Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Fade to Black

by Alex Flinn (Goodreads Author)

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 609 ratings · 91 reviews

Three perspectives -- one truth
The victim: After his windshield was shattered with a baseball bat, HIV-positive Alex Crusan ducked under the steering wheel. But he knows what he saw. Now he must decide what he wants to tell.

The witness: Daria Bickell never lies. So if she told the police she saw Clinton Cole do it, she must have. But did she really?

The suspect: Clinton w...more

Paperback, 184 pages

Published May 2nd 2006 by HarperTeen (first published April 1st 2005)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

YA Novels of 2005

76th out of 154 books — 52 voters

A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Non-Murder Mysteries

41st out of 65 books — 21 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,540)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 17, 2013 SARIT rated it 5 of 5 stars

Imagine that using magic has it price. Imagine that this price is very very costly, so the user has to get hear every time he use it. Imagine that the alternative is the cruelest thing in the world. The world Knight created is dark, eerie, and fascinating.
Francis Knight use qualities of the "film noir" - The world is dark, eerie, and fascinating. Layers on layers of the city close on itself from the outside, has some steampmank quality (like blade runner)but more the very very urban dark magic f...more

like · see review

Dec 13, 2012 Brad Howitt rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 10 and up

Clinton Cole gets in trouble for breaking Alex Crusan’s windshield on his car. Clinton chucked a big rock at his car while the Crusans were at church. This is the first time someone has done something like this to Alex other than people throwing bottles and garbage in his yard. Alex is HIV positive. Clinton doesn't want to sit by Alex because he thinks that Alex is gross for having AIDS.
Daria, a witness of the incident has Down Syndrome. She never lies so will she tell the truth?
Clinton has to...more Clinton Cole gets in trouble for breaking Alex Crusan’s windshield on his car. Clinton chucked a big rock at his car while the Crusans were at church. This is the first time someone has done something like this to Alex other than people throwing bottles and garbage in his yard. Alex is HIV positive. Clinton doesn't want to sit by Alex because he thinks that Alex is gross for having AIDS.
Daria, a witness of the incident has Down Syndrome. She never lies so will she tell the truth?
Clinton has to go to Mr. Runnel's office and has to talk to the police. One of the police officers named Officer Reed happens to be Clinton’s dad’s friend that he used to play poker with. Clinton is lying, but will he get away with it?
Alex started blaming himself for having AIDS saying to his mom, "Sorry for being sick. Sorry for living." Alex owns a red Honda CR-V with a sunroof and calls it his "baby". Alex’s dad is always complaining about what it costs to insure a seventeen year old driver. Alex can’t get an after-school job and who knows why. When Alex is driving it is the only time where he feels about half normal. Alex likes to drive to Dunkin’ Donuts on Monday mornings before school. He says that it is the only thing unhealthy that he eats all week long.
Clinton is very believable. His dad is on his side because he has never done anything like this before. His dad told him to be respectful, stay calm and not to act guilty because that’s how his dad got out of a speeding ticket. So he hopes that he can get out of it. Alex, however, is a nice kid. He buys vanilla bean coffee and a dozen donuts for his mom and dad. Alex has a very positive mind. He says, "One thing about having a limited life expectancy, it makes you more willing to take risks."
This book was a pretty good read. It was pretty easy and surprising. I liked how they switched from each characters point of view. I also liked the word choices. It was pretty basic words not complex vocabulary words. I also like this book because it is pretty straightforward. Another thing that I liked about the book is that at the top of a new chapter page, it would tell you the time of the chapter, the day, and it would tell you where it takes place. One thing that I didn't like about this book is that it switches to a different language for one sentence here and there but otherwise the rest of the wording is in English. If I were to rate this book, I would rate it 5 being the best. I didn't lose any interest in this book at any time.
This book is meant for people age 10 and up who like easy reads. I hope that you enjoy reading this book.
(less)

like · see review

Mar 15, 2012 Alina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fade to Black
By Alex Finn
Reviewed by Alina Oswald

AIDS anxiety and stigma, prejudice, homophobia, harassment and hate crime, guilt and shame, pretense always clutter the truth. Unfortunately, they are all pieces of our reality and we find them in Alex Finn's Young Adult novel, Fade to Black where, the author-a former attorney-invites us to a small town trial where AIDS fills the courtroom.
The victim-Alejandro Crusan, or Alex-is a Florida junior high-school student attacked and hit with a baseball...more Fade to Black
By Alex Finn
Reviewed by Alina Oswald

AIDS anxiety and stigma, prejudice, homophobia, harassment and hate crime, guilt and shame, pretense always clutter the truth. Unfortunately, they are all pieces of our reality and we find them in Alex Finn's Young Adult novel, Fade to Black where, the author-a former attorney-invites us to a small town trial where AIDS fills the courtroom.
The victim-Alejandro Crusan, or Alex-is a Florida junior high-school student attacked and hit with a baseball bat while waiting in his car at a traffic light. The reason? ...His HIV-positive status and the belief that he is gay.
The accused-Clinton Cole-sometimes shares the same classroom with Alex. Clinton's existence is a cluster of homophobia, AIDS anxiety, and prejudice.
The witness-Daria-is a Down syndrome girl ignored and bullied by most students.
We find parallels between the three main characters that link them to issues surrounding AIDS: each one of them deals, one way or another, with disabilities-physical or mental; each one of them has a secret that threatens to come out as the story progresses and, consequently, make them unfit for the small town society in which they live. For that not to happen, they have to pretend that they are worth being part of their society.
The verdict-guilty or not guilty-surfaces through alternating testimonies and stories of the three main characters; but for the truth to come out the characters may have to divulge their secrets, because each one has a well-protected secret he or she is afraid to share with the world.
But are the characters of Fade to Black ready for the truth? Maybe the more important question is: are we, the readers, ready to hear the truth and witness life-long hidden secrets we can rely on? The answer waits for us between the pages of Fade to Black. As for the verdict... it goes beyond the covers of this courageous and remarkable book.

This review was originally published in A&U Magazine--America's AIDS Magazine.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 24, 2011 kari rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, ya

Short little book so short little review. Perhaps this one has something for everyone or not.
Basic plot: Hispanic boy who is HIV positive is injured when a letter-jacket wearing assailant takes a baseball bat to his car (and probably would have done the same to him had he not driven away) which is witnesses by a girl with Down syndrome and blamed on a white football player boy who's been harassing the Hispanic boy about having HIV. Got all that?
The story is told from the various viewpoints, Ale...more

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 09, 2011 Caroline rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, aids-hiv, young-adult, contemporary

There are not a lot of Young Adult novel with the theme of HIV/AIDS. The new releases on the subject are just a handful each year, but each book published is a new adventure. From the few I have read and the others I have browsed, none are the same, and they all offer something different. Alex Flinn's Fade To Black is no exception and draws a bigger picture around people deemed "different".

The story is told through three different perspectives. From the point of view of the victim, Alex Crusan...more There are not a lot of Young Adult novel with the theme of HIV/AIDS. The new releases on the subject are just a handful each year, but each book published is a new adventure. From the few I have read and the others I have browsed, none are the same, and they all offer something different. Alex Flinn's Fade To Black is no exception and draws a bigger picture around people deemed "different".

The story is told through three different perspectives. From the point of view of the victim, Alex Crusan first, an HIV-positive teenager whose car has been shattered by a baseball bat while he was in the car. From the point of view of the witness, Daria a teenage girl with Down Syndrome who goes to the same school as Alex. And finally, from the point of view of Clinton, the guy who doesn't hide he has a problem with Alex at school, the guy who was seen next to the crime location the morning it took place.

~~

Fade To Black is an absolutely unique and beautiful story. Told in three conflicting point of views, it shows how different "truth" can be. Alex Flinn got into the head of both Alex and Daria in a way that will stay with you. Not because you see how they are inside, but because you see, through their eyes, how they are seen by others. They are both "not like other kids" and are looked as such. Alex explains how other teenagers avert their eyes when they cross him in the school corridors because they don't want him to feel as if they are staring at him and they don't want him to think they are judging him. Alex sees this and thinks it's sometimes worse than someone directly in conflict with him, because at least they interact with him. Even though the other teenagers "don't judge him", they don't try to make friends with him either and Alex explains how lonely he feels all the time. It changes from the black and white conceptions of "people who are against people with AIDS are evil" or "HIV positive people should be quarantined". That's why he relates to Daria who has no friends at school either.

The passages in Clinton's head were the most interesting part to read and I thought the combination of the three perspectives was just so fascinating. When you look at Clinton from the outside, you think he is one of those intolerant self-righteous idiots who can't bear anyone else with a difference. On the inside, it is another story entirely. Other than reading about him being bullied and really loving and caring about his younger sister, you read about someone who acts in sync with his ideas. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying he is right when he wants to change seats in class because he is sitting next to Alex, on the contrary. But his attitude comes mainly from his ignorance of the virus. His fear of HIV is more important than his hate for Alex. I thought it was an interesting point of view to observe.

One of the major themes is bullying and more particularly how teenagers reject others who don't fit in the right mould. A minority might be violent or insulting, but the worse is the silent majority feigning not to notice, and not trying to include them. Daria and Alex both talk of how invisible they feel.
The other major theme is family. Without going in too much details, I think that Alex Flinn had the tremendous talent to really go inside the head of those teenagers and show how they interact with their parents. One of the most important aspect I keep noticing in YA literature is how parents fail to understand what is going on in their children's heads. The conflict between Alex and his overprotective mother was quite interesting to read from Alex's point of view, same goes for Daria and Clinton's relations with their respective mothers.

Alex is HIV positive, and as you may know (or not, though you can read my Sunday post (here) if you haven't), he carries the virus but it hasn't completely overtaken his immune system. The book was written in 2005, and it changes from the first wave of YA books written in the 1980s/90s at the early stages of the epidemics. I found it interesting how people's opinion of HIV-positive people differs depending on how the virus was contracted. If it was through a transfusion, it is a tragedy; if it was through drugs or sex it makes the person filthy and they (nearly) deserve their fate.

This story is absolutely beautiful and helps you get inside the head of someone who is HIV positive, as well as someone with Down Syndrome. Alex Flinn's writing is simply perfect. She really gets into the head of these three teenagers and brings us a fascinating story. In very simple words and powerful ideas, we get our own conceptions thrown back at us and we just realise how much more beautiful the world is with all its shades of grey.

I cannot recommend this book enough as it a fascinating YA novel for people wanting to know more about HIV, but also about major issues teenagers encounter such as bullying or the relationship they have with their families.(less)

like · see review

Feb 10, 2011 Jennifer Lavoie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-would-teach, classroom-library, novel-preview-team

I recommended this book to the novel preview team at my school for the high school, and it showed up for the middle school. I'm not sure how it will be taken for that level, but I loved the book. The story is told from three points of view and the narrators were fantastic. Were any of them reliable? Yes and no. It depends on what point of view you decide to look at the story from.

One of the male narrators, Alex, is a teen who is HIV positive. He tells people he contracted the disease from a blo...more

like · see review

Dec 16, 2009 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-for-boys, fiction, read-in-2009, young-adult, teaching-tolerance

I loved this. I think Alex Flinn is an amazing writer. I've read four of her books now and each one is so unique and so well written. What I loved about this story was the suspense and that there really was a lot of character development that made this hard to put down.

Alex is the character you like and feel bad for. He's got HIV and the whole school knows, so they treat him like a total outcast. I had a hard time imagining that a school would really tell its entire student body that a kid is H...more

like · see review

Sep 04, 2009 William Herschel rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: short books, perspective of Down's Syndrome or HIV

Shelves: child-perspective

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Dec 17, 2011 Bg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Flinn has done it again. Not only is she one of my favorite authors, she also does a really good job at staying interesting and making you feel satisfied and new by the end of the book. Admittedly, I didn't want to read this book because of the heavy HIV element in the story. I don't like reading about topics to serious, but I took a bullet like a man!

HIV positive character Alex has not only been dealing with bigots at school about his illness, but he also has to deal with it at home. But the re...more

like · see review

Oct 10, 2012 Hasan Aladwan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alejandro (Alex) Crusan and parents move to Pinedale, Florida because of his dad's job transfer. They had no choice as continuous medical insurance coverage was a critical consideration. A new company wouldn't pay their med bills, because of the pre-existing conditions clause. Alex attends Pinedale High in his junior year. Alex is HIV-positive, doing okay, but the disease can progress at any time.
All at Pinedale know of Alex's condition, because school administrators announced it at a student a...more Alejandro (Alex) Crusan and parents move to Pinedale, Florida because of his dad's job transfer. They had no choice as continuous medical insurance coverage was a critical consideration. A new company wouldn't pay their med bills, because of the pre-existing conditions clause. Alex attends Pinedale High in his junior year. Alex is HIV-positive, doing okay, but the disease can progress at any time.
All at Pinedale know of Alex's condition, because school administrators announced it at a student assembly. In itself this was illegal, but officials got around it by informing the student body about topics like blood-handling techniques. Early Monday mornings, Alex drives to the Dunkin' Donuts shop, bringing home pastries and coffee. During one such jaunt, he spots someone carrying a baseball bat, and sporting a jacket bearing the school's insignia. The perpetrator attacks Alex's car, smashing the windshield and surrounding windows. Alex is taken to Memorial Hospital for severe cuts and bruises. Under the Florida Hate Crimes statutes, the assault becomes a criminal case.
Clinton Cole shares a few classes with Alex, occupying the desk next to him since students are seated in alphabetical order. Clint's dad is an alcoholic, who lost his job and moved away, and Clint lives with his mom. His younger sister Melody is best friends with her classmate Carolina Crusan - they often spend an overnight at each other's home. Clint is not happy about this because of the HIV factor. Clint, who grew up with his father's bias and racial prejudice, bullies Alex and leaves notes in his locker,.
At Pinedale High, Clint sits in the principal's office awaiting the police. He vehemently denies the baseball assault on Alex. However, there is a witness ... Daria Bickell is a special ed (Down Syndrome) student at Pinedale. Other students avoid her, but Alex spends time talking with her. Some of Daria's thoughts are, 'Maybe I am a ghost people look through like water. Maybe I am invisible so they do not know I watch ... think words are invisible so I cannot hear retard, retard, retard.' But she knows what she saw. Daria stands on the street each Monday morning to watch as Alex drives by on his way to the donut shop. She witnessed the assault. But the police question her testimony.
As an attorney, Alex Flinn developed a strong interest in 'witness reliability and bias', prompting her to write this story. She uses narration segments (as from a stage play), back and forth between victim, perpetrator, and witness. Flinn presents readers with an important subject. However, I missed an involvement of parents, officials, and medical staff, and felt a void in the lack of any friends whatsoever for Alex before the assault and during his hospitalization. Though I believe these would have strengthened the story, I recommend Fade to Black to teens and adults!
I enjoyed and loved reading this book. To me, its a perfect kind of book for an average teenager to read. it shows what teens go through day to day in high school. I felt bad for Alex esspecialy because he had HIV. Everyone in the school knew about his medical issue and never heard the end of it. it made me want to jump in the book and have Alex's back. kids can be very cruel these days. In conclusion, Alex got through it. i truely do recomend this book to any teen or adult. write a review and let me know what you think! (less)

like · see review

Sep 07, 2011 Cocoa Cabana rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who like books that make them think.

Recommended to Cocoa by: No-one. I just found it in the library.

Shelves: books-that-make-you-think

I chose this book at random and as one of the protagonists had HIV I wasn't sure what type of read it would be or even whether I would enjoy it at all. Wow. I started the book last night and finished it the next day. It was incredible. I didn't want to go to sleep I wanted to read it so badly and it was the first thing I thought of when I woke up. The characters are so well thought out and the situations. I could see every persons point of view. It was so deep.
The plot features around Alex, His...more

like · see review

Oct 23, 2011 Zack Venesile rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fade to Black

Author: Alex Flinn Date Published: 2005 Genre: Realistic Fiction

This story is about a boy named Alex Crusan who has HIV-positive. In the city he lives, people are very judgmental about his disease and think he’s gay and contaminated. The bully that always harasses him is Clinton Cole. He always sends him threats and he even threw a rock at Alex’s house. He bullies Alex because he doesn’t want his sister, who is best friends with Alex’s sister, to get sick. Then one day while Alex is...more Fade to Black

Author: Alex Flinn Date Published: 2005 Genre: Realistic Fiction

This story is about a boy named Alex Crusan who has HIV-positive. In the city he lives, people are very judgmental about his disease and think he’s gay and contaminated. The bully that always harasses him is Clinton Cole. He always sends him threats and he even threw a rock at Alex’s house. He bullies Alex because he doesn’t want his sister, who is best friends with Alex’s sister, to get sick. Then one day while Alex is driving to his favorite donut shop, someone attack’s his car and hurts him. A mentally challenged girl, named Daria, saw the attack and blamed Clinton Cole. Clinton said he would never do such a thing. Alex saw the attacker and knows who he looks like, but he just might say it was Clinton because of things that happened in the past.

The theme of this book is that people show their true colors during tragic events. This is the theme of the book because during the story it shows how no one was Clinton’s friend when they heard he was the one who hurt Alex. It also is shown when Alex and Clinton have their talk and very personal stuff comes out and they actually find a bond. One example: “I know that now I’ve talked to the guy face to face, man to man, I couldn’t go shoving secret notes in his locker anymore anyway. It’s hard to explain, but once you look someone in the eye like that—I mean really look at them—it’s like you can’t not look at them again. You can’t not see them. It was a stupid thing throwing that rock!” Another example is “I sit. The desk by mine—Crusan’s desk—is empty. Everyone who comes in looks at his desk, then at me.” and, “Fourth period, Alyssa Black, who should have been my homecoming date by now, passes me a note I unfold it like a starving cat on an anchovy pizza. I can practically feel what it would be like, having her fingers touching me. It read: Sorry I didn’t say hi mom says I can’t talk to u CU around.”

Alex Flinn, in this story, uses suspense, foreshadowing, and a good point of view to keep the readers’ interest. He uses suspense because in the story you never know who does the crime until the end, and even though the reader knew that Clinton didn’t do it, you don’t know if Alex might say he did. He uses foreshadowing by showing the reasons why people would think Clinton might commit a crime like that, and why Alex would blame it on him. The third-person omniscient point of view really fits this story because it helps understand what every person is thinking and feeling about a situation and event. Audiences that would like this book are people who enjoy suspense, realistic fiction, teenage problems, and solving mysteries. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It was like a book called Tell-tale Heart, because in that story to the very dramatic experience is stated in the beginning of the book, but the author keeps the readers’ interest by using suspense and detail.

This is a quote from the book. “He still hasn’t answered, so I repeat. ‘I can’t get you sick, man. God, you think I’d want to go to school here if I could get people sick? You think I’d even be around my family?’ I want him to….see me, Alex. Just Alex. I want someone to see me, even if it’s Clinton. ‘I just want to be—a regular person until I can’t be anymore. You need to believe me. Get it?’ He looks at me for a long time, like maybe the big behemoth is actually thinking. Finally he nods. ‘I get it.’” This quote is on page 143.

The theme of this book relates to me because recently, I was faced with an event involving me and my friends having to take responsibility for our actions and some of my “friends” just passed the buck. So I realized that your true friends are the ones who stand by your side in tough situations. This relates to the book because Clinton discovers that all of the people, who he thought were his friends, abandoned him when he was in need of support. This book has really taught me that the world can be very judgmental, but in the end the people who judge are the worst of them all. Also, it has taught me that true friends will always be by your side. I loved this book because it had such a bold meaning to it, and also because it was very suspenseful and I could never put it down when I got to a good part.

(less)

like · see review

Jul 15, 2012 mdprier rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book had me interested from the beginning. I wanted to know how Alex contracted HIV, why Cole was so hateful to Alex, and how Daria would play a role in a mainstream school. All of the characters were interesting, especially Daria's section written in an almost poetic style. There were some questions left unanswered such as what was Jennifer's reason at the end of the book to be with Alex, was Cole internalizing issues or just a hateful person to begin with, and what happened to Leigh. She d...more

like · see review

Dec 19, 2012 Elizabeth Voights rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 100-book-challenge

Fade To Black was an awesome book that made you step into the shoes of someone who was in a realist situation that could actually happen. I thought the plot and the character's traits were really thought provoking and the fact that the main character was HIV positive and latino really made the plot really interesting and explored the feelings of both the bully and the victim.

Personally I would recommend this book to anyone who likes "real" books that make you step into the shoes of a person who...more

like · see review

Aug 06, 2009 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: friendship, fiction, medical, young-adult, teen-topics

I like Alex Flinn's stories which are very popular with our students. This book was good, but it certainly wasn't as strong as some of his others.

I like that the book explores prejudices in many forms - mental and physical disabilities - and I like that it's short so that reluctant readers will not find the book intimidating.

But, the brevity of the novel is also part of its downfall because I feel as if the characters were a bit rushed.

I like the multiple voices (all in first person), and how e...more

like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-reads, detective-stories, teen-reads, books-read-in-2013

When a hate crime happens in a small Florida town, a windshield is smashed and an HIV positive student is hospitalized, the police have a witness but can they believe her? It certainly seems like the "boy in the varsity jacket" was Clinton Cole, a boy who had been giving the victim a hard time but given her Down's syndrome is Daria Bickell's word enough?

This is a short fast paced story told from three distinctly different points of view. Or at least the three POV's seem to be different. What bec...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 29, 2008 Zane rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book I read for the month of February was called Fade To Black, By Alex Flinn. It is a realistic fiction book that has a very interesting writing style.
The book is about a boy, Alex Crusan who is HIV positive. He is attacked by an unknown enemy. He saw something, but not enough for a positive identification. There is a suspicion that the attacker was Clinton Cole who was seen in the vicinity close to the time of attack. Also there was one other, a mentally challenged child named Daria Bicke...more

like · see review

May 23, 2012 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: hiv-aids, yal, bully

I love this novel! Alex Flinn gives, again, an honest portrayal of young adults and the issues they have to deal with in their lives. 3 different perspectives of the ambush of a student with HIV. Not only is the novel uniquely written, but we are given the inner feelings of the characters that it turns out is what people are actually thinking. The fear along with stigma pushes the story along in a way that teaches acceptance...even if it's only a teaspoon of open mindedness. A great book.

like · see review

Apr 13, 2012 Muccamukk rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

YA novel about bullying, HIV and accountability. PoV alternated between a victim of bullying, one of the bullies and a girl with Down's Syndrome. I felt like the author was trying really hard not to look like she was trying really hard, which mostly worked pretty well. I liked the characters' voices, which felt distinct and believable, though perhaps prone to over explanation. I liked that things didn't tie up neatly at the end, but still felt like a satisfying conclusion.

like · see review

Apr 12, 2013 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An HIV positive student, Alex, who along with his sister Carolina and parents recently moved to a new school due to a work transfer. This ticks off Clinton Cole, who has to sit next to Alex in a few classes. Clinton's little sister Melody makes friends with Carolina. Daria's special needs character is the main witness to a hate crime involving Alex. This was good YA fiction with appropriate detail level for the topic.

like · see review

Mar 18, 2013 Bryan Carrillo rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Fade To Black" is a very interesting book. People should read this book! This book is about action, drama and other stuff. A High School guy was killed in his truck, some witnesses didn't actually recognize who killed him because all they saw was a shadow but there was a girl that........ Do you want to know the what happens next? Well you should read the book!It is very interensting from the begenning until the end!

like · see review

Sep 09, 2012 Asenath added it

Shelves: ya-lit

So, obviously the main selling point of this book is that the main character is HIV positive. Thankfully, the author wasn't overly preachy/ condemnatory of either side. I liked the alternating POVs, but I thought the Down Syndrome girl's added nothing to the story.

There are a lot of discussion points/teaching opportunities in this book (tolerance, bullying etc) but this isn't a book I'd want to read multiple times.

like · see review

Dec 10, 2012 Lexie Truman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book because it talks about a different lifestyle then what I live. One of the main characters Alex has AIDS is in his room and the other main character Clinton, throws a rock at Alex's window and the police are trying to figure out who did it and Alex doesn't think Clinton did it. Clinton also convinced his mom that he didn't do it when he really did. And the case goes on an on!!!

like · see review

Feb 28, 2012 Adrienne Bolton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Chapters alternate between Alex, Clinton, and Daria, fully examining the complicated dynamics of the situation with penetrating insights into the main characters . Alex and Clinton's relationships with their families are convincingly portrayed, leading readers to an understanding of the many ways people react to HIV. It also sensitively written and should enthrall its target audience.

like · see review

Apr 20, 2010 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic

Three points of view: Alex, an HIV-positive boy who is attacked by an unknown assailant while he's in his car and is hospitalized; Clinton, a prejudiced bully who's previously tormented Alex; and Daria, a girl with Down syndrome who witnesses the attack. It's all about the point of view, because Daria says Clinton did it but Clinton says he didn't. Who is right? Very discussable book.

like · see review

Jan 14, 2009 Natasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

My 9th graders will love this book. Crisp writing and a simple, poignant plot. Even though there are multiple perspectives (a witness, the victim, and a suspect), my students will find it easy to follow the shifts. I like that it addresses the topic of what it means to be HIV positive in a realm other than the world of homosexuality where my students expect it.

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 27, 2012 Andy rated it 1 of 5 stars

I didn't like this book at all, for the sole reason that it was to depressing. Yes, some bits of depressing in book are okay, but this book just was way to depressing, it was completely depressing. If you like depressing, then go right ahead and read it, but if you don't, then I would suggest leaving it on the shelf.

like · see review

Dec 26, 2007 Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: novelist-reviews

Perhaps no author since Robert Cormier, or Michael Cadnum in his early works, has dealt head on like Flinn with the violence in the lives of teens. Three teens tell the story of a violent hate crime: Clinton, Daria, and Alex. The victim, Alex is the new kid in school, but outcast due to his HIV status. The suspect, Clinton, has earned his homophobic stripes with past deeds and words, but Flinn develops him as a real person, not a stereotype, so the case isn't as clear cut as it seems. But it is...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 18, 2010 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1st-quarter

This book was very interesting. I read it because of the book cover. It is about a kid in a highschool letter jacket bashing up codys car. The reason is because he has aids or HIV. The kid who did it wanted to scare him out of there city. To find out more read the book its like a mystery.

like · see review

Sep 18, 2010 Lois Szymanski rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book takes an honest look at three high school students whose lives collide. One is is an outcast, an HIV positive boy. Another is a bully whose heart is bigger than he reveals and the third is a mentally handicapped girl, the soul witness to one of two crimes involving the boys.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 51 52 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (5)

More editions...

Genres

Young Adult

29 users

Realistic Fiction

13 users

Mystery

7 users

Young Adult > Teen

7 users

Academic > School

4 users

Medical

3 users

Contemporary

3 users

Thriller

3 users

Mystery > Crime

3 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Quad
by C.G. Watson
Under the Wolf, Under the Dog
by Adam Rapp
Dirty Laundry
by Daniel Ehrenhaft
Alt Ed
by Catherine Atkins
Dark Angel
by David Klass

About Alex Flinn

I was born in a log cabin in the Big Woods of . . . okay, maybe not. I was born on Long Island, New York. When I was five years old, my mom said that I should be an author. I guess I must have nodded or something because, from that point on, every poem I ever wrote in school was submitted to Highlights or Cricket magazine. I was collecting rejection slips at age seven!

I learned to read early. But...more I was born in a log cabin in the Big Woods of . . . okay, maybe not. I was born on Long Island, New York. When I was five years old, my mom said that I should be an author. I guess I must have nodded or something because, from that point on, every poem I ever wrote in school was submitted to Highlights or Cricket magazine. I was collecting rejection slips at age seven!

I learned to read early. But I compensated for this early proficiency by absolutely refusing to read the programmed readers required by the school system -- workbooks where you read the story, then answered the questions. When the other kids were on Book 20, I was on Book 1! My teacher, Mrs. Zeiser, told my mother, "Alexandra marches to her own drummer." I don't think that was supposed to be a good thing. Now, when my daughter, Katie, brings home FCAT prep materials where you are supposed to read a passage and answer questions, I want to ask the teacher, "Does she really need to do this? She can read!!!"

My family moved to Miami when I was in middle school. I had a really hard time making friends, so I spent a lot of time reading and writing then. But unlike Christopher Paolini or Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, I never finished writing a novel. That was also when I learned to be a keen observer. By high school, I'd made some friends and gotten involved in various "gifted and talented" performing arts programs. I studied opera in college (I'm a coloratura -- the really loud, high-pitched sopranos.) and then went to law school.

It was law school that probably helped with my first novel. Breathing Underwater deals with the serious and all-too-common problem of dating violence. I based the book on my experiences interning with the State Attorney's Office and volunteering with battered women. I thought this was a really important topic, as 27 percent of teenage girls surveyed have been hit by a boyfriend. I'm happy that the book is so popular, and if you are reading this bio because the book was assigned for school, I'm happy about that too.

I started writing an early (and laughable) version of Breathing Underwater in college (I was really bored on a car trip with my parents). I didn't get back to it until I had my first daughter, Katie. I'm self-taught. I went to the library and took out books on writing. Then, I read a lot of young-adult novels by writers I admired, particularly Richard Peck. Reading his books is like listening to Mozart -- you learn the right way to write a novel. Then, you fill in your own style. I actually got to meet Richard Peck in person at a workshop of the Key West Literary Seminar. Lots of writers have been really helpful to me, especially Richard and fellow YA author, Joyce Sweeney.

I think I write for young-adults because I never quite got over being one. In my mind, I am still 13-years-old, running laps on the athletic field, wearing this really baggy white gymsuit. I'm continually amazed at the idea that I have a checking account and a mortgage. So I try to write books that gymsuit girl might enjoy. It's a way of going back to being 13...knowing what I know now.
Right now, I live half a mile away from my old middle school, in Palmetto Bay, a suburb of Miami, with my husband, Gene, and daughters, Katie and Meredith. (less)

More about Alex Flinn...

Books by Alex Flinn

Breathing Underwater (Breathing Underwater #1)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Fade to Black

1 trivia question
1 quiz

More quizzes & trivia...

title link	preview: Fade to Black
avg rating	preview: Fade to Black Goodreads rating: 3.78 (609 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/137555.Fade_to_Black?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348840643l/137555.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/137555.Fade_to_Black?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Fade to Black by Alex Flinn[/url]

Fade to Black

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website