Customer Reviews

The God Box

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Paul is a boy who is highly religious, goes to a Christian school, lives in a very small town, and loves God and his girlfriend of several years. Living in such a small town and going to a small school, everyone knows the new kids.

The knew person, Manuel, is weird. Everyone talks about him, especially when he joins Paul and his friends at their lunch table. Manuel proceeds to tell them that he is both gay and Christian, two things that don't mix well.

The girls love Manuel, but the boys want to stay far away from him -- except for Paul. Manuel is trying to be Pauls friend and all the guys start talking about the both of them.

As Paul and Manuel hang out, a friendship is formed and Paul challenges Manuel about God, the Bible, and being gay. Every answer Manuel gives makes Paul think differently about his religion and what it says. Is being gay okay, and can you still go to Heaven?

While examining his feelings, Paul wonders about his own sexuality and if his friendship for Manuel is just that -- a friendship. When a series of events happens, Paul finds his true feelings, his true identity, and, most importantly, love.

Alex Sanchez's latest novel is amazing. It gives a new interpretation of "the Bible says that being gay is a sin," an excuse that many use. Very thought-provoking, this book will keep a smile on your face until the end.

Reviewed by: Jeremey

This is the ideal book for any teenager, young adult, or parent of a young person struggling with their sexuality and their faith. It explores the terrain of teenage sexuality in such a way that is honest, convincing and deeply respectful of religious beliefs. In the end, it leaves the reader feeling that Christianity can be a source of liberation for all of us rather than an oppressive force.

Refreshingly, the book is also a real page turner. You end up learning quite a bit about the Bible without knowing it! The God Box is the kind of novel you'll devour in one setting yet it's message about faith will stay with you for a long time to come.

The God Box is a marvelous coming-of-age story of a high school senior's struggle with his sexual feelings. It incorporates confusion, fear, sex, anger, Christianity, race, love, alcoholism, homophobia, acceptance, violence, and almost anything else a young gay student may experience.
Paul is a devout Christian in a small town about an hour's drive from Abilene. He sings in his church choir, belongs to a Christian bible study group in school, and prays daily. While he has been dating Angie for several years, he is not comfortable with even the mildest of teen-age sex play. He has been fighting his attraction to boys since puberty.
Manuel transfers to their school at the beginning of their senior year. Manuel is openly, vociferously gay. When another student asks "Is it true you're a fag?" Manuel responds with my favorite line from the book - "Why? Are you? If you are, I'm not interested."
But Paul is attracted to Manuel. The story, written in the first person, chronicles his struggles with his own acceptance of himself and his fear of rejection - or worse - by his father, Angie, and his peers.
This book is very well done. I recommend it for teens; it should be made readily available in every high school and municipal library, and every PFLAG chapter should have a copy for their guests.

I can't say enough about this book that other reviewers haven't already said. But I felt the need to add one more glowing review to a book that enlightens and delights, without delving into the steamier sexual antics that are so often central in tales of coming into one's gay sexuality. In a world where the Christian 'Right' attempts to demonize gayness -- which in turn incites all manner of ill-will and even violence of against gay youth -- The God Box is a warm, fuzzy and delightful read for every Christian teen, gay and straight. Especially straight, because they need to know that some of their Christian peers are in fact gay. And guess what, it's okay.

Thanx Mr. Sanchez!! ~~ Taylor Siluwé, author of Dancing With The Devil

The God Box

The God Box is the 6th book by Lambda award winner Alex Sanchez. This fictional book is about one teens struggle to reconcile his sexuality and his Christianity. Although this book is geared towards youth, I recommend it to everyone regardless of age or sexuality. This groundbreaking book takes a very Christian approach to answering questions about why it's okay to be gay. Using scriptures in the correct context, he easily reconciles one of the churches hottest potatoes right now. If you never listen me again, listen to me now. Order you and your best friends a copy of The God Box today. It is the best book I have ever read.

Shine!

Pastor Jayeson
Senior Pastor of Shine Ministries in Fort Lauderdale

As a middle school librarian, I'm always excited for the beginning of summer when I can finally get to the rest of the books I've been meaning to read all year. Sanchez's new book was one I was looking forward to (and enjoyed.) I loved the main characters, Paul (Pablo) and Manuel. Paul's character was developed more fully than the rest, but all of the characters took on strong voices. I thought Paul's self reflection and slow realization of his sexuality was beautifully written and his simultaneous excitement and fear at Manuel's interest was very real.

My disappointment arrived at the (SPOILER ALERT) gay bashing. It seems like a gay bashing is always necessary to demonstrate the dangerous conditions many gay teens face. However, as an educator who works closely with teenagers (and a lesbian who was once a teen myself), I've seen that daily harassment, comments, ignorance and invisibility can cause as much, if not more, long-lasting harm (some of which Manuel and the minor character Stephen experienced - though Stephen's character could have been more developed). However, at its heart, Sanchez's novel is a coming-of-age story and a well written one at that. His focus on the arguments against gay people made by some Christians is explained well and the counter-arguments are clear and easily understood. I think it is an important work and one that should be found in every Middle School, Junior High and High School library. Hopefully some questioning Christian teens, and perhaps their friends, will happen upon the book and find some peace in its pages.

Alex Sanchez has done it again!!! Another masterpiece. You'll be hooked from the first few words all the way through to the last one. While it deals with spiritual issues and may get a little preachy at times, please treasure this book for what it is- a captivating journey of self-discovery. It should become a must read for all teenagers, let alone for those of us who are not teenagers.

Alex Sanchez has written a string of young-adult novels devoted to realistic portrayals of the lives of gay teenagers. His latest book, "The God Box," follows Texas high-school senior Paul, formerly Pablo, as he tackles the thorny question of how to reconcile his strong Christian faith with his growing feelings for his friend and classmate Manuel.

Over the course of the novel, Paul moves from avoiding uncomfortable subjects to actively investigating the Bible passages and teachings that arise again and again in his church and in his after-school Bible club. His greatest inspiration is Manuel himself, who defies all the stereotypes Paul has grown up with to prove himself to be both a kind friend and a devout believer.

Sanchez creates a balanced cast of religious characters with divergent points of view, and his novel shows its strength by handling religious questions with frank honesty while still allowing a diversity of opinions. Paul's group of friends--all members of the Bible club--split into two camps: one faction bands together to form a Gay-Straight Alliance to oppose violence and bullying at school while the other takes a principled stance against the group.

Sanchez is probably the single best young-adult author for portraying the everyday lives of Hispanic and Mexican-American characters. Paul's vividly portrayed Mexican-American family members add weight and humor to his story: his Abuelita is a feisty Mexican grandma who doesn't go to church anymore but faithfully talks to (and sometimes yells at) God from her own kitchen. Paul's widower father is a recovering alcoholic whose steadfast, if sometimes absent-minded, love is his son's strongest anchor.

"The God Box" engages with teenagers' honest desire to probe significant questions about faith and sexuality, and the novel's story is an invitation to seriously consider multiple points of view. Much like Robin Brande's recent book "Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature," Sanchez's novel is a thoughtful treatment of an often fraught subject central to many young lives.

The one believable character in this book was Paul, the protagonist, which made it worth reading to understand a teen who struggles with sexual identity. Most other characters were more like caricatures to me. While some of the author's scriptural exegesis made me reconsider context, I think the author preached too much and took some verses out of context, or at least didn't follow them up with a logical or biblical balance. And with all the research on the damaging effects of pornography, as a parent and youth worker, it troubled me that main gay character recommended that Paul look at both gay and straight porn to test which gender he's attracted to. Seriously?
May we all love and stand by the Pauls in our lives without either condemning or offering unhelpful untruths.

Gay Christian 101 - Spiritual Self-Defense For Gay Christians

The God Box is a great read!

The God Box by bestselling author Alex Sanchez ("The Rainbow Boys" trilogy) is an incredible new novel about gay teens and their Christian faith. Its October, 2007 publication coincides with National Coming Out Day in the U.S.

TGB tells the fascinating story of gay teens and their nongay friends who also happen to be Christians. In some ways, this book could be called an apologetic novel - that is, a novel meant to instruct others about the practical realities of the Christian faith.

Alex Sanchez manages to achieve his goal while maintaining a fast-paced, captivating storyline. I have read the book and love it! I wish such an uplifting book had been available back in the 1960s when I was a gay teen. Sanchez addresses the questions teens ask about sexuality with unusual insight and sensitivity.

TGB is set in a small west Texas town, with several Hispanic protagonists, giving it a wonderful multicultural dimension.

Sanchez covers many gay themes and gay myths including ex-gay themes and how ex-gay ministries are so spectacularly unsuccessful. The fallacy of the ex-gay ideal and the sadness of gays who buy into the ex-gay myth is honestly portrayed without being preachy.

The God Box encourages authentic, Bible-based spirituality and demonstrates through literary device, how everyone should embrace the gift of our God-given sexuality yet in no way does Sanchez promote sexual promiscuity.

The teen years are difficult enough without the complicating factor of being a gay teenager. Sanchez describes the trauma of teen bullying and the indifference of many teachers and school administrators when gay kids are bullied. A particularly poignant section of the book shows the horrific damage bullying causes to vulnerable kids and stresses the Biblical message of Jesus' incredible love for us.

With exquisite finesse, Sanchez portrays the destructive manifestations of overt homophobia and internalized homophobia, and the inner torment of so many gay kids. In his fair and balanced treatment, he shows how some pastors fuel the inner torment of gay teens by appealing to their cultural prejudices and lack of knowledge. The image of God Sanchez paints in TGB is of a living, loving Savior who gave us a practical, relevant handbook for life in His written word, the Bible.

If you have gay teenagers, TGB is must reading! This book encourages gay teens to live for the Lord, to not give up on God and to stay alive. Conflict over sexual orientation is a leading cause of teen suicide. The God Box provides a positive, scriptural antidote for gay teens considering suicide.

Reviewer's Note

For me, the one negative about The God Box is the author's comment in notes at the end of the book, in which he seems to recommend books by Bishop Spong. As a Bible believing gay Christian, I cannot in good conscience, recommend any of Bishop Spong's books.

Spong's denial of the virgin birth of Christ, his denial of the necessity of the new birth through the blood atonement of Christ and his denial of Biblical inspiration can only confuse and discourage gay Christian teens who are seeking Biblical answers.

Thankfully, the wonderful story Alex Sanchez tells in The God Box itself does not embrace or recommend Bishop Spong's unbelief, which is why I am able to heartily recommend Alex Sanchez's latest book The God Box.

- Reviewed by Rick Brentlinger, Founder of GayChristian101.com and author of Gay Christian 101 - Spiritual Self-Defense For Gay Christians.