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Destination Unknown
From Stonewall Award winner Bill Konigsberg, a remarkable, funny, sexy, heartbreaking story of two teen boys finding each other in New York City at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
The first thing I noticed about C.J. Gorman was his plexiglass bra.
So begins Destination Unknown. It's 1987 in New York City, and Micah is at a dance club, trying to pretend he's more out and outgoing than he really is. C.J. isn't just out--he’s completely out there, and Micah can't help but be both attracted to and afraid of someone who travels so loudly and proudly through the night.
A connection occurs. Is it friendship? Romance? Is C.J. the one with all the answers... or does Micah bring more to the relationship that it first seems? As their lives become more and more entangled in the AIDS epidemic that’s laying waste to their community, and the AIDS activism that will ultimately bring a strong voice to their demands, whatever Micah and C.J. have between them will be tested, strained, pushed, and pulled--but it will also be a lifeline in a time of death, a bond that will determine the course of their futures.
In Destination Unknown, Bill Konigsberg returns to a time he knew well as a teenager to tell a story of identity, connection, community, and survival.
The first thing I noticed about C.J. Gorman was his plexiglass bra.
So begins Destination Unknown. It's 1987 in New York City, and Micah is at a dance club, trying to pretend he's more out and outgoing than he really is. C.J. isn't just out--he’s completely out there, and Micah can't help but be both attracted to and afraid of someone who travels so loudly and proudly through the night.
A connection occurs. Is it friendship? Romance? Is C.J. the one with all the answers... or does Micah bring more to the relationship that it first seems? As their lives become more and more entangled in the AIDS epidemic that’s laying waste to their community, and the AIDS activism that will ultimately bring a strong voice to their demands, whatever Micah and C.J. have between them will be tested, strained, pushed, and pulled--but it will also be a lifeline in a time of death, a bond that will determine the course of their futures.
In Destination Unknown, Bill Konigsberg returns to a time he knew well as a teenager to tell a story of identity, connection, community, and survival.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 6, 2022
49 people are currently reading
7661 people want to read
About the author
Bill Konigsberg
10 books2,047 followersBill Konigsberg was born in 1970 in New York City. Expectations were high from birth - at least in terms of athletics. His parents figured he'd be a great soccer player, based on his spirited kicking from inside the womb. As it turned out, the highlight of his soccer career was at Camp Greylock in 1978, when he was chosen for the Camp's "D" team. There were only four levels. Bill played alongside the likes of the kid who always showered alone, the chronic nosebleeder and the guy with recurrent poison ivy.
Early in his life, Bill decided he wanted to be a disc jockey, a professional baseball player, or the Construction Worker from The Village People. None of these career paths worked out for him. Yet. He still holds out hope for a Village People revival and has set up a Google Alert in case it happens.
A B- student throughout high school, Bill was voted Most Likely to Avoid Doing Any Real Work In His Life by a panel of his dismissive peers. He proved them wrong with a series of strange-but-true jobs in his 20s - driver recruiter for a truck driving school, sales consultant for a phone company, and temp at Otis Elevators.
He moved to Denver in 1996 and was voted Least Stylish Gay Guy in the Metro Denver Area (including Loveland!) for each of the years from 1996-98. His fashion-free wardrobe robbed him of prospective dates countless times, as did his penchant for wearing a mustache that didn't suit him.
He worked at ESPN and ESPN.com from 1999-2002, where he developed a penchant for sharing too much information about himself. That character flaw earned him a GLAAD Media Award in 2002, for his column "Sports World Still a Struggle for Gays." That coming out essay made him a household name to tens of people across the country.
He continued oversharing in graduate school at Arizona State, where he added People Pleasing to his growing list of character defects and parlayed that into the title of Most Chill Teacher of freshman composition.
As a sports writer and editor for The Associated Press in New York from 2005-08, Bill once called his husband, who was at the time working a desk job, from the New York Mets dugout before a game. "I'm so bored," Bill whined. He slept on the couch for a week after making that call.
He wrote a novel called Audibles at Arizona State, and sold that novel to Dutton Books for Children in 2007. His editor asked him to change the title so that it would appeal to people other than "football players who read." The resulting novel, Out of the Pocket, received strong reviews from his mother, father, significant other and one girl who had a crush on him in high school. It won the Lambda Literary Award in 2009.
His second novel, Openly Straight, hit the bookshelves in late May of 2013. He describes the novel as "Twilight-like, only without vampires and wolves and angsty teenage girls. Also, set in an all-boys boarding school in Massachusetts. Otherwise, it's like an exact replica."
His third novel, The Porcupine of Truth, was released in May of 2015. He chose to put a porcupine in the title because this is America, and no one here knows what a platypus is. The novel won the Stonewall Book Award and PEN Center USA Literary Award.
Next came Honestly Ben, a companion book to Openly Straight. He wrote it so people would stop yelling at him about Openly Straight's ending. Honestly Ben received three starred reviews and made lots of people swoon over Ben some more, which irks Bill to no end as Ben is loosely based on his husband, Chuck. No one seems to swoon over Rafe, who is loosely based on Bill. Harrumph, says Bill.
The Music of What Happens arrives in February of 2019, and it's a romance between two boys, and it includes a food truck that makes cloud eggs. Bill has an egg phobia.
Bill currently lives in Chandler, Arizona, which is the thinking man's Gilbert, Arizona. He has a husband who is clearly too good for him, and two cute dogs, Mabel and Buford, who complete him.
His bl
Early in his life, Bill decided he wanted to be a disc jockey, a professional baseball player, or the Construction Worker from The Village People. None of these career paths worked out for him. Yet. He still holds out hope for a Village People revival and has set up a Google Alert in case it happens.
A B- student throughout high school, Bill was voted Most Likely to Avoid Doing Any Real Work In His Life by a panel of his dismissive peers. He proved them wrong with a series of strange-but-true jobs in his 20s - driver recruiter for a truck driving school, sales consultant for a phone company, and temp at Otis Elevators.
He moved to Denver in 1996 and was voted Least Stylish Gay Guy in the Metro Denver Area (including Loveland!) for each of the years from 1996-98. His fashion-free wardrobe robbed him of prospective dates countless times, as did his penchant for wearing a mustache that didn't suit him.
He worked at ESPN and ESPN.com from 1999-2002, where he developed a penchant for sharing too much information about himself. That character flaw earned him a GLAAD Media Award in 2002, for his column "Sports World Still a Struggle for Gays." That coming out essay made him a household name to tens of people across the country.
He continued oversharing in graduate school at Arizona State, where he added People Pleasing to his growing list of character defects and parlayed that into the title of Most Chill Teacher of freshman composition.
As a sports writer and editor for The Associated Press in New York from 2005-08, Bill once called his husband, who was at the time working a desk job, from the New York Mets dugout before a game. "I'm so bored," Bill whined. He slept on the couch for a week after making that call.
He wrote a novel called Audibles at Arizona State, and sold that novel to Dutton Books for Children in 2007. His editor asked him to change the title so that it would appeal to people other than "football players who read." The resulting novel, Out of the Pocket, received strong reviews from his mother, father, significant other and one girl who had a crush on him in high school. It won the Lambda Literary Award in 2009.
His second novel, Openly Straight, hit the bookshelves in late May of 2013. He describes the novel as "Twilight-like, only without vampires and wolves and angsty teenage girls. Also, set in an all-boys boarding school in Massachusetts. Otherwise, it's like an exact replica."
His third novel, The Porcupine of Truth, was released in May of 2015. He chose to put a porcupine in the title because this is America, and no one here knows what a platypus is. The novel won the Stonewall Book Award and PEN Center USA Literary Award.
Next came Honestly Ben, a companion book to Openly Straight. He wrote it so people would stop yelling at him about Openly Straight's ending. Honestly Ben received three starred reviews and made lots of people swoon over Ben some more, which irks Bill to no end as Ben is loosely based on his husband, Chuck. No one seems to swoon over Rafe, who is loosely based on Bill. Harrumph, says Bill.
The Music of What Happens arrives in February of 2019, and it's a romance between two boys, and it includes a food truck that makes cloud eggs. Bill has an egg phobia.
Bill currently lives in Chandler, Arizona, which is the thinking man's Gilbert, Arizona. He has a husband who is clearly too good for him, and two cute dogs, Mabel and Buford, who complete him.
His bl
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews
April 25, 2024
I really liked this book! I think the author did such an amazing job tackling so many tough topics like how hard it is to be gay in general, but especially in the 1980s when there was so much hate, misinformation, and the AIDS epidemic. This book is majority general fiction/coming of age but I also loved how sweet the romance was at the end. The end + the author's note made me tear up.
December 15, 2021
When I was 16, I got in an argument with my stepfather. I had just come out to him, and then I came out to another family member. When he heard about this, he became enraged. He sat me down and told me I had to stop airing my dirty laundry to people.
I explained to him that coming out wasn't about airing my dirty laundry. I was trying to tell people something important about who I was. He wasn't having that excuse, and he insisted that I stop.
When I said I wouldn't, he said a sentence that I would never forget:
"Who's going to take care of you when you get AIDS?"
It was 1987. I suppose it was a reasonable question, if a rather terrible one to ask a teenager.
I was young, gay, and living in New York City. Everywhere I looked, gay men were dying. AIDS was becoming an epidemic, and the disease was a death sentence with no cure. I did, in fact, think it was likely that I would die of AIDS, and I was petrified. On top of all that, nobody was talking about it. I'd go to school and AIDS wasn't ever mentioned. It was ignored in the mainstream news. I don't know how to explain this to people who weren't born yet, who might struggle to imagine how that could be. But this was before the internet, before social media. Before 24-hour news media.
With DESTINATION UNKNOWN, I had to delve into some very difficult feelings and memories. This is a book that I think I wasn't really ready to write until now. Until I felt secure and complete enough to handle going deep into my own story, to find the story of two boys who meet in 1987 New York City.
Micah is 17 and closeted and scared. CJ is 18 and out and proud.
I was neither of these boys, and I was both of these boys. Like both of them, I so wanted to meet someone who would understand, who would help me understand. I wanted someone who would help me feel less alone.
I don't want to give too much away, but I'll say this: as much as this is a book that will give you feelings, it will also make you laugh. I think I do that because it's how I dealt with growing up at a time when it wasn't clear to me if I had a future, or what that future would be. You know. Destination Unknown.
It is 35 years later now. My stepfather has died. Cancer. He and I made up before he passed, and I do think that he would love this book, even if it would hit him in some difficult places. He became a softer and more understanding man before he passed away. And I have become softer, too. More able to understand, perhaps, that people do the best they can.
I did the best I could, too, with what I knew at the time. And I'm grateful I made it through. And I'm so glad I was able to write this book. I hope reading it will be meaningful to you!
I explained to him that coming out wasn't about airing my dirty laundry. I was trying to tell people something important about who I was. He wasn't having that excuse, and he insisted that I stop.
When I said I wouldn't, he said a sentence that I would never forget:
"Who's going to take care of you when you get AIDS?"
It was 1987. I suppose it was a reasonable question, if a rather terrible one to ask a teenager.
I was young, gay, and living in New York City. Everywhere I looked, gay men were dying. AIDS was becoming an epidemic, and the disease was a death sentence with no cure. I did, in fact, think it was likely that I would die of AIDS, and I was petrified. On top of all that, nobody was talking about it. I'd go to school and AIDS wasn't ever mentioned. It was ignored in the mainstream news. I don't know how to explain this to people who weren't born yet, who might struggle to imagine how that could be. But this was before the internet, before social media. Before 24-hour news media.
With DESTINATION UNKNOWN, I had to delve into some very difficult feelings and memories. This is a book that I think I wasn't really ready to write until now. Until I felt secure and complete enough to handle going deep into my own story, to find the story of two boys who meet in 1987 New York City.
Micah is 17 and closeted and scared. CJ is 18 and out and proud.
I was neither of these boys, and I was both of these boys. Like both of them, I so wanted to meet someone who would understand, who would help me understand. I wanted someone who would help me feel less alone.
I don't want to give too much away, but I'll say this: as much as this is a book that will give you feelings, it will also make you laugh. I think I do that because it's how I dealt with growing up at a time when it wasn't clear to me if I had a future, or what that future would be. You know. Destination Unknown.
It is 35 years later now. My stepfather has died. Cancer. He and I made up before he passed, and I do think that he would love this book, even if it would hit him in some difficult places. He became a softer and more understanding man before he passed away. And I have become softer, too. More able to understand, perhaps, that people do the best they can.
I did the best I could, too, with what I knew at the time. And I'm grateful I made it through. And I'm so glad I was able to write this book. I hope reading it will be meaningful to you!
September 19, 2022
I really wanted to read Destination Unknown even though I had already read another YA book about gay boys and AIDS that came out earlier this year: When You Call My Name.
The books have so many similarities but are very different at the same time. Destination Unknown is the lighter and more humorous of the two, and I laughed out loud so many times reading the first chapters. Those pop references, like bubblegum George Michael who, according to CJ, was hot and certainly gay. Halfway through the book, I suddenly learned that the chapter names were pop songs like I Think We’re Alone Now, Sign O’ the Times, and We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off. I almost jumped up and screamed out loud, and when I lay in bed, I was still singing those songs in my head (yes, I know them all!).
Despite the lighter tone of the book, it covers pretty heavy themes like coming out, young guys hooking up with older men, and of course, AIDS. I wanted to hug CJ so badly, and shivers ran down my arms multiple times when I realized what was true of all those stories he told. Slowly the book turns from funny and humorous to dark, and it’s due to Bill Konigsberg’s writing that I only realized it when my eyes started to get wet.
I’m really happy that I read both books, and they’re both great. If you haven’t read any of them and want to choose just one, I’d suggest you read the one that appeals to you the most. Destination Unknown, the lighter one, impeccably paced, a single POV, set in the late eighties, or When You Call my Name, the punch in the gut one, the writing incredibly vivid and descriptive, multiple POVs, set in the early nineties.
The books have so many similarities but are very different at the same time. Destination Unknown is the lighter and more humorous of the two, and I laughed out loud so many times reading the first chapters. Those pop references, like bubblegum George Michael who, according to CJ, was hot and certainly gay. Halfway through the book, I suddenly learned that the chapter names were pop songs like I Think We’re Alone Now, Sign O’ the Times, and We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off. I almost jumped up and screamed out loud, and when I lay in bed, I was still singing those songs in my head (yes, I know them all!).
Despite the lighter tone of the book, it covers pretty heavy themes like coming out, young guys hooking up with older men, and of course, AIDS. I wanted to hug CJ so badly, and shivers ran down my arms multiple times when I realized what was true of all those stories he told. Slowly the book turns from funny and humorous to dark, and it’s due to Bill Konigsberg’s writing that I only realized it when my eyes started to get wet.
I’m really happy that I read both books, and they’re both great. If you haven’t read any of them and want to choose just one, I’d suggest you read the one that appeals to you the most. Destination Unknown, the lighter one, impeccably paced, a single POV, set in the late eighties, or When You Call my Name, the punch in the gut one, the writing incredibly vivid and descriptive, multiple POVs, set in the early nineties.
November 2, 2022
Two teenage boys, one openly gay and one closeted, navigate friendship, love, and fear in late-1980s New York City.
" Destination Unknown is for everyone who has ever been made to feel ashamed of their identity, anyone who has ever been told that their lives are less meaningful because of who they are.”
It’s been amazing to see the number of books being written over the last few years about coming to terms with your sexuality in the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Each of these books has touched me in many ways, but few have spoken to me the way that Bill Konigsberg did with Destination Unknown .
It’s 1987. Micah is gay but only his best friend Deena knows. One night they’re at a dance club and Micah spots a beautiful young man wearing a plexiglass bra. He is C.J., and Micah is both attracted to him and envies him for the freedom he has in being himself, everyone else be damned.
That moment launches them into a friendship, one that is at times flirtatious and at times protective. Micah is trying to find the courage to come out of the closet, but more than that, he’s deathly afraid of getting AIDS. He’s not even sure how you can get it. At the same time, he realizes the confidence and bravado C.J. walks through life with isn’t always genuine, and covers up fear, hurt, and loneliness.
This is such a beautifully written, emotional, evocative book. I remember being so much like Micah in so many ways, desperate to be “the real me” but so afraid of what that might entail. Konigsberg captures this time period so well, I almost felt my collar popping and smelled the excessive amount of cologne I used to wear.
I absolutely loved and was moved by this. Thanks to Pride Book Tours and Scholastic for inviting me on the tour for this book, and providing a complimentary copy.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
" Destination Unknown is for everyone who has ever been made to feel ashamed of their identity, anyone who has ever been told that their lives are less meaningful because of who they are.”
It’s been amazing to see the number of books being written over the last few years about coming to terms with your sexuality in the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Each of these books has touched me in many ways, but few have spoken to me the way that Bill Konigsberg did with Destination Unknown .
It’s 1987. Micah is gay but only his best friend Deena knows. One night they’re at a dance club and Micah spots a beautiful young man wearing a plexiglass bra. He is C.J., and Micah is both attracted to him and envies him for the freedom he has in being himself, everyone else be damned.
That moment launches them into a friendship, one that is at times flirtatious and at times protective. Micah is trying to find the courage to come out of the closet, but more than that, he’s deathly afraid of getting AIDS. He’s not even sure how you can get it. At the same time, he realizes the confidence and bravado C.J. walks through life with isn’t always genuine, and covers up fear, hurt, and loneliness.
This is such a beautifully written, emotional, evocative book. I remember being so much like Micah in so many ways, desperate to be “the real me” but so afraid of what that might entail. Konigsberg captures this time period so well, I almost felt my collar popping and smelled the excessive amount of cologne I used to wear.
I absolutely loved and was moved by this. Thanks to Pride Book Tours and Scholastic for inviting me on the tour for this book, and providing a complimentary copy.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
September 12, 2022
It was hard not to compare this book to When You Call My Name, which punched me in the gut and left me a sobbing mess several months ago. From the very first page of this book I felt like I was back in NYC and walking those same streets again, only with CJ and Micah by my side this time. This story had a lighter tone to it and some really funny moments, but it was still a coming of age story centered around two young gay men in the American epicenter of the AIDS epidemic during the late 80's. Even in its most outlandish and humorous moments, there was a black cloud hovering in the background of the narrative like a portent of impending doom. As endearing as CJ and Micah both were, that black cloud made it impossible for me to relax into their story. I was constantly worried for them. I didn't want to see them struggle or get hurt and I had this sinking feeling that it was inevitable. Because while Micah and CJ were dealing with the typical complexities of being teenagers, they also had to face the challenges and fears involved in being considered "other" during a time when being "other" was seen as a death sentence. I will never not be heartbroken by these types of stories because even when there's a happy ending for the MC's, I can't forget about the unfathomable amount of people who didn't get the chance to have one too.
I thought the friendship between Micah and CJ felt incredibly real. Their excitement at finding someone who they connected with in such an intrinsic way really shined through, whether they were exchanging music or sharing a meal or venting about politics and the media. They were very different people living very different lives, but they both found something they needed in each other. CJ coaxed Micah out of his shell and introduced him to an entire world that Micah was only vaguely aware existed. Micah gave CJ stability, kindness and someone he could rely on to stick around. He also called CJ on his bs, which was pretty much a full time job.
I didn't need this to be a love story and there was a part of me that hoped it wouldn't become one, at least not in the romantic sense. I wasn't convinced that CJ and Micah fit in that way and worried that rather than being friends for life, they would be boyfriends who crashed and burned. What they had felt important, but also tenuous and fragile. But this wasn't my story to tell and the fact that it was rooted in a reality where people made mistakes and said the wrong things and followed bad advice as often as they followed their heart meant that my wants and needs really didn't matter. So even when one small paragraph in the epilogue left me angry beyond belief as a reader, the flawed human in me understood. I didn't want to accept it and I'm still pissed off, but I got it.
This was one of those books that required a quiet breath and some time to process afterwards. It was light in all the right ways, but heavy enough to feel the weight of it hours later. There's a special place in my heart for stories like this and I hope this book and others like it make it into the hands of generations to come.
I thought the friendship between Micah and CJ felt incredibly real. Their excitement at finding someone who they connected with in such an intrinsic way really shined through, whether they were exchanging music or sharing a meal or venting about politics and the media. They were very different people living very different lives, but they both found something they needed in each other. CJ coaxed Micah out of his shell and introduced him to an entire world that Micah was only vaguely aware existed. Micah gave CJ stability, kindness and someone he could rely on to stick around. He also called CJ on his bs, which was pretty much a full time job.
I didn't need this to be a love story and there was a part of me that hoped it wouldn't become one, at least not in the romantic sense. I wasn't convinced that CJ and Micah fit in that way and worried that rather than being friends for life, they would be boyfriends who crashed and burned. What they had felt important, but also tenuous and fragile. But this wasn't my story to tell and the fact that it was rooted in a reality where people made mistakes and said the wrong things and followed bad advice as often as they followed their heart meant that my wants and needs really didn't matter. So even when one small paragraph in the epilogue left me angry beyond belief as a reader, the flawed human in me understood. I didn't want to accept it and I'm still pissed off, but I got it.
This was one of those books that required a quiet breath and some time to process afterwards. It was light in all the right ways, but heavy enough to feel the weight of it hours later. There's a special place in my heart for stories like this and I hope this book and others like it make it into the hands of generations to come.
March 14, 2022
Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was quite the emotional ride.
Destination Unknown is a YA historical fiction novel set in the 1980's at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Micah knows he's gay, but he's not out and one of the things that's kept him from coming out is the fear of HIV and the backlash the gay community has faced because of it. When he meets CJ, the two grow close over shared identity, a fear of the unknown and raging at the system that's silencing the danger of HIV and AIDS.
I am so glad this book was published. As someone who was been deeply interested in the scientific background of HIV and AIDS, this book is something that is needed. This book is both educational and emotional. It shows the fear so many queer people who lived through the 80s carried with them all the time. I hope books like this will only convince more people to educate themselves about HIV and other STI's. I loved that this book was both sex positive and about safe sex.
There are times this book will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you rage and it will make you excited for the future. I really enjoyed going on Micah and CJ's journey and I hope you will too.
Rep: white fat Jewish gay male MC, white gay male side characters with chronic illnesses (HIV), lesbian side characters, Black trans female side character, various queer side characters, Jewish side characters.
CWs: Ableism, homophobia/homomisia, chronic illness/terminal illness (HIV and AIDS), death, death of loved ones, epidemic, sexual content. Moderate: abandonment, past adult/minor relationship mentions, statutory rape mention.
This was quite the emotional ride.
Destination Unknown is a YA historical fiction novel set in the 1980's at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Micah knows he's gay, but he's not out and one of the things that's kept him from coming out is the fear of HIV and the backlash the gay community has faced because of it. When he meets CJ, the two grow close over shared identity, a fear of the unknown and raging at the system that's silencing the danger of HIV and AIDS.
I am so glad this book was published. As someone who was been deeply interested in the scientific background of HIV and AIDS, this book is something that is needed. This book is both educational and emotional. It shows the fear so many queer people who lived through the 80s carried with them all the time. I hope books like this will only convince more people to educate themselves about HIV and other STI's. I loved that this book was both sex positive and about safe sex.
There are times this book will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you rage and it will make you excited for the future. I really enjoyed going on Micah and CJ's journey and I hope you will too.
Rep: white fat Jewish gay male MC, white gay male side characters with chronic illnesses (HIV), lesbian side characters, Black trans female side character, various queer side characters, Jewish side characters.
CWs: Ableism, homophobia/homomisia, chronic illness/terminal illness (HIV and AIDS), death, death of loved ones, epidemic, sexual content. Moderate: abandonment, past adult/minor relationship mentions, statutory rape mention.
February 16, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
May 1, 2022
I read this on the plane today, and honestly I don’t understand why nobody is talking about this book. I’d never heard of it before I picked up a copy at Y’ALL West, and it was one of the most powerful books I’ve read this year. Every single character was so complex I had to check to make sure I was reading fiction because they all felt like real people. The individuals you will meet in this novel all have important stories told through the lens of a 17 year old boy who knows almost nothing about the AIDS epidemic and gets thrown right into the middle of all of it. Every single person reading this review needs to pick up this book immediately, you will all learn something.
November 14, 2022
3.5, rounding up to 4. More of a review later.
January 9, 2023
1987 in West Village NYC, “Destination Unknown”, is a YA coming of age story of two teens, against the backdrop of AIDS. 🗽👬🌃🏳️🌈🎶
Micah is a privileged Jewish boy starting to peak out from the closet. He meets and befriends CJ, an out-and-proud teen who’s had a hard life. CJ’s the heart and soul of this story. He’s funny, colorful, raw, gritty, and hopeful - although a pathological liar 🤥😆. They start as strangers to lovers, to friends, to lovers again.
“Destination Unknown” by Bill Konigsberg (2022) is an emotional story but upbeat, funny, and does a great job covering the darkness of AIDS and era without diminishing the hope. Konigsberg says the story is semi-autobiographical to the experiences he had growing up. “Three parts CJ to one part Micah”.
While I was alive (baby) in 1987, there is still a lot I don’t know about the LGBTQA+ community from the era, so I loved hearing about the very real places and people - constantly pausing so I could look them up on Wiki. I cannot imagine coming of age then with all the uncertainty of AIDS, the notion that sexuality = death, stigma, and homophobia.
Thankfully this story ends on a hopeful note, unlike some other stories set in this time.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Music reference heavy which was fun! The chapter titles are 80s song titles 🎶
Micah is a privileged Jewish boy starting to peak out from the closet. He meets and befriends CJ, an out-and-proud teen who’s had a hard life. CJ’s the heart and soul of this story. He’s funny, colorful, raw, gritty, and hopeful - although a pathological liar 🤥😆. They start as strangers to lovers, to friends, to lovers again.
“Destination Unknown” by Bill Konigsberg (2022) is an emotional story but upbeat, funny, and does a great job covering the darkness of AIDS and era without diminishing the hope. Konigsberg says the story is semi-autobiographical to the experiences he had growing up. “Three parts CJ to one part Micah”.
While I was alive (baby) in 1987, there is still a lot I don’t know about the LGBTQA+ community from the era, so I loved hearing about the very real places and people - constantly pausing so I could look them up on Wiki. I cannot imagine coming of age then with all the uncertainty of AIDS, the notion that sexuality = death, stigma, and homophobia.
Thankfully this story ends on a hopeful note, unlike some other stories set in this time.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Music reference heavy which was fun! The chapter titles are 80s song titles 🎶
February 7, 2023
In Destination Unknown, Bill Konigsberg recaptures what the late 1980s felt like for many young gay men. AIDS hovers over the novel like a dark, dark cloud: his two main characters--Micah, 16, inexperienced, slowly peeking out of the closet; and CJ, 18, a lost boy covering his anxieties with a false veneer of bravado and sophistication--try to navigate a scary landscape where disease and death appear to be lurking on every corner. But this is not a sad book! It's mostly about the thrill of first love, the growth of a relationship between two very different young men who come to understand that they are soulmates, and who face the twin horrors of a frightening plague and a world that is at best indifferent and at worst actively hostile to bringing that plague to an end.
For me, the most important part of Destination Unknown is the way that Konigsberg reminds us that gay men need to live authentically and honestly as themselves. There are heart-ripping moments in this book, where some theoretically well-intentioned "ally" to one of our two heroes--Micah's mom and his best friend Deena come to mind--reveal the deeply hidden homophobia that lives inside them, that they'd never admit to.
So this is a political book, importantly; but it's mainly a joyously beautiful book, about the transformative power of coming into yourself on the arm (in the arms) of someone you love.
I also really enjoyed the detailed and generally very accurate descriptions of NYC landmarks and locales that I spent plenty of time in during my late 20s (in the late 1980s). A lovely nostalgic trip backward, in spite of how scary that landscape often felt in the time of AIDS.
Konigsberg is definitely at the top of my list of writers whose works I want to fully explore. Destination Unknown is highly recommended!
For me, the most important part of Destination Unknown is the way that Konigsberg reminds us that gay men need to live authentically and honestly as themselves. There are heart-ripping moments in this book, where some theoretically well-intentioned "ally" to one of our two heroes--Micah's mom and his best friend Deena come to mind--reveal the deeply hidden homophobia that lives inside them, that they'd never admit to.
So this is a political book, importantly; but it's mainly a joyously beautiful book, about the transformative power of coming into yourself on the arm (in the arms) of someone you love.
I also really enjoyed the detailed and generally very accurate descriptions of NYC landmarks and locales that I spent plenty of time in during my late 20s (in the late 1980s). A lovely nostalgic trip backward, in spite of how scary that landscape often felt in the time of AIDS.
Konigsberg is definitely at the top of my list of writers whose works I want to fully explore. Destination Unknown is highly recommended!
September 2, 2022
Review Time ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I've been in a massive reading slump for months but this book had pulled me out and I devoured it in days.
I absolutely loved everything about this book from the characters to the plot and all in between.
"It's 1987 in New York City, and Micah is at a dance club, trying to pretend he's more out and outgoing than he really is. C.J. isn't just out--he’s completely out there, and Micah can't help but be both attracted to and afraid of someone who travels so loudly and proudly through the night.
A connection occurs. Is it friendship? Romance? Is C.J. the one with all the answers... or does Micah bring more to the relationship that it first seems? As their lives become more and more entangled in the AIDS epidemic that’s laying waste to their community, and the AIDS activism that will ultimately bring a strong voice to their demands, whatever Micah and C.J. have between them will be tested, strained, pushed, and pulled--but it will also be a lifeline in a time of death, a bond that will determine the course of their futures."
I really enjoyed Micahs development throughout the story, he is kind and warm and his growth is beautiful to see. CJ is a lot, but highly likeable all the same.
Even though I consider myself clued up, the author really offers a lot of history about living in the 80s/90s as an LGBTQ person whilst HIV and AIDS was so prevalent. The social references really place you in time and it was clearly well thought out.
I loved this book. I think you will too.
Easy 5 stars.
I've been in a massive reading slump for months but this book had pulled me out and I devoured it in days.
I absolutely loved everything about this book from the characters to the plot and all in between.
"It's 1987 in New York City, and Micah is at a dance club, trying to pretend he's more out and outgoing than he really is. C.J. isn't just out--he’s completely out there, and Micah can't help but be both attracted to and afraid of someone who travels so loudly and proudly through the night.
A connection occurs. Is it friendship? Romance? Is C.J. the one with all the answers... or does Micah bring more to the relationship that it first seems? As their lives become more and more entangled in the AIDS epidemic that’s laying waste to their community, and the AIDS activism that will ultimately bring a strong voice to their demands, whatever Micah and C.J. have between them will be tested, strained, pushed, and pulled--but it will also be a lifeline in a time of death, a bond that will determine the course of their futures."
I really enjoyed Micahs development throughout the story, he is kind and warm and his growth is beautiful to see. CJ is a lot, but highly likeable all the same.
Even though I consider myself clued up, the author really offers a lot of history about living in the 80s/90s as an LGBTQ person whilst HIV and AIDS was so prevalent. The social references really place you in time and it was clearly well thought out.
I loved this book. I think you will too.
Easy 5 stars.
November 14, 2022
I really enjoyed this! I've read a few young-adult oriented books about the AIDS epidemic this year. Despite the backdrop of the epidemic being turbulent & chaotic, the story had a lot of lightheartedness to it. It had some moments of levity that really shined through, balanced with more serious moments that were harder to get through.
What I struggled with that kept it from being a 5-star rating for me was the characters. Micah was somewhat hard to like at times, though overall I thought he was a good character. You have to have empathy for the fact that in 1987 / 1988, there was far less information available about AIDS, and he grew up in a time of great confusion / misinformation, especially for young LGBTQ adults.
Micah's mother was quite awful for 85% of the book. And then there's Deena... Deena was terrible. I actively despised her. Every time I saw her name, I rolled my eyes. I'm not exaggerating. What a horrible friend. While reading, I literally messaged my friend who had already read the book about how much I hated this fictional girl. And go figure, he agreed. Omfg. Okay, lmao.
But then there's CJ who I absolutely loved and adored. He was the heart and soul of this book and as we slowly began to understand the background he had come from and what he had been through, he was all the more important to me as a character. He was a fighter and a hero.
Commence Spoiler Alerts:
I think what set this story about the AIDS epidemic apart from the rest for me was that the ending wasn't completely heartbreaking and tragic. We got an ending in which CJ got to live an extended life -- that the disease did not claim him and that he & Micah got to live a longer life together. Was there sadness in the fact that CJ contracted HIV while the apathetic government stood idly by as he and others like him were dying? Yes. Sadness in the fact that we lost thousands upon thousands? Yes. Stories about the AIDS epidemic will always have that fact looming over them. This story ended with a semblance of hope that brought tears to my eyes. The glimmer of light of CJ defying the "death sentence" he was given made me so joyful.
Also, each chapter being named after a song from the era? Loved that. One of the chapters being "Bizarre Love Triangle" ... one of my favorite songs by New Order? Really loved that.
Overall, this was a solid 4-star book for me & a very quick read. I plan on reading other books by Bill Konigsberg in the future.
What I struggled with that kept it from being a 5-star rating for me was the characters. Micah was somewhat hard to like at times, though overall I thought he was a good character. You have to have empathy for the fact that in 1987 / 1988, there was far less information available about AIDS, and he grew up in a time of great confusion / misinformation, especially for young LGBTQ adults.
Micah's mother was quite awful for 85% of the book. And then there's Deena... Deena was terrible. I actively despised her. Every time I saw her name, I rolled my eyes. I'm not exaggerating. What a horrible friend. While reading, I literally messaged my friend who had already read the book about how much I hated this fictional girl. And go figure, he agreed. Omfg. Okay, lmao.
But then there's CJ who I absolutely loved and adored. He was the heart and soul of this book and as we slowly began to understand the background he had come from and what he had been through, he was all the more important to me as a character. He was a fighter and a hero.
Commence Spoiler Alerts:
I think what set this story about the AIDS epidemic apart from the rest for me was that the ending wasn't completely heartbreaking and tragic. We got an ending in which CJ got to live an extended life -- that the disease did not claim him and that he & Micah got to live a longer life together. Was there sadness in the fact that CJ contracted HIV while the apathetic government stood idly by as he and others like him were dying? Yes. Sadness in the fact that we lost thousands upon thousands? Yes. Stories about the AIDS epidemic will always have that fact looming over them. This story ended with a semblance of hope that brought tears to my eyes. The glimmer of light of CJ defying the "death sentence" he was given made me so joyful.
Also, each chapter being named after a song from the era? Loved that. One of the chapters being "Bizarre Love Triangle" ... one of my favorite songs by New Order? Really loved that.
Overall, this was a solid 4-star book for me & a very quick read. I plan on reading other books by Bill Konigsberg in the future.
September 9, 2022
Reading a book about queer love during the AIDS epidemic is always going to be a rough and emotional read for me. While I was alive during the height of it, I was too young to really live through it. Getting to see what life was like for CJ and Micah makes me thankful for how far the world has come in 30 years, just in HIV and AIDS preventative medications alone.
I can’t tell you how many times my breath caught or I gasped while reading Destination Unknown. I would expect him to make one choice, but he would do something completely different. That is in essence what it’s like to be a teenage queer kid. There is so much pressure and fear and anger coming at you from every direction that decisions and choices change at the drop of a hat… at least that’s how it was in my experience.
Micah meets CJ at a club and his world changes forever. I don’t want to say that it’s sometimes for the better and sometimes not, because that’s just the way life is. I will say that the choices that we make, even at a very young age will effect us throughout our life. This book perfectly reflects that. It breaks my heart that it’s our reality, but it is.
I hope this book finds all the right people… every kid or adult that needs it. I needed it. I loved it.
But PLEASE know that this has some HEAVY topics in it! If you need trigger warnings, message me and I got you!
I can’t tell you how many times my breath caught or I gasped while reading Destination Unknown. I would expect him to make one choice, but he would do something completely different. That is in essence what it’s like to be a teenage queer kid. There is so much pressure and fear and anger coming at you from every direction that decisions and choices change at the drop of a hat… at least that’s how it was in my experience.
Micah meets CJ at a club and his world changes forever. I don’t want to say that it’s sometimes for the better and sometimes not, because that’s just the way life is. I will say that the choices that we make, even at a very young age will effect us throughout our life. This book perfectly reflects that. It breaks my heart that it’s our reality, but it is.
I hope this book finds all the right people… every kid or adult that needs it. I needed it. I loved it.
But PLEASE know that this has some HEAVY topics in it! If you need trigger warnings, message me and I got you!
November 3, 2023
A coming of age story set during the height of the HIV/AIDs epidemic, this story perfectly captures the horror and uncertainty the author experienced, while also showing the danger the spread of misinformation and passive response from the Government caused.
As someone currently living in 2023, it was interesting to see the parallels between that epidemic and COVID, particularly the way people would convince themselves that they couldn't get it, and the feeling that "those people" were deserving in some way of death because of who they were, echoed the reactions people have to disabled people dying today.
Micah and C.J. are polar opposites, which is what makes them so interesting. Micah is closeted, still dressing to pass straight, living at home with his strict parents. But C.J. is one step away from being kicked out of his home, working as a dancer and picking up older men to pay for music and meals.
Although it is a spoiler, I do feel it is important to note that this is a happily ever after story in some way, despite the loss Micah and C.J. experience in their lives. The epilogue had me in tears and I was so stressed we'd come all this way just to lose one of them, so I appreciated this.
As someone currently living in 2023, it was interesting to see the parallels between that epidemic and COVID, particularly the way people would convince themselves that they couldn't get it, and the feeling that "those people" were deserving in some way of death because of who they were, echoed the reactions people have to disabled people dying today.
Micah and C.J. are polar opposites, which is what makes them so interesting. Micah is closeted, still dressing to pass straight, living at home with his strict parents. But C.J. is one step away from being kicked out of his home, working as a dancer and picking up older men to pay for music and meals.
Although it is a spoiler, I do feel it is important to note that this is a happily ever after story in some way, despite the loss Micah and C.J. experience in their lives. The epilogue had me in tears and I was so stressed we'd come all this way just to lose one of them, so I appreciated this.
December 17, 2021
Rep: gay
CW: HIV and AIDS, descriptions of rape, sc death, homophobia, homophobic slurs
CW: HIV and AIDS, descriptions of rape, sc death, homophobia, homophobic slurs
October 3, 2022
I think it's becoming clear to me that I will sob when I read or watch anything to do with the aids crisis. But that wasn't the only reason why I loved this. For me it was extremely well written and the two main characters were perfectly developed. It just feels very important and like something everyone should read to understand where we've come from and not to take anything that we have now for granted.
September 1, 2022
I read this book in 24 hours.
I'm crying and I'm a mess right now and I genuinely cannot give this book any less than 5 motherfucking stars.
Bravo, Bill Konigsberg.
I'm crying and I'm a mess right now and I genuinely cannot give this book any less than 5 motherfucking stars.
Bravo, Bill Konigsberg.
October 30, 2022
Real tears of joy mixed with sadness for a lost generation. That is what awaits you in this soulful journey into two boys’ lives toward each other and an uncertain future marred by the AIDS pandemic.
The author paints two main characters who are at once recognizable and relatable. One a pent up passerby waiting to be unleashed, and one a free spirit in desperate need of real love to quench the wanderlust.
Growing up in the terrifying shadow of AIDS let’s this book tap into every fear and dark memory. If you didn’t, there is little chance that any reader will miss the anxiety, fear, and heartbreak. But this is not soaked in tears, dear reader. No. This is mixed with music and joy and the amazing people who come in and out of our lives.
The book left me with a musical quote which is not from the book. And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make. This book reminds us to love with your whole heart, to never give up on love, and in the face of overwhelming fear and obstacles, just do one thing a day to make a difference.
The author paints two main characters who are at once recognizable and relatable. One a pent up passerby waiting to be unleashed, and one a free spirit in desperate need of real love to quench the wanderlust.
Growing up in the terrifying shadow of AIDS let’s this book tap into every fear and dark memory. If you didn’t, there is little chance that any reader will miss the anxiety, fear, and heartbreak. But this is not soaked in tears, dear reader. No. This is mixed with music and joy and the amazing people who come in and out of our lives.
The book left me with a musical quote which is not from the book. And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make. This book reminds us to love with your whole heart, to never give up on love, and in the face of overwhelming fear and obstacles, just do one thing a day to make a difference.
November 18, 2022
This is set in New York in the mid to late eighties. AIDS is on the rise and a lot of misunderstanding and prejudice happens in relation to the illness.
Two young men, CJ and Micah, become fast friends after meeting at a dance club. But, Micah isn't sure if he can trust CJ in a friendship let alone a relationship. Still, the two are drawn to one another and begin to navigate being young and gay during the rise of AIDS.
This has many references to the eighties and activists of the time. I love that each chapter is the song lyrics from a song in the eighties. Most of them I knew, but a few stumped me. I'd love a playlist on Spotify.
This is heavy content, to be sure. AIDS is a tough illness especially in the early days when there were few medicines widely available to those who were battling the virus. It's interesting to read about how a virus divides society (echoed today as well).
I can vividly recall in eighth grade when Rock Hudson died of complications related to AIDS and one of my teachers said, "I don't feel bad for him. He deserved it." Yikes. That's what I remember and I vowed I would never have such indifference and apathy towards a group of people.
Two young men, CJ and Micah, become fast friends after meeting at a dance club. But, Micah isn't sure if he can trust CJ in a friendship let alone a relationship. Still, the two are drawn to one another and begin to navigate being young and gay during the rise of AIDS.
This has many references to the eighties and activists of the time. I love that each chapter is the song lyrics from a song in the eighties. Most of them I knew, but a few stumped me. I'd love a playlist on Spotify.
This is heavy content, to be sure. AIDS is a tough illness especially in the early days when there were few medicines widely available to those who were battling the virus. It's interesting to read about how a virus divides society (echoed today as well).
I can vividly recall in eighth grade when Rock Hudson died of complications related to AIDS and one of my teachers said, "I don't feel bad for him. He deserved it." Yikes. That's what I remember and I vowed I would never have such indifference and apathy towards a group of people.
December 8, 2021
A powerfully written story about what it was like to come of age during the AIDs epidemic in New York. CJ and Micah are two sides of a coin, showing how life wasn't just risky and scary for teens who didn't have guidance. The emphasis on the community and family and how everyone was in this boat together, positive or not, was emotionally heartwrenching. The book starts as your average YA queer novel, but by the end, I was feeling what they were. I was scared and devastated for the entire generation of queer people we lost and left wondering what life would be like for queer people today if we'd had those mentors around.
Gut-wrenching, emotional, important. Definitely recommend this book!
Gut-wrenching, emotional, important. Definitely recommend this book!
February 8, 2023
Many YA-LGBT books deal with teenage angst combined with the difficulty of accepting one's own sexuality and coming out to parents and others. These are the life's blood of YA-LGBT books.
In Bill Konigsberg's Destination Unknown, this trope is only a part of a larger story, one that concerns AIDS, its ravages, and its tragic ends.
Konigsberg is a master of balancing the usual YA-LGBT trope with the very real and more serious issues of teen suicide (as in The Bridge) and, in this book, AIDS. Homophobia continues to be a genuine issue and many teenagers will not find acceptance among friends, family members, or even their parents due to it.. While a parent's most significant job is to love their children unconditionally , they are unable to do that when confronting one of their children's sexuality.
Even in this book, main character Micah's open and accepting parents at first deal with him coming out by suggesting therapy and other "cures," as if being homosexual was a choice rather than a biological imperative.
In Konigsberg's The Bridge, teenagers consider suicide rather than accepting their sexuality. In this book, teenagers accept their sexuality but must confront the realities their sexuality includes, AIDS being only one of those.
This an excellent book A young person coming to terms with gay sexuality ought to read it. People who know of such teens, including parents, relatives and teachers, ought to recommend it. It is an important contribution to the YA-LGBT genre.
In Bill Konigsberg's Destination Unknown, this trope is only a part of a larger story, one that concerns AIDS, its ravages, and its tragic ends.
Konigsberg is a master of balancing the usual YA-LGBT trope with the very real and more serious issues of teen suicide (as in The Bridge) and, in this book, AIDS. Homophobia continues to be a genuine issue and many teenagers will not find acceptance among friends, family members, or even their parents due to it.. While a parent's most significant job is to love their children unconditionally , they are unable to do that when confronting one of their children's sexuality.
Even in this book, main character Micah's open and accepting parents at first deal with him coming out by suggesting therapy and other "cures," as if being homosexual was a choice rather than a biological imperative.
In Konigsberg's The Bridge, teenagers consider suicide rather than accepting their sexuality. In this book, teenagers accept their sexuality but must confront the realities their sexuality includes, AIDS being only one of those.
This an excellent book A young person coming to terms with gay sexuality ought to read it. People who know of such teens, including parents, relatives and teachers, ought to recommend it. It is an important contribution to the YA-LGBT genre.
September 14, 2022
I don’t know what it is about books set in NYC during the AIDS epidemic, but they will always have a special place in my heart. Sure they’re books of fiction. Sure it was a long time ago. But I just feel so connected to them and all those lives lost far too soon. This book is no exception.
This beautiful coming of age story set in 1987 NYC was a beautiful love letter to friendship, community, family, found family, first love, and adventure. To those who survived, and to those who didn’t. My heart breaks, but Micah’s journey and his parents and the growth of CJ helped mend it. And the HEA? Living, thriving, loved.
Please do yourself a favor and read this book. I know you’ll love Micah and CJ as much as I do.
This beautiful coming of age story set in 1987 NYC was a beautiful love letter to friendship, community, family, found family, first love, and adventure. To those who survived, and to those who didn’t. My heart breaks, but Micah’s journey and his parents and the growth of CJ helped mend it. And the HEA? Living, thriving, loved.
Please do yourself a favor and read this book. I know you’ll love Micah and CJ as much as I do.
June 28, 2022
AIDs is on the rise in 1987, and seventeen year old Micah is conflicted about coming out a gay and exploring this new and uncertain world. Thankfully, he meets CJ, and the two seem to be both kindred spirits as well as total opposites. Destination Unknown is an incredible, heart-squeezing coming-of-age novel of community and activism, enmeshed with the resilient history of LGBT culture and survival. Be prepared to feel a full spectrum of emotions with this one.
April 2, 2024
Really two and a half stars. YA set in 1987 about a gay teen boy's first love and coming out to his parents during the AIDS crisis. I thought the writing could've been better, as the characters felt a bit one-dimensional and I never felt much connection to them. Quite a bit of "telling" instead of "showing" with the writing, too. An important topic that has been done much better in other books (i.e. The Prettiest Star and Tell the Wolves I'm Home).
Currently reading
December 10, 2025⋆˙⟡ pre-read
⤿ started 10.12.25
⋮ destination unknown by bill konigsberg ‧★
｡🐇𓏲⋆ well i'm still in a slump but this seems so cute and promising so lets just hope it gets me out of it 😭
⤿ started 10.12.25
⋮ destination unknown by bill konigsberg ‧★
｡🐇𓏲⋆ well i'm still in a slump but this seems so cute and promising so lets just hope it gets me out of it 😭
February 17, 2022
Incredibly powerful. I have no words.
December 22, 2022
3 stars might be a little harsh
it’s not that I didn’t like the book, I can appreciate the authors talent but just isn’t my favorite type of book
reminded me of the great gatsby
it’s not that I didn’t like the book, I can appreciate the authors talent but just isn’t my favorite type of book
reminded me of the great gatsby
September 29, 2022
Destination Unknown is the beautiful but dramatic story about gay boys coming of age in the 1980s, the fear that comes with not knowing what this deadly disease was, only really knowing that, at the time, it was deadly, and discovering love while fearing almost everything about it.
It's a semi-autobiographical novel, and you can feel that. It's raw and honest and you can picture very well how young queer people around that time must have felt.
But it also manages to tell a beautiful love story between two young men. You understand both their stories, and care for them deeply.
For a long time now I've avoided anything that sounded "sad". For my own mental health I couldn't open a book about something sad, especially about queer people being sad.
But I'm so glad I read this.
It's not exactly an uplifting light and fun book, obviously, but it is full of love and uplifting moments throughout these times of fear and uncertainty. That made it all the more enjoyable.
It's a semi-autobiographical novel, and you can feel that. It's raw and honest and you can picture very well how young queer people around that time must have felt.
But it also manages to tell a beautiful love story between two young men. You understand both their stories, and care for them deeply.
For a long time now I've avoided anything that sounded "sad". For my own mental health I couldn't open a book about something sad, especially about queer people being sad.
But I'm so glad I read this.
It's not exactly an uplifting light and fun book, obviously, but it is full of love and uplifting moments throughout these times of fear and uncertainty. That made it all the more enjoyable.
March 24, 2023
"If this is you fixed, give me broken".
"Maybe he was damaged goods, but that didn't make it hurt any less".
Took me over two months to be motivated to wrap this up. It started fine but failed to keep my attention. The humor ruined it. I.e. the talk of coming out of the closet and the similarities of fecal matter coming out. As well as comparing a pickle to a man's privates.
CJ was a horrible character and influence on Micah. Never once did I root for the two. Hated the plot. The narrator for the audiobook was good. I finished the book because of the historical fiction aspect. There are much better books on the topic of AIDS.
"Maybe he was damaged goods, but that didn't make it hurt any less".
Took me over two months to be motivated to wrap this up. It started fine but failed to keep my attention. The humor ruined it. I.e. the talk of coming out of the closet and the similarities of fecal matter coming out. As well as comparing a pickle to a man's privates.
CJ was a horrible character and influence on Micah. Never once did I root for the two. Hated the plot. The narrator for the audiobook was good. I finished the book because of the historical fiction aspect. There are much better books on the topic of AIDS.
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