Destination Unknown
Bill Konigsberg
Amazon Summary:
From Stonewall Award winner Bill Konigsberg, a remarkable, funny, sexy, heartbreaking story of two teen boys finding each other in New York City at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
The first thing I noticed about C.J. Gorman was his plexiglass bra.
So begins Destination Unknown -- it's 1987 in New York City, and Micah is at a dance club, trying to pretend he's more out and outgoing than he really is. C.J. isn't just out -- he’s complete out there, and Micah can't help but be both attracted to and afraid of someone who travels so loudly and proudly through the night.
A connection occurs. Is it friendship? Romance? Is C.J. the one with all the answers... or does Micah bring more to the relationship that it first seems? As their lives become more and more entangled in the AIDS epidemic that’s laying waste to their community, and the AIDS activism that will ultimately bring a strong voice to their demands, whatever Micah and C.J. have between them will be tested, strained, pushed, and pulled -- but it will also be a lifeline in a time of death, a bond that will determine the course of their futures.
In Destination Unknown, Bill Konigsberg returns to a time he knew well as a teenager to tell a story of identity, connection, community, and survival.
My Review: 10/10
WOW! What an incredible book. Let me start by saying that this was one of the first romance novels I have read, and I was not disappointed. This book was truly like a chunk of the 80's in NYC.
The book was a beautiful love story, with characters you care about and only want the best for. But aside from the relationship aspect, it talked about serious topics that were going on in the world in the 80's, but also what is happening today. A big thing that kept coming up through this novel was sex. Safe sex, and unsafe sex. The main character Micah, is very concerned for CJ, his newfound ONLY gay friend, because he engages in such risky activities when it comes to being intimate with others. Micah always talks about how no matter what, it is smart to use a condom, and he talks about how the people around them are dying of AIDS.
This is relevant to the world today because there is still Monkeypox going around, and it is spreading rapidly, especially in the Gay community. It is from skin to skin contact, Monkeypox, STD's are still a big issue facing people today, and it all leads back to being safe while practicing sexual activities. Nothing has really changed since the 80's, there is still no cure for AIDS. There are preventatives, but nothing that cures the virus.
This was like a historical romance, but not too far back in history, and I think this is a book people should read if they want a love story, that isn't just sunshine and giggles, but real issues. I absolutely loved this book.
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