The God Box » (Reprint)

How could I choose betwen my sexuality and my spirituality, two of themost important parts that made me whole?

High school senior Paul has dated Angie since middle school, and they're good together. They have a lot of the same interests, like singing in their church choir and being active in Bible club. But when Manuel transfers to their school, Paul has to rethink his life. Manuel is the first openly gay teen anyone in their small town has ever met, and yet he says he's also a committed Christian. Talking to Manuel makes Paul reconsider thoughts he has kept hidden, and listening to Manuel's interpretation of Biblical passages on homosexuality causes Paul to reevaluate everything he believed. Manuel's outspokenness triggers dramatic consequences at school, culminating in a terrifying situation that leads Paul to take a stand.

Lambda Literary Award-winning author Alex Sanchez tackles a subject ripped from the headlines in this exciting and thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be both religious and gay.

VOYA

Gay-positive Sanchez, author of Rainbow High (Simon & Schuster, 2004/VOYA December 2003), offers a story here that will resonate with Christian youth who are aware of their own or a close friend's gay orientation. Paul (nT Pablo), a senior at a small-town, Texas high school, has been dating his best friend, Angie, for years. When a new-and openly gay-student appears on the scene, Paul struggles with his attraction to Manuel, his inability to feel the same sort of attraction for Angie, and above all, the fundamentalist Christian equation of homosexuality with evil that he has internalized. Sanchez addresses theological interpretations head on but through credible use of teen dialogue and ponderings. Manuel is no less Christian in his convictions than is Paul and encourages his new friend to think beyond the anti-gay Biblical interpretation that Paul's pastor preaches. Angie is as saintly as her name suggests, but there are bullies in the story as well. Manuel's beating at the hands of some football players is stereotypical only because such scenes have been staple in so many young adult novels, but it rings true in terms of the context of this particular story and its setting. In the end, the protagonist not only owns his sexual orientation but can admit to his Mexican heritage and given name, Pablo, as well. Identity-sexual, ethnic, and religious-are each compelling to teens, and this novel treats all three openly and honestly.