I re-read this book as a reference for an upcoming episode of my podcast, Let's Unpack That. The episode is centered around media that had an impact on the coming out experiences of my cohost and myself, and this book was a big one for me as one of the few YA books that I could find in my public library with gay characters.

I was really nervous to approach this one since I was told that there was some troubling femmephobia present in Sanchez's Rainbow Boys trilogy, which was another really important book for my coming out experience. I am happy to be able to say that this book held up incredibly well. I was really impressed to see a YA book from 2007 confront topics like the validation of bisexuality and sentencing reform, and it's a reminder that sometimes Young Adult authors are on the vanguard of sociopolitical discussions.

One aside, I've been reading throwback books and books set in the 80s and 90s lately, and what was with us all drinking milk like it was a normal beverage to have with any meal? Those posters, the food pyramid, and the milk lobby got us good as a culture.