Freak Show

Freak Show by James St. James was a very interesting book about a boy who moves to Florida to live with his dad after his mom can no longer handle his unique behavior. This book is a lot more extreme than many other GLBT books, which is why I have included it into the group. The main character in Freak Show, Billy Bloom, is a drag queen from "a liberal" town who is sent to "reddest of the red states" (St. James, 10). Here he has to deal with no only being a drag queen, but also being the new kid in school and learning to fit in.

I found this book to be relatable in the sense of fitting into an environment that just doesn't seem possible. When anyone moves to a new school, they always feel like an outsider and it can be a very hard and uncomfortable situation. Billy's story I believe makes it easier for the reader to appreciate their situation.

Due to the massive amount of swearing and crude subjects in the book. I would actually not reccomend this book for a class room setting. At the most, I would include this book in a high school class room, but not a middle school class. Although in some ways innappropriate, this book did tackle some important issues; including being accepting of those who are different, what it means to be a drag queen, and what it means to be gay.

Because of the tackled issues, I do feel that this book qualifies as a book that should be read by those who want to understand better the lives that individuals in the GLBT. I don't however, suggest this book should be included in the classroom.