Time Travel discussion

One of the books that tied, and the one that I voted for. ;)

Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes.

"... a gay teen travels back to his parents' era to save a closeted classmate's life.

All Luis Gonzalez wants is to go to prom with his boyfriend, something his “progressive” high school still doesn't allow. Not after what happened with Chaz Wilson. But that was ages ago, when Luis's parents were in high school; it would never happen today, right? He's determined to find a way to give his LGBTQ friends the respect they deserve (while also not risking his chance to be prom king, just saying…).

When a hit on the head knocks him back in time to 1985 and he meets the doomed young Chaz himself, Luis concocts a new plan-he's going to give this guy his first real kiss. Though it turns out a conservative school in the '80s isn't the safest place to be a gay kid. Especially with homophobes running the campus, including Gordo (aka Luis's estranged father). Luis is in over his head, trying not to make things worse-and hoping he makes it back to present day at all.

In a story that's fresh, intersectional, and wickedly funny, David Valdes introduces a big-mouthed, big-hearted, queer character that readers won't soon forget."

This is widely available in my libraries, so I hope it is in yours and that you give it a chance!

Especially relevant in re' Nex Benedict... :(

One of my libraries has it in ebook and deadtree, the other doesn't have it at all.

Huh, interesting.

I read it in two days, gave it four stars. My review:

Yes, time slip. 2020s (left vague, iirc) to 1985. Good historical fiction for modern kids who think millennials are too old to be cool. It's important that in both time periods the school is Christian & conservative - some gay people in both eras could be more out & proud than these kids could.

I absolutely love that I did not love Luis at first. I kinda got tired of teen stories about gay boys because they were all so adorable, but Luis isn't supportive enough of his friend, or understanding enough of his mom, and he has an entitlement attitude that he should always get his way, always be at the center of attention.

Well, not unexpectedly, this is the set up for all the lessons he learns when he goes back in time. I time where being gay could get you killed. It's not just micro-aggressions that are of concern back then! But it's complicated.

Yes, the book is awfully earnest. At the beginning it's rather preachy, tbh. But if you're interested, stick with it. I found it rewarding, even though I struggled at first.

Btw, I also love that Luis does reach out to adults for help (in both timelines). Life is hard enough, so authors shouldn't always make kids be orphans or have a parent die on them.

"... this kid is way more complicated than I thought.... He's the reason why you're never supposed to judge a book by its cover."

I love that Luis and his favorite adult are fans of time travel stories. But he wisely points out that A Wrinkle in Time should be called "A Wrinkle in Space."

"... or maybe he's a classic bigot, needing an Other to punch when he's mad."

(Sorry I don't have more quotes; I was too engaged to appreciate which were the best lines, worth bringing here.)

I'm still thinking about this a couple of days later. Sign of a good book!

I'll try to start it by the end of the month, but I have a few others checked out I need to finish first.

I understand! And later is better than not at all! :)

I listened to this in 24 hours. It was entertaining but shallow. The main character really annoyed me at first, seeming to represent a lot of the surface level things that the media wants us to believe Gen Z cares about like social media influencing and cosmetics.

I believe he really wanted to change the way people saw LGBTQ people though, and that was the best thru-line. Through traveling back in time, he gained perspective on why it would be difficult to change an older generation's mind and how many strides had been taken since the 80s. It just illustrates the main lesson learned by reading time travel novels; the past is not safe for anyone who isn't a white male.

I felt that the relationship between his parents didn't make a lot of sense and should have been better developed.

Finished this today. Gave it 5 stars. Glad I read it. Liked it more than I expected to.

Yes, I think he learned so much history by going back in time. A neat way to use TT, just a little different than most stories we've read in this group.

I know people like his parents, I have to admit. They made sense to me, unfortunately.