Wide Awake

Horrible. I don't know how else to describe this futuristic book in which a Jewish gay man contests a Presidential election and many people rally to his side. Contemporary bipartisan politics in the US is dysfunctional so I'm not sure why the author took this route. Even as an allegory this book fails. It's meant for teens but I think fictionalizing history in this way won't...more

Horrible. I don't know how else to describe this futuristic book in which a Jewish gay man contests a Presidential election and many people rally to his side. Contemporary bipartisan politics in the US is dysfunctional so I'm not sure why the author took this route. Even as an allegory this book fails. It's meant for teens but I think fictionalizing history in this way won't appeal to them and it's condescending to do so. Everyone is well aware of the US election of 2000 and how it was stolen. What this ends up being is an extremely fucked up fantasy by a white elitist. Oddly enough the book also takes place in the future but the main character muses about maybe one day there being a black president. The whole thing is rather silly and the characters are absolutely boring and clichéd versions of teenagers. To top it all off there is a band in the book which sings lyrics that are sung like modern text messages. It's absolutely painful   hide