Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strong and original coming-of-age story, July 20, 2007
This wonderful coming-of-age story by Robin Reardon transcends stereotypes, focusing on a main character who is, if not a jock, athletic. Jason Peele is on his school's track team, and so are all of his potential romantic interests.
It's nice to see an author address gays who are athletically inclined. The topic isn't broached enough, in my humble opinion to reflect reality. In other words, there are a large number of high school teens who play football, baseball, basketball, tennis, teens who are on the track team, swim team, etc. - who are just as good as their heterosexual counterparts, and who get short shrift in gay literature. These teens, seeking out YA gay literature, don't find themselves in many books and are often disillusioned. There are notable exceptions of course. Alex Sanchez' superb "Rainbow Trilogy" (Rainbow Boys, Rainbow High, and Rainbow Road ), comes to mind, as one of the three main characters is the star of the basketball team, and another is on the swim team.
But this isn't just a book with athletic teens. This is an extremely well written and well researched book. Jason's journey is an interesting one. We meet him in the first chapter after a wet dream (about David Bowie - to each their own, I suppose <grin>), and watch him grow. We see how easy it is for him to be around girls, how willing he is to help others, and how difficult and tongue tied he is around boys, especially one - Raj, an Indian student on the track team whose event is the high jump. (Jason's is the relay, and I think, the 100 meter dash.) Jason is immensely likable. He seems at all times to take other people's problems and concerns into consideration, at one point going so far as to tell a girl something that could backfire, if she chose to have loose lips. He is honorable and kindhearted, and these are the qualities that attract Raj - and the reader.
It's also nice to see an interracial relationship depicted without any of the typical (and clichéd) race issues. Jason sees Raj, and is attracted to him. When he gets to know Raj, he likes him even more because Raj is a nice guy. Period. (As it should be in an ideal world - not that this book expresses utopian ideals...) There's never a question about whether or not he could see himself with someone of a different nationality. Reardon handles their relationship deftly.
There are times when the book might feel preachy to some, and I mention this in my review only to refute reviews that (if written in the future, because as of this writing there are none) look down on it. I'm of the opinion that the book is not preachy; rather, it's sharing essential information that teens need. Just the facts, ma'am - so to speak.
Robin Reardon has a strong, assertive voice, is able to portray different yet complex characters adeptly, and is unquestionably a writer to keep an eye on.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A STANDOUT IN AN OVERCROWDED GENRE, October 25, 2007
Coming of age stories constitute a huge segment of the gay fiction market, and I've certainly read my share. A SECRET EDGE is one such story, filled with all the angst and wonder one comes to expect from this genre. But this novel veers from the standard formula, with a detailed exploration of violence versus non-violence, and manages to bring a fresh take to an often stale format.
Jason Peele is a cute blonde sixteen year old high school runner. He's not exactly a jock, but he's athletic. In school, he is neither a member of the in crowd, nor is he a glaring social pariah. He's smart and marginally self assured. But Jason's not a big kid, and he's been the target of jealous bullies on more than one occasion. He knows the goons that picked on him growing up are teenagers now too, capable of a great deal more harm, and Jason refuses to be coward. He secretly carries a switchblade in his pocket, and the knife gives him an added sense of security.
On the first day of track tryouts, Jason notices a dark handsome student practicing the high jump and is instantly smitten. Raj is from India, and moved with his family to the States when he was twelve. Jason is confused and just becoming aware of his sexuality, but Raj has known about himself for quite some time and recognizes a kindred spirit in Jason. It doesn't take Raj long to make the initial move, and Jason suddenly finds his world turned upside down.
Raj is a follower of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, and is determined to impress Gandhi's non violent philosophies upon Jason. Jason's an eager student, but when Raj discovers his secret weapon, he becomes enraged, and stops speaking to Jason. Both are stubborn teenage boys, and as their communication breakdown continues, what hope is there for a relationship?
A SECRET EDGE is written in first person present tense, and told from Jason's point of view. It's a fast paced well delivered story, intended primarily for a young audience, but sufficiently entertaining for a more mature one. The book's style is crisp, the plot well thought out, and with its message of non-violence, is a wonderful addition to a somewhat overcrowded field.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"It Is Impossible To Eschew Violence Completely.", August 12, 2007
Sixteen-year-old Jason Peele and his Indian boyfriend Raj spend a lot of time debating the philosophy of the pacifist Gandhi and his teaching of nonviolence. Their disagreement on the subject is cause for much of the conflict in this really fine coming-of-age novel. Both young men are on their high school track team (where they meet) and both have been the target of harassment and/or violence because of their perceived sexual orientation. They have different ideas, however, of how to confront violence.
A SECRET EDGE-- from what the title means, to the well-developed characters to the plot-- is a book that high school students, both straight and gay as well as the confused, should read. It is instructive without being didactic. I am not sure that today's teenagers fully appreciate how far this country has come in the quest for rights for gay people. There was nothing that would have come close to this wonderful novel in my high school library.
Jason, who lost his parents when just a child, has a loving, sensitive Aunt Audrey. When he tells her he is gay, her response is simply "I know." His Uncle Steve is decent; his track coach is supportive (and you find out why). He also has a straight friend Robert whom he helps with his English assignments and another friend from the track team, Norm, who is struggling with his sexual orientation and plans to come out only when he is in college and away from his parents.
This novel is ultimately about honesty and the courage to be who you are as well as a sweet love story.
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