti-gay, religious literature can be, I had to forgive this repeated positive religious message.

Also, and this surprised me a bit, the book is set in the 70s. It's not overly obvious and so led to some confusing moments for me, such as when Vincent lists the TV shows he avoids and its clear that I should have recognized the titles. Other than that, only the feathered hair and continual Barry Manilow references tipped me off (and the title verso, which is where I got the actual decade of the setting from). And I do mean continual, with the Barry Manilow. You'll be singing Copa Cabana for days after reading this one.


Book source: Philly Free Library

[Larry Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vincent, the teenage son of a Baptist minister has always known that he was gay. He prays to be otherwise knowing that to act on what he is, is to displease God. Or is it? When his family moves to a new town in the 1970s and he falls in love for the first time, he begins tto question everything his faith has taught him.

Mark Hardy’s “Nothing Pink” was an accidental find. I read the description and then the excerpt and I was hooked.

Without preaching, with a clear, simple language Hardy expresses what being gay means and how the suppression of one’s natural inclinations can turn one into something other, something unnatural. When Vincent finally accepts that he is what he is, who he is, what he feels for this other boy, it is beautiful and true: “We haven’t held hands or kissed yet but I have the kind of crush on Robert Ingle that I’ve faked since Cindy Mae became my first girlfriend in third grade.”
And his description of the boys’ first kiss is staggering in its simplicity, its honesty: “He must have brushed his teeth right before bed because he tastes like candy canes. When he breathes out it smells like Christmas.”

Towards the end of this short book, Robert says, “I don’t know if my parents’ prayers tore down a wall or built a bridge…” I’m not sure which Hardy did but clearly he did something. And he did it well.

This book is a must read for every struggling kid—and his parents.

[Marisa Buller · Rating 3 out of 5]

G

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

review here

It was interesting to see the subject of faith and homosexuality explored. Vincent is bought up to think one way and so cannot fanthom any other ideas about what he is. He is afraid of what his parents will think and what God thinks and tries over and over to repent but cannot understand why God won't take the gay out of him. Vincent's faith is a huge part of this book. And I liked the fact that he never loses that faith even when he accepts his homosexuality is not sinful; that he never feels like God has abandoned him, that He is on his side. In a way, Vincent's relationship with Robert is almost secondary. But Robert is a good guy and they are so wonderful together. It is a very sweet. And I love the story that goes with the very pretty cover.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for gr. 9-12. The main character, Vincent, and his struggle with his strong Christian faith and his homosexuality are probably a bit much for middle school. Vincent, age 15, is the son of a Baptist minister and from an early age has prayed to God to take his homosexual feelings away. Then he meets Robert, a new student at his school, and realizes that he is attracted to him. Vincent's parents' fears about his sexuality are confirmed when they find a gay magazine hidden in his room. Vincent finally comes to terms with his feelings and his religion when he realized that God made him the way he is and still loves him.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short, powerful book about the ways that sexuality and religion intersect for many young people. The main character is gay, and is well aware of it, but is also the only child of a pastor in 1970s Virginia. He begins the book worrying that there is something morally wrong with him, and that God will punish him for his transgressions, but eventually (through a relationship with another boy) comes to realize that God loves him the way he is. The scene where the parents basically try to "pray out" the homosexuality from the boy's body is particularly powerful. Great book!

[Sherrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vincent has always known that he is gay, and he suspects that his parents have known since he was very young. This unspoken knowledge is a big problem, as his father is a Baptist minister. A series of events force the family to bring the issue to light, and Vincent questions both his religious views and his place in his family. The characters seem shallowly drawn, and the time setting is unclear and inconsistent. The conflict between sexuality and faith was explored in a far more satisfying fashion in Alex Sanchez's "The God Box", which is highly recommended over this title.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving the book only three stars because the writing style was not terribly impressive. However, the story was so agonizing and so important that I feel so many would benefit from reading this book. I just wish the author had spent more time defining the characters and setting. This story could make for a really amazing book about a teenager who realizes he's gay, but because of his religion wants desperately for God to take away his homosexuality. Eventually, he must come to terms with his sexuality and his relationship with God.

[Alnora1227 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully tacit, slim book about a gay pastor's son, a teen, growing up in the 80's south. The style is reminiscent of 'Dream Boy' by Jim Grimsley, though Vincent is a bit older and sounds more jaded that Nathan. The references to such quintessential gay 80's icons as Barry Manilow and Tom of Finland will resonate with those who grew up in that era. It might be a harder sell to today's gay teens, who wouldn't necessarily have those references.

The ending is somewhat vague but the quiet strength of the prose hits the perfect pitch.

[Maggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best part about this book is the narrative - colorful, vivid, and engrossing. While the story of a young boy finding himself amid the contrary environment of a conservative church is hardly a new one, this one was executed with sympathy, kindness, and humor. The narrator was engaging and likable as well as credible.

My only complaint is that it was much too short - it had the length and structured of a short story rather than a novel. Nonetheless, it's a good addition to the gay YA genre.


(Full disclosure: I received this book for free as part of a giveaway.)

[Ania · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story explores topics of religion and homosexuality through life of Vincent – a 15 years old son of a Baptist preacher. I enjoyed the story: it has a clear plot, topics and characters. All characters: Vincent the protagonist, Robert – his friend, and parents, feel real and their actions and conversations also feel true. I can imagine that this story could happen to any young man. It was very interesting to read about thoughts that a young person may have while presented with religious issues and homosexuality.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first glance this seems like another "problem novel" about a gay teenager with a disapproving Christian family. But what I liked about this book is that rather than rejecting religion entirely, at the end, the main character figures that if God wanted him to be straight, it would have happened already, so God must love him the way he is. I bet there are some kids out there who would benefit from a book that says you don't have to choose between spirituality and sexuality.

[Enola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fictional attempt to reconcil a boy's homosexuality with his born again Christian faith. A short book that quickly engages the view with strong character descriptions. Ultimately, the book fell short for me as the main character's radical shift in coming to terms with his homosexuality was too unbelievable. There do not seem to be a lot of books for teens that deal with the conflict between religion and homosexuality so this may still fill a gap in many collections.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short yet powerful book! If you have had any relationship with the Southern Baptist community, you will definitely relate to this novel of a young boy who is a gay PK (preacher's kid). In this novel, written in the present first person, you cannot help but empathize with Vincent, who knows and has always known he is gay; who wants his parents' love, but knows he may never have it.

I can highly recommend this novel.

[Shannon Hitchcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifteen-year-old Vincent is desperately trying to reconcile the sermons preached by his Baptist father with the inescapable truth that he's gay. Over the course of a summer, Vincent meets and falls in love with Robert. Their relationship is full of chemistry and longing, but when Vincent's mother finds evidence that he's gay, heartache is inevitable.

This book has been adapted as a play and was recently performed in New York City. Mark Hartman wrote the musical score.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoyed this book. i think most of the reviewers that did not like this book are not people of faith. i do not necessarily mean raving evangelicals, but people who understand there own religious traditions, whatever they are. people who believe but are still willing to ask hard questions of their religious traditions. vincent's conflict is between what he believes and what he knows about himself in his heart, and the story ends with a resolution of that confict.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the story of a boy falling in love with a boy and learning to accept that he's, in the words of Little Britain's Daffyd Thomas, "a gay" and not going to hell because of it. It wasn't really earth-shattering in any way, but I read it for its "appeal to gay teens" factor. I'll venture to say that it was cute and well worth the 2.5 hours it took to read.

[Becket · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short, slice-of-novel, about one boy's coming-out experience in the 70s. No new territory here. While this would be a good book to recommend to affirmation-hungry queer teens with bigoted, uber-religious parents, the historical setting and extremely simple plot might not resonate with today's teens, queer or otherwise.

[Sasquatch · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars.
Latley I've been madly reading all the LGBT+ books I can get my hands on. I can't say I really enjoyed this one very much. The two gay characters were very stereotypical and it was too short to see their relationship developping. The God Box is a book on accepting sexuality alongside religion that was much better.

[Ines · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like a 3.5, but I'll give it the extra half star for a challenging subject matter. I feel that this book could be very comforting to someone struggling with their sexuality and faith. However, I feel like it could have been done better. This is yet another case where I feel that the YA genre waters down books and makes them less powerful.

[Nnhslibrarygmail.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever felt totally uncomfortable about who you are? Vincent, a teenager growing up in the 1970's knows he is gay and he wishes he wasn't...that is until he meets teenager, Robert Ingle at a church function. Robert is also gay but feels comfortable about himself. Vincent and Robert form a secret relationship and Vincent starts to accept himself.

This is a touching, romantic YA story.