Debbie Harry Sings in French

Jul 18, 2008 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Being a music lover, I was intrigued by this book when a friend of mine read it during a reading challenge. So, after tracking it down from the Monroe County Library system (thank goodness for MELCAT!), I picked it up and read it in a matter of hours.

Johnny is a very sweet character who had some hard emotional times. This book chronicles his journey of finding himself, while making new connections in his life. In some ways, it's a love story, but I found it to be more about Johnny finding himsel...more

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Mar 02, 2009 Gabe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, gender, queer, young-adult, borrowed

Meagan Brothers' Debbie Harry Sings In French very much a young adult novel. By that I mean every little thing that happens is extra dramatic. Death, mental breakdowns, addiction and recovery, fickle friends, cliques. Amazingly the author isn't trying to sensationalize all those things to make them seem dramatic. She's just honest about what it's like to be a kid.

Johnny has a fucked up life. His dad has died. His mom has shut down completely. Johnny has to take over taking care of himself, runni...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dating, family, identity, music, schools, young-adult, lgbt

I have two other books that I read before this one that I still need to write my reviews on, but I tore through this one today and couldn't wait to write about it.

While this isn't the most action packed book ever, Johnny's sincere, funny and poignant coming of age tale had me riveted. I read it every spare moment I had today, from getting on the subway to go to work, on my break, and in the first few minutes of the ride back home. While there are elements of "the problem novel" here that are fai...more

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Dec 05, 2008 Carmen rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: teens (as young as 15), parents, anyone interested in gender issues in American culture.

I saw this book on the new YA Fiction shelf and decided to check it out...such interesting topics being covered in today's youth fiction! I recall my mother becoming very concerned when she found me reading a book about a young lesbian couple...and looking back, the book was so mild and really stepped all around the core issue.

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The first 50 pages of this book very nearly made me stop reading. Their main objective seemed to be pure shock-value, pulling out every stereotype o...more

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Nov 20, 2008 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Debbie Harry Sings In French is an ambitious novel, the author's first novel in fact. Johnny is a young guy with a troubled past--after his father's death, he became a "goth" which had him drinking and (accidentally) dabbling in drugs, all of which freaked out his mother, which then led to him being sent to his uncle's to stay. (Uncle Sam & his son, Bug)

I thought the beginning--not the very beginning mind you--was awkward. Fifty pages spent just getting him to his uncle's house. Fifty pages...more Debbie Harry Sings In French is an ambitious novel, the author's first novel in fact. Johnny is a young guy with a troubled past--after his father's death, he became a "goth" which had him drinking and (accidentally) dabbling in drugs, all of which freaked out his mother, which then led to him being sent to his uncle's to stay. (Uncle Sam & his son, Bug)

I thought the beginning--not the very beginning mind you--was awkward. Fifty pages spent just getting him to his uncle's house. Fifty pages to get to the actual starting point for the novel.

His uncle lives in South Carolina. Johnny has some difficulty adjusting to his new school. Here he is bullied and teased. A lot. Everyone is calling him names, labeling him gay, (though that's not the word(s) they use. All the time he has people calling him a fag or faggot. And they call his girl, Maria, a fag hag. Maria is the one reason he can't regret moving here. He needs her. He wants her.

Johnny is unique in a way. He's a teen boy obsessed with Blondie, with Debbie Harry in particular. And when he lets it slip that he sometimes wishes he was Debbie Harry, then his girl is ALL about making that wish come true. Marie is a strange character. One that felt unreal to me. Perhaps there are girls out there--girlfriends out there--who are secretly dying to dress up their boyfriends. Get them in dresses. And bras. Get them in heels. Teach them how to walk in heels. Put makeup on them, etc. Encourage and plead with them to enter drag queen competitions. And maybe just maybe this is within the umbrella of authenticity. But it doesn't strike me as natural. I just couldn't understand Maria's angle.

I felt Johnny was a bit passive. This urge to dress in women's clothes doesn't seem to be coming from Johnny--at least not at first. (By the last few pages of the novel, this isn't the case.) It was Maria. It was Maria who saw a dress in the shop. Maria who bought it for him. Maria that told him to try it on. Maria who encouraged him to try women's shoes. To walk in heels. To do it all. And sure once Johnny's got the get up on--the costume on--then he seems to enjoy it. He enters the drag queen contest not because it gives him a thrill. Not because he's attracted to other guys. Not because he feels he is a woman. But because he wants to win the prize money. He wants to win the money to give it to her so she can go see her mom for Christmas. Sure, when asked if he enjoyed wearing these clothes, this costume, he said yes. He tells us that he likes the experience of wearing women's clothes. But almost all of what we're shown is that he's all about Maria. And all the occasions he's worn women's clothes (once in public, a few times to rehearse)...it was always a dressing up to become one woman in particular Debbie Harry. And the "fun" of it...I'm not sure if it comes down to the fact that it is an opportunity to wear women's clothing...OR if it comes from the thrill of stepping up on stage and being admired, getting attention, being someone--anyone--else.

When Johnny's pressed into conversations about what he is--and what he isn't, he always answers that he's not gay. He's attracted to women. He loves one woman, in particular, Maria. Everyone seems to want to label him as something--gay or queer, gay-but-in-denial, transvestite, etc. He's not easily offended by these questions--especially if they're asked politely and don't come right before a hate crime--but he is more of a saint than I would imagine most people are. But it isn't easy to label Johnny. Johnny's just Johnny. No labels needed or wanted. The book begs the question, why do people have to label anyone. Why can't people just be people, just be fellow human beings, just be unique unto themselves.

Other reviews: Abby the Librarian, Oops...Wrong Cookie, Reading Rants, Worth the Trip. From the Corner of Megan's Mind, The Story Siren, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews (less)

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Mar 29, 2013 Deborah Takahashi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-lbgtq-fiction

ohnny is not a stranger to heart break. At thirteen, his father was killed in a car accident and his mother drowned her sorrows in sleeping pills and Gin. In order to keep a roof over their heads, and food in their stomachs, Johnny had to become the "man" of the house and take over for his emotionally distraught mother. Now that he is sixteen, Johnny has one thing he never thought he would have: a drinking problem. In order to get away from his awful existence, Johnny drinks and drinks. The fond...more ohnny is not a stranger to heart break. At thirteen, his father was killed in a car accident and his mother drowned her sorrows in sleeping pills and Gin. In order to keep a roof over their heads, and food in their stomachs, Johnny had to become the "man" of the house and take over for his emotionally distraught mother. Now that he is sixteen, Johnny has one thing he never thought he would have: a drinking problem. In order to get away from his awful existence, Johnny drinks and drinks. The fond memories of his time with his "babysitter," Tessa, are what keep his somewhat sane and addicted to music. Other than that, Johnny does what he can to carve his place in the world, which is somewhere between the wall and the wallpaper to escape his former zombified mother. As much as he enjoys his solitude, Johnny does have one friend whom he can partake with named Terry. If Johnny is messed up, Terry is a train wreck. Although Johnny is struggling to find his place, his world changed when he woke up in the hospital after mistakenly taking pills that he thought were Aspirin. After being sent to rehab, Johnny's discovered the brilliance of Blondie and when he heard Debbie Harris sing in French was literally love at first sound. When he was released, nothing was the same and things got weirder when his mom shipped him off to his uncle's in South Carolina. Although he was expecting the worse, living with his uncle and cousin isn't that bad, especially when he meets Maria. For Johnny, life may actually get better, but when he decides he wants to be Debbie Harry, things between him and Maria, and his classmates, is going to leave on fabulous mess.

In this relatively short story, one teen loses everything only to gain so much more. After the death of his father, Johnny, and his mother, fell apart. When his mother finally got it together, Johnny was an alcoholic. Unfortunately, when we lose a loved one, some people aren't able to deal with the loss and they hide from everything and everyone. In Johnny's case, he had to become the adult to make sure that he and his mom had a roof over their head and food on the table. However, while his mother was sulking, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol. Obviously, it wasn't anyone's fault that this happened, but, in reality stuff like this does. The only way Johnny could cope was to self-medicate, which led him to a party that landed him in the ER, Fortunately, Johnny found a much safer alternative to deal with his problems by listening to Blondie. What's interesting about this particular story is that Johnny has been constantly looking for himself and it seems that he isn't satisfied with just Johnny. When he heard Debbie Harry sing in French he was just amazed, entranced, and mesmerized. Not only was she gorgeous, her voice made her special and different. Johnnie has always wanted to be and feel special so he used clothing, make-up, and radical hair styles to show everyone that he is someone different. Although most teens experiments with fads, especially fashion fads, they are trying to demonstrate their autonomy, but, at the same time, find that place where they feel comfortable in their own skin. For Johnny, he felt that if he somehow became Debbie Harry, he would feel wonderful and perfect. As the story unfolds, a lot of secrets will be revealed, which will not only settle the animosity between Johnny and his mother, but allow him the opportunity to stand up for himself and have the courage to believe in himself. (less)

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Nov 30, 2012 Corinne Vander Ploeg rated it 4 of 5 stars

A comment by the author’s mom at a Bible study prompted me to check out “Debbie Harry Sings in French” from the library. Maybe because of the familial connection or that I live in the small town Brothers grew up in, I didn’t expect the caliber of writing found in DHSIF.
DHSIF is written in a to-the-point, almost staccato, bluntness. Words are not wasted, yet the tone of the book remains fluid and cohesive. Johnny, the books main, is an offbeat teen recovering from a drinking problem developed af...more A comment by the author’s mom at a Bible study prompted me to check out “Debbie Harry Sings in French” from the library. Maybe because of the familial connection or that I live in the small town Brothers grew up in, I didn’t expect the caliber of writing found in DHSIF.
DHSIF is written in a to-the-point, almost staccato, bluntness. Words are not wasted, yet the tone of the book remains fluid and cohesive. Johnny, the books main, is an offbeat teen recovering from a drinking problem developed after the death of his father, and subsequent detachment of his mother. For lovers of YA fiction such as myself, there is often the frustration of characters who become pigeon holed caricatures. The shining point of DHSIF is Brother’s ability to create strong, distinctive characters who remain believable and true. Johnny’s entrance into the world of punk/goth rock after a babysitter’s influence? A college-aged babysitter created a vegetarian out of me. His struggle to adapt to a South Carolina town that lacks the “relaxed” feel of his native Florida? This girl knows what it feels like to roll into the South with nothing monogrammed to her name and parents who vote Democrat. Johnny’s fascination with Blondie and his appreciation for the drag world? I can’t find a commonality there, yet I never found myself rolling my eyes or thinking it was over the top as I turned the pages. I wasn’t offended by the writing of Johnny’s mom as a flat, run of the mill, Bible verse sending housewife, because she retained her humanity and once again, it wasn’t overdone.
When I placed the finished book on my nightstand, my deepest reflection? I could not remember a book that mirrored so little of my own held values, beliefs and conclusions that I enjoyed so much. It was not antagonistic. It did not preach. It did not mock. In the same ways the characters seem to embrace their obscurities with dignity and authenticity, I felt allowed to enjoy the book without shedding myself.
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Oct 27, 2010 Tweller83 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: edgy, realistic-teen-fiction, teen-angst

"In 1990s Tampa, a week after Johnny's 13th birthday, his father dies in a horrible auto accident, his mother shuts down, and the boy is left to cope for himself. While somehow managing to maintain his grades and pay the bills, he also takes up the goth lifestyle and begins drinking so heavily that by 16 he ends up in a hospital from an accidental overdose. After a stint in rehab where he first hears and falls in love with singer Debbie Harry, Johnny is shipped off to live with his paternal uncl...more

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Jun 30, 2009 Bunker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Navigating his new life after the death of his father and coping with the ensuing alcoholism of his mother, Johnny attempts to keep his household a home. After losing their house and living in poverty, his mother finally sobers up and finds Jesus, allowing Johnny to experience adolescence without the responsibilities of adulthood. However, he finds solace with the same alcoholic demon with which his mother battled, and he lands in rehab after an incident with E. In rehab, a fellow patient introd...more

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May 23, 2009 Suzie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a very interesting, but quick read. I am sort of split on my feelings over this one. It deals with gender identity and sexuality. I am usually all for this typed of teen subject matter because it brings up issues that some teens deal with when they don't have someone to talk to. After just reading "Looking for Alaska" and "Winter Girls" it was a welcome change of pace for me because although it had some serious topics it also was suprisingly upbeat. It was a little humorous, and you fin...more

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Aug 28, 2009 E. Anderson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Johnny's life hasn't been easy. After his dad died, his mom lost it and turned into a zombie, leaving Johnny to take care of the house, the bills, the family, and himself. He starts drinking to help him get through the days and sleep at night. Johnny's only sort of friend, his older babysitter, Tessa, has stopped coming around since he's older and his mom can't pay her, anyway. But what Tessa left with him was a love for cool music like Depeche Mode and the Cure. At school he makes friends with...more

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Nov 10, 2009 Sharon Z. rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Megan Brothers Debbie Harry Sings in French was a very average book in my opinion. The book had its up and downs. Johnny goes through many dramatic things in his life. His father is killed, he drops out of school, he has to care for his mother and he is an alcoholic. This book is a fiction romance and somewhat a mystery novel.

Throughout the book Johnny has trouble figuring out who he really is. “I wondered if this was how my mom felt, looking at me fresh age sixteen and not recognizing me from...more

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Feb 26, 2009 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2009

I loved this book! I read it as a recommendation from a list of the top books for young adults in 2009 and I expected it to be another story about how a gay highschooler comes to terms with his sexuality. And don't get me wrong, it kind of is about a high school student coming to terms with his sexuality but it's shed in a completely different light.

There are actually social commentaries throughout this book about drinking and drugs and even peer pressure in the homosexual community. The lead ch...more

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Jan 27, 2009 Nicole rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA Queer Theory book lists

Shelves: ya, lgbt-etc

Unabashedly, inexcusably plot driven. Minimal character development and nothing subtle about it.

But (and this is important- this is the reason it got 2 stars) this book is TRYING to normalize sexual difference and I am all for that. Johnny's an artistically-inclined boy who is wrongly labeled as a "fag". He just happens to be straight and he likes to dress as a woman, though not in public. Lucky for him, he has an understanding girlfriend who buys him his first dress. The book doesn't pick Johnn...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, glbt-fiction

Johnny has been drinking for a long time now. Ever since his father died in a car accident. Since then his mother has shut down leaving Johnny to run the household by himself. He hangs out with his goth friends and they drink and he drinks and everyone is happy. That is until Johnny nearly dies of an overdose and wakes up in the hospital. His mother decides she can't deal with him sends him to rehab first—where he falls in love with Debbie Harry—then ships him off to live with his uncle. Some bu...more Johnny has been drinking for a long time now. Ever since his father died in a car accident. Since then his mother has shut down leaving Johnny to run the household by himself. He hangs out with his goth friends and they drink and he drinks and everyone is happy. That is until Johnny nearly dies of an overdose and wakes up in the hospital. His mother decides she can't deal with him sends him to rehab first—where he falls in love with Debbie Harry—then ships him off to live with his uncle. Some bullies at his new school think that he's gay, however, and take to beating the crap out of him whenever it strikes their fancy. Luckily his Uncle is very supportive and Johnny's girlfriends Maria is always on his side too. Slowly Johnny discovers that it's more than just the singer he's obsessed with, it's the everything she represents. Johnny wants to be beautiful and strong and amazing, and Maria, for one is determined to let him discover who he really wants to be.

This was a well-written and fascinating novel that explores a boy who is just constantly trying to figure out what's inside of him. He's knows he is different, but he can't quite figure out what exactly makes him different. I had been meaning to read this book since I saw it on the 2009 Rainbow List. I finally just sat down and said alright, you got to catch up. I'm glad I did. I think some teens might find the subject matter a little disconcerting. Some kids just aren't comfortable reading about someone so real and similar to them being a transvestite. Regardless, I think this is a wonderful book that helps explore a topic that most kids don't have a lot of information about. Most kids easily past judgement on someone like Johnny (much like the bullies in the book). It's hard to look at someone who is different, when we do not understand what exactly is different about them, or what that difference really means. In the perfect world everyone could just except that everyone is different from everyone else and just get on with living their own lives instead of bothering other people. I'm glad Meagan Brothers wrote this book. Teen need to know that there are people out there like this and they are not alone if they are going through something similar.

I appreciated that each of the chapter titles were Blondie songs, it was a great touch. Also I loved that Maria was Johnny's girlfriend, I mean "Maria you've gotta see her go insane and out of your mind...". It was just so great. I absolutely adored Bug, Johnny's cousin, she was just very cute and funny. Bug was obsessed with space, astronauts, rockets all of that. I also like it when characters interact with their younger relatives, I think you can tell a lot about a person based on how they are with kids. It was fantastic that Johnny had a really good support system. He had a counselor, his uncle and his girlfriend, who were all telling him that he was okay. This is just a really fantastic book and if you read GLBTQ lit make sure you pick this one up.

First Line:
"Tessa was cool because she bought records."

Favorite Lines:
"That light was like the fucking sun."

"Without walking it seemed, we were in her bed, our fingers nipping at each other's buttons and zippers."(less)

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Jan 26, 2010 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: swon-challenge-2010

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

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Jun 04, 2010 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-fiction

While growing up in Tampa in the early 1990s, Johnny's life is seemingly derailed by a series of tragic events: His father dies suddenly and accidentally; his mother suffers from a nervous breakdown and refuses to function as a parent; and Johnny turns to alcohol to dull the pain of losing both parents. Forced into rehab and later sent to South Carolina to live with his uncle, Johnny discovers Debbie Harry along the way and falls in love with the singer. Although heterosexual, Johnny begins to d...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Sylvied rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: y-a, feminist-novels-bitch-magazine

I found this book on Bitch Magazine's list of 100 Feminist books for the Young Adult Reader, so I decided to check it out.

I found it to be a fascinating examination of gender, sexuality and the role that clothing plays in all of it.

I found Johnny to be a sympathetic lead character and I ached for him as his mother refused to acknowledge her own role in his struggle with addiction which, while it definitely gets the story rolling, isn't really central to the plot.

This book centres around Johnny w...more

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Feb 03, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 571, realistic, sexuality, young-adult, post-2000

Johnny has had a bit of a rough life. One day, he's introduced to the music of Blondie and their lead singer, Debbie Harry. And, though he can't explain it, he kinda wants to be just like her. But he doesn't think he's gay. So what does this mean? And what should he tell his brand new girlfriend?

I'm an ally so I have a huge soft spot for YA literature dealing with sexuality. I think it's incredibly important to provide these kinds of books for teens. This one was particularly enjoyable. It was w...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book hit very close to home for me. It explores the reasons and catalysts behind drug and alcohol use disorders without condemning or othering the people involved. One thing I found unrealistic was the main character's total abstinence from alcohol after only one stint in rehab; only one try at quitting. However, I understand the need for simplification in YA books, as well as the limits of how long a book can be. It's just important for young readers to keep in mind that it's often not tha...more

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Aug 21, 2010 Edward Lui rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 10th-grade-advisory

This book is about a teenager named Johnny who lives with his single mother since, their father died earlier in his life. He picks up the duties of his parents so he doesn't get put into foster care. While this is all happening Johnny starts to drink as well, which makes his mother upset. Johnny ends up getting sent to a rehab center and then sent to his uncle's house after. Instead of drinking, he picked up listening to Blondie, a band with the famous singer Debbie Harry. His new life isn't goi...more

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Aug 20, 2011 ɴᴀᴛᴀʟɪᴇ ᴀᴅᴏʀᴇs ʏᴏᴜ ♥ rated it 3 of 5 stars

I passed this book about 100 times in the library. It was sitting on a shelf just sitting there near all my favorite authors and I would always grab it because it looked interesting but never get it out. Why? Because I have an obsession with library books and picking out billions and billions to get out a time. I always find this book after I've picked out those billions and billions. But then I decided 'what the hell, I'll grab it!' So I did.

It's an average story. Not amazing where I need to r...more

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Jun 29, 2010 Eileen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

While I liked this book on the whole, and am pretty happy with the story, I think the whole thing was paced slightly too fast. From family trauma to drinking to rehab to moving to harassment to new girlfriend to exploring transvestism to...complete resolution? Just like that? At every step I was expecting slightly more depth, slightly more baggage, but as Johnny deals with everything in his life, he hovers toward "astoundingly well-adjusted and able to deal with complex personal issues". Of cour...more

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Nov 01, 2009 Shelley larson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Johnny loves Debbie Harry from Blondie. He doesn't just love her, he wants to be her. The only thing that people don't understand is that he's not gay. He likes girls, he has a girlfriend named Maria that he even has sex with, but people still think he's gay. He is constantly called homophobic names, but he doesn't let it get to him. Maria convinces Johnny to enter a drag queen contest as Debbie Harry. Johnny feels fantastic on stage while he's performing, and he wins over the crowd. This was a...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Jennifer W rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

I wanted to like this book more than I did. A young man dealing with grief turns to alcohol and accidentally overdoses. His mom can't cope with her own grief plus his developing problems, so she sends him away to an uncle's house. While there, he decides to shed his old persona and develop a new one, one in which he wears dresses. There's nothing about this that doesn't sound appealing to read about, and yet, there was something lacking. I can't put my finger on it. Perhaps it's me. Hopefully th...more

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Feb 17, 2012 Trevor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, ya-fiction, lgbtq-youth, 1000-b4-40, trans

There are a few reasons I liked this.
First: the characters. The main character and narrator in this book, Johnny, is not only realistic but complex and thoughtful. He wants to do what is right, but just got swayed by circumstance and poor decision making (on his part and the part of his mother). I also loved the character of Maria for various reasons.
Second: the plot. What happens to these characters is at all times sad, funny, and ridiculous. But I enjoyed it. Maria and Johnny make a good pair...more

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Apr 25, 2009 Jan rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love YA books. And this is an example of teaching and entertaining all in one book. It is the tale of a boy who loses his father in a car wreck, his mother checks out and he is left to take care. He starts drinking and ends up in rehab, his mom wakes up to life and to survive he moves to live with his uncle; an understanding guy.

Goth and in love with Debbie Harry of Blondie, he meets a girl, falls in love, dresses up like Debbie for a tranny contest, gets bullied, stays sober, loses his virgin...more

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Feb 25, 2009 Sumi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Johnny is one of my new favorite characters. He's got plenty of problems and the way he decides to deal with it involves a lot of alcohol. He does go into recovery and starts to sort himself out, but what really impresses me about him is the way that he refuses to be boxed in by labels. He does what he needs to do for himself and doesn't feel like he HAS to be one thing or another. Reading this book made me feel very happy. Obviously, there is some drug and alcohol use, as well as a wee bit of s...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Jaimee rated it 2 of 5 stars

The main problem is that it really doesn't come across that the author really understands the issues she is writing about.
It comes across as a poorly-researched out-of-touch story with extremely cliche characters.
Also, as someone else said, it seems the author is trying too hard to sound 'down with the kids'.
It's not terribly written, but I wouldn't recommend it as the characters come across as very one-dimensional, and the issues in the book just don't seem like the writer really understands...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Hester rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: rated-pg-13, read-in-2012, little-books, blerg

So you would think that a story about a teenaged boy who discovers that he likes to dress up as Debbie Harry and possibly may be a transvestite would be a complex and character driven story? Well, you're wrong, all kinds of wrong! And so many things are wrong with this book, from pacing to the now adult narrator's lack of insight of his adolescent years.

Johnny's story takes place in the mid to late 90's during his tween/teenaged years. His father works all of the time and when he's home he's jus...more So you would think that a story about a teenaged boy who discovers that he likes to dress up as Debbie Harry and possibly may be a transvestite would be a complex and character driven story? Well, you're wrong, all kinds of wrong! And so many things are wrong with this book, from pacing to the now adult narrator's lack of insight of his adolescent years.

Johnny's story takes place in the mid to late 90's during his tween/teenaged years. His father works all of the time and when he's home he's just there. The just sits there and stares kind of just there. When Johnny is 13 his father dies in a fiery car accident, thus sending his mother into a near catatonic state for 3 years. During this time Johnny has to do it all, pay the bills clean house and find ways to save money, which they are now very low on since his mother lost her job. He escapes by wearing black clothes and goth makeup, listening to 80's goth music and drinking.

After a near death experience Johnny gets sent to rehab then shipped off to live with an uncle he hardly knows and a cousin he only ever met once. He now attends some redneck prep school where unlike his last school he gets picked on and is called fag or faggot a lot. Really Brothers? We're supposed to believe that even though Johnny was a social outcast with only one friend in his hometown that no one in the entire school ever picked on him? Yeah, and I fart out sparkly magic fairy dust.

In about the time it takes a tornado to rip apart a small town, Johnny meets a girl named Maria. They become an odd item, Maria even encourages Johnny to dress up in drag as Debbie Harry and cajoles him into lip synching for his life at a drag competition. You see Maria is so accepting and cool because she lived in NYC for a short while with her druggie of a mom. Even though Johnny never preformed in drag before he's a hit, and he looks sooo good in drag that the owner of the bar hits on him and pulls him out onto the floor to dance. When Maria sees this she runs out and Johnny chases after her. Maria again questions Johnny's straightness. They make up go back inside to see if he won or not, he doesn't but he gets a consolation prize from the owner of a $75 gift certificate to a "leather" shop. Ugh, and it gets worse, while on his way up to collect the prize his guidance counselor comes up to him in full drag and congratulates him, then its back home for the two confused love struck teens to fuck.

What makes this a terrible book is the fact that Johnny tells both his guidance counselor and mother that he doesn't THINK he's gay but that he IS a transvestite. He actually says this after telling people that he's not gay earlier in the story. Back peddle much Johnny? I guess Brothers couldn't decide if she wanted him to be gay or just a transvestite, so she cops out and gives the reader a non ending kind of ending. All I have to say to that is, Blerg!

If you're looking for a good story about a gay teen who dresses in drag and is true to himself and knows who he is read Freak Show.(less)

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2207435.Debbie_Harry_Sings_in_French?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312047411l/2207435.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2207435.Debbie_Harry_Sings_in_French?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers[/url]

Debbie Harry Sings in French

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Debbie Harry Sings in French

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