Rainbow Party

by Paul Ruditis

Rainbow Parties. Are they real? Who's going?

GIN and SANDY

One's been with all the guys, one's terrified of them.

It's Gin's party; she invited everyone.

ALLISON

President of the Celibacy Club. What's she thinkin'?

HUNTER and PERRY

Friends...with benefits.

JADE

Hanging on to it for the right guy.

SKYE and ROD

Totally doing it, totally curious.

VI

Skye's BF who has it for Rod. The party could change everything.

RUSTY and BRICK

One thinks he's a playah. One's built like it. Neither's getting any.

ASH and ROSE

The class couple, not ready yet. So why are they going?

Would you?

Rainbow Party is a cautionary tale about a group of teens faced with the prospect of attending a party involving oral sex. The novel spotlightseach of their diverse viewpoints in the hours leading up to the party.It explores what each teen has — and has not — been up to sexually,and why. And ultimately, why they would consider going to a party like this in the first place.

This book addresses important and timeless issues relevant to teens, including self-esteem, peer pressure, awareness about STD protection, and making an informed and educated decision about readiness for sexual activity. It was inspired by numerous news reports about the prevalence and attitudes among teens towards certain types of sexual behavior, and is intended to engage readers in this real-life issue in a responsible and constructive fashion.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Teen, Romance, Sexuality, Childrens, Realistic Fiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published May 17, 2005

About the author

Paul Ruditis also writes under the name P.J. Ruditis.

I was born and raised in Philadelphia where I lived a typical childhood with a far more interesting fantasy life. I mean, how many other eight year olds were sticking their Star Wars action figures in Ziploc bags filled with water and putting them in the freezer to recreate the ice planet of Hoth? (Really? That many? Never mind.)

After college, I moved to Los Angeles and was very lucky to get a job as a page at Paramount Pictures only months after I got into town. I worked as a tour guide and usher, and I performed temp office work around the lot.
Eventually, I took a position working in the studio's licensing department where I quickly worked my way up to middle management.

After a while, one of my friends in the publishing industry offered me the opportunity to write a Buffy, The Vampire Slayer short story for a collection she was editing. Well, when I heard how little money I could make as a writer, I immediately quit my job to try it full time. (Stupid, I know, but it kind of worked for me.)

I started out by writing books based on such wonderful TV shows as Star Trek, Roswell, and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. I have since written over 30 books based some of the best shows on TV, adding The West Wing, Alias, and Prison Break to that ever growing list.

While I continue to work on these media tie-ins, I have also been focused more on my own original fiction, including my teen series DRAMA! and the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedy Love, Hollywood Style.

- Abridged Bio - Official Website.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided to read this book for a book challenge here on goodreads and I thought the cover was cool, even though I don't really wear lipstick. I thought it was pretty. So I read the back and it just lists some peoples names and a little thing written under them telling a sentence about them and mentioning this party.

I had no idea what in the hell a "Rainbow Party" was and I guess it's a thing, I don't know. But supposedly these idiot teens are going to a party thrown by Gin and the thing is for the girls to wear different shades of lipstick and have oral sex with the boys to make a rainbow on their - wanker!

I mean really? Do kids do this? Are they not being taught? Although, their sex ed teacher was trying to teach them all kinds of things about sex and consequences and they were graphic. But, one girl tells and she couldn't do all of that any more. She had to tame it down. But she did talk about still getting std's from oral sex. Was anyone paying attention? NO. Did a whole group of kids get oral std's? Yes!



I just didn't enjoy this book because it was all about these kids and sex with this that and the other. Now there were a couple of the kids that wanted to save themselves and some that had some strong opinions and I think that was good.



Some people will probably love the book to death, but I just didn't. I couldn't relate to any of the kids but a couple. I mean yeah, kids have sex in school, but usually there is a more in depth story line then just talking about these different groups of kids and the party. Said party got canceled anyway. I just wasn't feeling it and that's all there is to it. I think I get what the author was trying to do with this book but I need a longer book if your going to have this many people and let me get to like and REALLY know some of the characters. I pretty much know how they all feel about sex.

At any rate, you can form your own opinion =)

[~lolen~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK WAS NOT ABOUT RAINBOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE TITLE WAS MISLEADING! IT WAS NOT GOOD LIKE PERTATERS IT WAS MORE LIKE BRUSSEL SPROUTS OR EELS...


But in the end the book gave me some brillant ideas! Who wants to come to my Rainbow Party????

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I picked up this book because I thought the cover was intriguing and also for our reading challenge. I could tell it would be edgy, but 15 year olds? Seriously. I know kids are growing up faster, but I found this whole situation completely disturbing. When I was 15, I was NOT getting invited to Rainbow Parties. I was taking naps everyday after school and hoping that Buffy didn't get killed by vampires. But I also enjoyed the ending to this book, because nobody got to go to the party anyway, and almost everybody STILL ended up with gonorrhea, which I think is freaking hilarious.

[Regina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Um. No.

I read a pretty awful review of this one and was hoping that I'd think differently about it after reading it for myself.
I failed.
I made it to page 100 or so and just gave up. In its defense, the premise of the story was a good one but the narration got to be preachy and hard to follow. If the author had decided to actually do first-person narrative for the teens, it would have been easier to digest.

Basically, Gin, the school sexpot has decided to throw a rainbow party. Each girl wears a different shade of lipstick and give the boys oral sex. The idea is that at the end of the party, each of the boys will have a rainbow "down there" from the different lipsticks.

I was prepared to be shocked and challenged, but I really just felt sorry for all of these kids. They seemed to not understand what it was they were feeling about sex itself, or the after-effects a party such as this one could result in. As someone who was once a teen, and who works with teens, I thought this was a bad representation of how they actually think and interact. Some of these teens were more stupid than confused, and I've found that real teens are a lot more cunning and thoughtful than these guys.

I skipped ahead to the end and was completely unsurprised by the ending, and the decisions made. I don't think I'll try this one again, but I'll be on the hunt for a similar story that is executed a bit better.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this conterversial book, Gin is planning a Rainbow Party-- where a group of girls each put on a different color of lipstick and give blowjobs to a group of guys-- leaving behind a rainbow. (Although one character does point out that the lipstick would just get all smeared together and make a mess of brown, but that's neither here nor there.) The book follows the characters through about five hours of time on the afternoon and evening of the party-- Gin who's preparing and the classmates who are contemplating going.

Although the book tries to deal with the sexual politics involved in such a situation, double standards, and teen motivation for sexual practice, it remains a relatively light book. Not funny, but it doesn't get very deep. Despite the subject matter, it is not sexualy provacative or explicit and is fairly tame. Still, it was a fairly enjoyable read and teen sex and relationships and one more example of why people getting all up in arms about books they haven't read are just stupid.

[Meredith]

I originally bought this book along with a TON of others to fill in my classroom's library for my 7th and 8th graders. I didn't know what a Rainbow Party was, and by reading the back it sounded fine.

THANK GOD I read the book before I brought it into school. I would have had my head on a chopping block. I've ready plenty of racier things in a book, but I think it was the fact that I almost let my students read it that appaled me most.

Yuck...

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has stuck with me, only because of how horrible and utterly annoying it was. When I was younger, my goal was to read the entire YA section of the library so it was "mandatory" that I read this book. The characters were foolish and shallow, the plot was poorly developed, and it was simply a horrible experience overall. The only plus (which really doesn't count for anything) could be the design of the cover. Maybe.

[J.M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. Mostly I felt that the few gay characters should have been more accepting and/or empowering about their sexuality and were not. I read ahead to see if their attitudes changed and ended up not finishing the book. Hope someone else enjoys it instead!

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

kinda lame. but i read it in like 2 hours. and i'm no better for it, trust me.

[KyloRenessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't remember the last book I hated this much. I don't know where to start.

The plot is sloppy, the dialogues are unbelievable, this is clearly just an attempt at teaching teens about STD's through fear tactics. Which could have been done better.

But the worst part is that this book was FILLED with teens shown thinking "but if I go to this party where I engage in oral activity, maybe my crush will fall in love with me and everything will be perfect"

How was this published?

"She had no idea how he would feel about her afterward. If she was good, he might come back for more. Then maybe they’d fall in love and make love. That’d be cool."

SPOILERS AHEAD.

The party never happens because the few people who decide to go show up last minute, and the girl hosting (Gin) chose a night her parents wouldn't be home for a few hours because of some dumb reason I thought would fall through all along. I don't remember it and I'm not backtracking. This whole party relied on her parents being out of the house for "a few hours." But they come home of course and the chapter ends as people start walking up to the front door.

THEN it skips ahead to weeks later where Gin is being ostracized at school because there was an outbreak of gonorrhea just after the party that never happened because everyone was already hooking up with everyone. And it's somehow Gin's fault because it's common knowledge that she's been with every guy. It might be, I don't care.

But I can't get over how sloppy the writing was. It was all extremely juvenile, even for a teen book. I cringed a lot.

[Adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

SMALL SPOILER ALERT:
I read this book because of the huge controversy that followed it around. Parents were concerned that the book would “give teens ideas” and promote them to plan their own rainbow party. No, a rainbow party is not a “gay thing”. It involves lipstick and oral sex - you do the math. The message of the book actually focuses more on the consequences to a teen making such a decision and does a great job of depicting the young adult angst resulting from sexual peer pressure. I felt that the book was fairly well written and the author was courageous in talking about such a subject. I know I was involved in situations as a teen that my parents probably would not have been thrilled with, but that is the reality of being a teen. Things happen, you get idea that you think is great (and probably is not) and you follow through with it because you feel invincible and think you know everything. The book tackled a real subject. It should not have been in question to be removed from libraries.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started reading this book thinking it would be controversial and exciting. I found it neither. The author seemed intent on preaching about the virtues of waiting to lose your virginity until you meet the one you love. This may have been better achieved with more subtlety, rather than with characters that were either bad or squeaky clean and good.

There seemed to be another force-fed message along the lines of oral sex being just as dangerous/wrong as sexual intercourse. I struggle to believe that many teens have such a relaxed attitude to oral sex portrayed by some of the characters i.e. Gin. Likewise that it is as prevalent in the book, which was implied with the number of teens affected by the infection of gonorrhea.

I read this book in one day because I wanted to get it over with. The book deserves two stars rather than one as I had a mild interest in the plot and what would happen at the end.

[Meghann · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was painful, and terribly immature. The writing was confusing. I was hoping it would fall into the Gossip Girl realm of YA fiction, but I was wrong. I can't even believe I finished the book, I guess I hoped it would get better so I kept reading. I got this book for free at a yard sale, and I'm glad I didn't waste my money.

It's not about rainbows, or lipstick. It's about a bratty high school underclassman planning a group sex party that no one comes too but 40 people in the school end up with gonorrhea.

I wasted hours of my life reading this trivial babble. This book could have been good in the right hands. I believe it tries to teach a lesson, as there is a page in the back of the book that talks about HIV, but I feel like this book horribly misses the mark.

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok- so this is Leslie's book and she didn't like it. But Nikki wanted to like it so she borrowed it and she didn't like it. But I wanted to like it, so I borrowed it. And I didn't.

Basically, it's about a high school girl who's throwing a (sex) party for 6 boys and six girls. You learn about each of the 6 kids and it's just really cheezy and poorly written.

I wouldnt call it porn for teens, but it borders on that. Definitely not a book I'd tell anyone to read.

[jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

adult morality, teen morality, promiscuity, mythology, the myth of the modern teen, blow jobs, sluts, STDs, moral of the story, contrived plot, boring writing

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not well written, horribly unrealistic. Totally trying to make it seem like this was a "thing" when it was just an urban legend.

[Emily Cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is 900 kinds of problematic. It was poorly written, with many editing flaws. Most of the characters were incredibly shallow. It was hard at times to understand who was talking because it followed more than 10 perspectives throughout the book. All of the friendships in this book were formed just to use one of the people in the friendship for something else. The events are just overall not very believable. ESPECIALLY the fact that in this high school, one of the main characters causes an outbreak of gonorrhea that affects 39 PEOPLE IN THE SOPHOMORE CLASS. I really did not like this book, clearly, and I could rant for a lot longer on it but I won't. Would not recommend.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny book. Touches on gender roles, sexual freedom, toxic masculinity, and LGBT issues. Pretty vulgar and explicit. Writing was a little amateur and book was a little unnecessarily long but I got a good laugh.

[Brynna]

*This was referenced in a school reading on adolescence and faith development, so I would be reading this book for purely educational reasons

[Rhiannon Rabby | 31 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just remembered I’d read this book at the ripe age of 12. What was I thinking? I don’t think I’ve ever seen such low reviews on a novel on goodreads. 😂

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though potentially seen as smutty and shocking, I think this book brings up a lot of the motivations behind teen sexuality in a valid storyline.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

So a month or so ago, I read an article in the NYTimes ("Are These Parties for Real?" 6/30/05) about this controversial young adult book. It was so controversial, that bookstores weren't even carrying it; you had to order it specially. So naturally, I had to read it. Now I'm going to review it for you. And my review is going to have full spoilers. I figure, most people won't read this book anyway, though I think it is probably one of the more important books a parent can read with his or her teenager.

First, to give you some background, this is from the Washington Post (6/24/05):

"To offer some parental guidance in this fast-changing arena, Weekend Journal sorted through more than 100 of the season's talked-about teen titles. We kept our eye out for literary merit and great stories, and also looked for themes that parents might want to know about. One discovery: The subject matter is rarely clear from a book's title or graphics. "Rainbow Party" features tubes of lipstick on the cover -- though it isn't about girls discussing makeup, but a teen oral-sex party. We also found that girls are the main target audience here, reflecting publishers' belief that more teen girls than boys read. (The idea is that boys stick to fantasy epics.) That helps explain why there are more controversial girl-oriented titles, like "Alice on Her Way," about a 16-year-old who spends a weekend in Manhattan on a class trip.

"Publishers say the mature material simply reflects the culture teens are exposed to today, and may help them to process situations they've heard about or experienced. In some cases, they add, the themes help advance a moral message: "Rainbow Party," for example, teaches children about the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, says Rick Richter, president of Simon & Schuster's children's division, which published the title. He adds that he'd be happy to have his 13-year-old daughter read it."

So that gives you the skinny on the book. Girl throws oral sex party. In the end the party doesn't happen. To be perfectly honest, I don't know why the WaPo reviewer got squirmish. Was it that a girl would dare throw this kind of party? Was it that some of the teens in the book are portrayed as sexually active? Was it the introduction to Perry when he's just finished sucking off his friend Hunter (for the 47th time--he keeps track, because Hunter owes him one but has yet to deliver) in the boys bathroom at school? Who knows?

Maybe I'm cold and heartless. But, to be honest, there is so much going on in this book, that I think it's a mistake for parents and critics to focus on the idea of a "rainbow party." And that seems to be the main concern. For example, as reported in the NYTimes: "Michelle Malkin, a syndicated columnist, found the book appalling. "Why on earth would a publisher market such smut to kids?" she asked. Ms. Malkin was heartened by the many children's booksellers not stocking 'Rainbow Party.' But she worries that it could nonetheless end up on school library shelves in the name of helping children 'deal with reality.'" Ms. Malkin needs to get off her high horse and look at what the book is actually saying.

Anyway, I think this book hits a lot of important issues regarding teens and sexual behavior. It should be read. It should be read by teens and their parents. Preferably as a launching point into a discussion about the real issues with premarital sex.

I'm a firm believer in the importance of young adult literature because it provides a safe space for teens to experience life vicariously through others. So, yes, Ms. Malkin, this book should be available on library shelves to teens to help them deal with reality. Not everyone is having sex, but teens don't know that. The only ones who are visually not having sex are those in the celibacy club, and they're stigmatized. No amount of adult praise is going to change that. So teens need to see other teens dealing with issues and insecurities about sex. They need to see the consequences. Books are the best place for that.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this one for a while because I am a fan of controversy, particularly when it comes to books. I can see why this is such a controversial book. I definitely don't recommend this one for younger readers or anyone easily offended. While nothing is explicitly graphic, it's pretty "suggestive." However, the book also does have a moral--if you are going to engage in any kind of sexual activity, especially when you are a teenager, make sure to be safe and smart about it.

My favorite thing about this book was the characters. I felt it had great character development for many characters. I like how some of the characters ended up surprising me. I especially liked Sandy, Perry, Vi, Ash, Rose, and Jade. I even felt bad for Gin at the end. It was also a fast read that kept my attention. The characters mostly seemed realistic. (If you don't think teenagers are ever immature, I kind of wonder if you actually know any....)

The only thing that I didn't care for was some of the over-sexualized word choices, particularly in the beginning. It just seemed like the author was trying too hard and it was hard to take seriously at times. It didn't bother me as much once I got past the beginning, but I felt it was over the top.

Otherwise, I'm glad I read it. Even though my fiance' is still making fun of me for it. :-P

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really didn't expect to like this book, but I did. It was well written and I didn't want to put it down. The characters were realistic and some were fairly sleazy. I really wanted to know what happened. The teenage years are kind of desperate and silly, particularly since nowadays there is so much pressure to be sexually active before you're ready. Contrary to what other reviewers wrote, I think this is a good book for young kids to read so that they realize it is okay to say no if you aren't ready.

The copy I bought looked more like a self published or ARC copy than a real one...I don't know if they all looked this way or I just got an odd copy on the internet, but the book definitely had the cheaper appearance of something self published.

Surprised that this isn't more popular. I guess the frank subject matter is a bit of a turn off for some, but in this novel it really works. Kudos to this author for being able to write teen indecision so well.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gin plans a Rainbow Party (oral sex) assured that every invitee will come ready and willing. But as the minutes tick by up to the start of the party, each teenaged participant mentally ticks off the reasons for and against attending it. Peer pressure seems to be the reason most intially say yes, but morals and safe sex education appear to win out in the end...and of course, the fact that Gin's dad walks in at the precise moment the party is to begin.

Not a particulary well written book, although that may have been by design. Many teenagers are fearless, spontaneous, and driven by fear that they won't be accepted. The writing seems to take on these attributes, too. However, when, at the end of the book, gonorrhea is the present most of the kids would have brought to the party, the message is sobering and thought-provoking.

[Laura Cunningham · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book i read in a matter of four days.... but, not because it was good. I just kept hoping it was going to get better. Maybe i have just been out of high school for awhile but i can honestly say i dont ever remember sex being that open while i was there. I have to say though i really did appreciate the character development in such a short book you were really able to grasp the characters and their personality. Also, the set up of the book was kind of neat because the whole book is broken up to hours and minutes leading up to 3:00 when the rainbow party is to begin. I would not recommend this book, i was very underwhelmed when i finished the book. I needed more excitement, after all the topic is very promiscuous however, the book lacked the excitement

[Loran (Inked with Curiosity)]

This book was just down right terrible. I didn't know what it was about when I picked it up. I honestly just liked the cover because it had colorful lipstick on the front of it. From the description on the back of the book it wasn't entirely obvious what the plot of the book was but it seemed alright.

I was horribly mistaken. This book ended up being about a group of teens going to an oral sex party. The topic completely turned me off and I didn't even finish it when I realized that that was the entire point of the book. I like to read books with depth and good plots. This book was mindless teenage junk and didn't even properly depict how teens would really act in this situation anyway.

Do yourself a favor and skip this.

[Libby Hinrichs · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting... I have never heard about these parties and I don't think I would ever go to one.

If you think this book is about a cute little rainbow dress up party you are wrong. This book has a lot of sexual content in it. The book is about a girl, who is a sophomore in high school, hearing about rainbow parties and deciding to throw one. If you don't know what a rainbow party is then I suggest you look in the other reviews... Ew.

I read this because a friend recommended it to me. I kinda new that it had a little stuff like that in it but i wasn't aware that, that was all the book was about.

If you don't like books with sex or even ones that hint at it, then don't read it.

[Doug Brunell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book simply because of the controversy. I figured if that many people were upset, there had to be at least a glimmer of hope to it. I was sadly mistaken.

There really is nothing controversial or transgressive about this book. Sure, the subject matter is about teens going to an oral sex party (who hasn't done that?), but it is handled in such a way as to take away any punch the story may have. It is the literary equivalent of a '50s sex scare movie.

One-dimensional characters, a plot as thin as wax paper and cringe-worthy dialogue does not make for a good read. As for those offended by this, perhaps you should have read it first, as the only thing to be offended by is the piss poor writing.

[Andi (Andi's ABCs) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had really high hopes for this book. When I read what it was about I was excited because there aren't many books about there surrounding this topic and teens. It is a strong, controversial topic and I really wanted the author to get into it and deal with the real issues surrounding this types of sex parties. Starting the book I was pleasantly surprised how well it was being handled, but that is where it stopped. The book ended up being one big predictable cop-out. The issue was never really dealt with and that disappointed me. I knew about 50 pages in how it was going to turn out. I wanted more discussion, more of the teens thoughts and more depth. Instead it was just lacking.