Blue Boy

Aug 19, 2011 jo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids, queer, im-emigration-post-colonial, south-asian-diaspora, books-i-teach

rakesh satyal has written a brilliant, delightful, heartbreaking/heart-lifting story of the coming of age of a 12-year-old queer indian-ohioan (second generation: the parents immigrated to the US as adults) boy. kiran is a beautifully drawn character. original, thoughtful, playful and super-smart, he deals with his difference (racial, sexual) and his status as an outcast with the aplomb, dignity, and life-joy of someone with tremendous faith in his vision of himself. in this vision kiran is simp...more rakesh satyal has written a brilliant, delightful, heartbreaking/heart-lifting story of the coming of age of a 12-year-old queer indian-ohioan (second generation: the parents immigrated to the US as adults) boy. kiran is a beautifully drawn character. original, thoughtful, playful and super-smart, he deals with his difference (racial, sexual) and his status as an outcast with the aplomb, dignity, and life-joy of someone with tremendous faith in his vision of himself. in this vision kiran is simply fabulous. he is beautiful, brilliant, skillful, modest, accepting, and kind. he is also a little divine. he is the god of his self-contained world.

then, at some point, this vision is horribly shaken. and then, later, it's put back together again, and it's a thing of beauty.

what keeps kiran together -- solid and for the most part happy -- are his family and his religion, the two single worst enemies of queer kids in a lot of western-centric YA and adult queer narratives, fictional and otherwise. the evolution of his family's feeling toward him constitutes the core of the novel so i won't spoil it. as for religion, kiran finds in flamboyant (in his eyes, i know nothing about hinduism), romantic, blue-skinned krishna a fabulous object of identification. the divinity is not only an example to emulate but a guardian and a protector.

through identification with krishna, kiran manages to navigate his gender troubles. krishna loves a beautiful, absolutely special girl. kiran loves girls too: he wants to be like them! what a perfect match! he must certainly be krishna’s reincarnation!

satyal is a skillful enough writer not to let kiran’s perfect world be crushed from the outside. the attacks come from the inside – where kiran has to navigate the tricky combination of fantasy/reality/self-deception that sustains him. as reality rocks his world like an earthquake, kiran has to resort to great inner strength to keep it standing. it is the depiction of kiran’s strength, and of the sources of it, that is the genius of this sweet and funny book.
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Jul 17, 2012 Gina (My Precious) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've signed up to receive an email alert for Kindle Freebies from Advanced Kindle Alert website. This book was one of the first books I was lead to by this site. The subject nature was different from what I might normally read. It was free so I figured I didn't have much to lose. So, I pushed "Download to My Kindle" and didn't look back.

The narrator of this book is Kiran, a 12 year old Indian boy, growing up in Ohio who just doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. Boys his age have always caused him to...more I've signed up to receive an email alert for Kindle Freebies from Advanced Kindle Alert website. This book was one of the first books I was lead to by this site. The subject nature was different from what I might normally read. It was free so I figured I didn't have much to lose. So, I pushed "Download to My Kindle" and didn't look back.

The narrator of this book is Kiran, a 12 year old Indian boy, growing up in Ohio who just doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. Boys his age have always caused him to feel uptight. For some reason, he finds he relates better to girls. Wildly, he enjoys ballet, the school talent show, playing with dolls and putting on his mother's makeup. The kids at school constantly poke fun of him, his Indian counterparts do the same, leaving him friendless, confused and questioning himself. One morning he wakes up, looks in the mirror and is shocked to find his skin beginning to turn a faint shade of blue. With this metamorphosis, he finally thinks he has found the answers to his questions! The school talent show appears to be the perfect vehicle to introduce this newly discovered self to the world. Will Kiran's act be a success, will he finally get the recognition and approval he is seeking, or will this just be another failed attempt to unveil who he really is?

NOTE: This novel is a coming of age story, it is intended for mature audiences and contains explicit sex scenes. Though they are pertinent to the plot, they may not be suitable for all readers, especially those younger than 15 years old.

Book Discussion: This book hits on some pretty mature topics such as a preteen boy discovering his sexuality and coming to the revelation he may not be like all the other boys his age. It has explicit sexual references and some scenes in the novel, which are important to the story, but for me were just slightly uncomfortable to read. I'm definitely not a prude, but I think I found myself embarrassed because I was reading it through the eyes of a child. This is one of the main reasons I gave this book 3 stars instead of four, I felt guilty reading some parts and felt like if someone discovered what I was reading, he/she may not approve. In addition, I felt Kiran's language didn't exactly fit the vocabulary of a boy his age. Did anyone else feel this way? (less)

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Jul 23, 2009 Marie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: asia, asian-american, fiction, indian-subcontinent, coming-of-age

Blue Boy is a beautifully written, bittersweet story about an Indian-American adolescent growing up in Ohio, discovering how different he is from everyone around him. I was drawn to this book because the name of the main character, Kiran, is similar to the name of one of my sons (Kieran).

Kiran is a highly artistic, creative, and spiritual child. He is drawn to pink, dressing up, makeup, Strawberry Shortcake, and the finer things in life. He has an amazing sense of self in spite of the ridicule...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Samantha Davenport rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

It started off well and I bonded with the whole family.

In the middle I thought things were heavy-handed: I didn't think he needed makeup AND dolls AND ballet AND supplements AND migraines before the godhead thing. I also thought the Country Crock bit was gratuitous and the Penthouse scene contrived.

Despite that though, the book really grew on me. The family and community painted around our protagonist are every bit as integral to the story as he is, particularly the quietly complicit mother. I...more

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Nov 03, 2009 Ellen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. It is a work of fiction, but the author Rakesh Setyal infuses it with the truth of his own childhood. The hero is an Indian boy growing up in Cinncinati with his traditional immigrant parents. He does not fit anybody's idea of what a good Indian male child should be and also sticks out like a sore thumb at school, where he is the only Indian student. It doesn't help that he likes to play with dolls, put on make-up and dance around in ballet shoes. It was especially interesting...more

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Jun 07, 2009 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

At the beginning of Rakesh Satyal's debut novel Blue Boy, Kiran Sharma gets a big splinter in his butt while being tormented on a wooden balance beam by two of his bitchy sixth-grade classmates. Things still don't get notably easier for him after his humiliating foray into the playground -- it's not easy being an Indian-American in a white-bread Ohio suburb, and things aren't made easier for 12-year-old Kiran by his quirky personality, unusual interests (ballet, for one, as well as Strawberry Sh...more

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Dec 21, 2010 Kooheli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kooheli by: Found it on the library shelf!

This book was, on so many levels, a surprise to me - and a delightful one at that. As Satyal acknowledges in the Q&A at the end, South Asian American fiction has covered ground from magical realism to historical fiction to contemporary diaspora fiction, but it has rarely chosen to take itself lightheartedly. Some of Rushdie's work is supremely funny - Haroun & the Sea of Stories comes to mind at once - but the framework is somber and intent on the delivery of messages. Here, Satyal manag...more

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Sep 10, 2012 April rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Ages 22-30, anyone who didn't quite "fit in" as a child

Shelves: asian-american, heart, heartwarming, humor, middle-class, racism, south-asian-american, lgbtqi, coming-of-age, wordsmith

I LOVE THIS BOOK AND I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW IT. Best book I have read in a long, long while. Heartwarming, humorous and impeccably written, Blue Boy chronicles the life of Kiran Sharma, a twelve year-old boy who defies the mainstream in all of his social circles (school, South Asian social network). Despite relentless "push-back" from peers and family that admonish him for being "different," Kiran is determined to be true to himself.

This book is life-affirming, inspiring and completely heartfel...more

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Aug 26, 2010 Chrisiant rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, asia, queer

This is a fabulous book. The main character is delightful and awkward and hilarious and so authentic his seemingly odd little perspective on the world.
He's caught between his Indian immigrant/Hindu temple community and his central Ohioan middle school community and not able to express his developing queer and artistic identities easily in either of these places. His emerging identity doesn't fit into any of the little boxes the people around him would like, but he's so dear and earnest he's bee...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Larry Hoffer added it

Kiran is a sixth-grade student who knows he's different from his fellow classmates, but in his mind, different is better. He's intrigued by his mother's makeup drawer, takes ballet class instead of basketball, is tremendously focused on his schoolwork and is determined to show everyone how amazing he is at this year's talent show. But all of the things that make Kiran who he is cause him to be ostracized by his peers, which he just doesn't understand.

Blue Boy is an extremely entertaining, heart...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Eric Klee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Kiran is your average boy...who likes to play with Strawberry Shortcake dolls and wear his mother's make-up. BLUE BOY is told from Kiran's perspective. He's a pre-adolescent boy who doesn't have any friends and is looked upon as "weird" in school because of his predisposition to be more feminine than masculine. In addition to the normal school woes of a boy his age, he has to deal with living in Ohio, his family, his Indian culture, and their religion as challenges to being himself.

The novel fo...more Kiran is your average boy...who likes to play with Strawberry Shortcake dolls and wear his mother's make-up. BLUE BOY is told from Kiran's perspective. He's a pre-adolescent boy who doesn't have any friends and is looked upon as "weird" in school because of his predisposition to be more feminine than masculine. In addition to the normal school woes of a boy his age, he has to deal with living in Ohio, his family, his Indian culture, and their religion as challenges to being himself.

The novel follows Kiran's random, every day thoughts over the course of a few months. As most of the novel takes place in Kiran's head, there is very little interaction between characters and little-to-no dialogue to balance out the long, descriptive narrative. There is very little showing of action, too much telling, and a lot of 80's references. Kiran's thoughts are also overly saturated with the most minute details. While the writing is definitely accurate for the thoughts of a young observant boy, it doesn't make for fascinating reading.

As for the title, Kiran himself is the "blue boy," wanting to dress up as the blue Hindu god, Vishnu, for the school talent show. This show is what the entire novel leads up to. Big for a young boy, but very mundane for an adult reader. In other words, not much happens in this novel. And when something interesting does finally happen to our protagonist, it happens at the end of a chapter to keep the reader engaged (like a movie serial or chapter play cliffhanger). Unfortunately, the author doesn't then follow up very well in the next chapter with the "cliffhanger." The story (and Kiran's thoughts) just move on.

I do commend the author, though, for Kiran's realization that he might be gay and what that means. His self-conclusion could be used a defense for gay equality, including same-sex marriage.

All in all, I thought the writing in this debut novel was exceptional. I just wish the plot was a bit more interesting, and the descriptions a bit more concise.
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Jan 18, 2012 Sonia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a coming of age story about a young Indian boy, struggling to find his place in middle America. He doesn't fit in with the Indian kids that attend his temple, and he doesn't fit in with the American kids at school.

In truth, he doesn't fit in anywhere, because he is just so different. Not only does he have a wild imagination, but he is also beginning to wrestle with questions about his sexuality.

I have to be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started reading this book, but...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Becky Lipsitz rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book, especially for the examination of people who live between cultures (in this case, Hindu and American). One of my favorite images in the whole book was when Kiran learned about Venn diagrams and wondered whether it's possible that a person could be the only person in the middle of a series of intersecting Venn diagrams and never find anyone else like himself.

That said, there were at least six glaring typos or inconsistencies that really held me back from getting fully...more

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Jun 10, 2009 Bibliophile rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

Kiran Sharma, a twelve-year-old Indian-American boy growing up in Cincinnati in the early 1990s doesn’t fit in either with the Indian families with whom his parents exclusively socialize on the weekends, and he most certainly doesn’t fit in with his classmates in middle school. He prefers ballet to basketball and loves the color pink; his Strawberry Shortcake doll is his favorite toy and he likes to borrow his mother’s makeup to paint his face. Finally, Kiran realizes that he is … the reincarnat...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-for-esl-teachers

I've been looking hard for some young adult literature with an Indian/India American protagonist when I came across this book. In my opinion, this book really would be inappropriate for a classroom library. The descriptions of sex acts are really much too graphic for in class use. However, as an adult novel, this book was fascinating. It sometimes made me uncomfortable but was exquisitely written. There was something hilarious about picturing a 6th grader using this lush descriptions while at th...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-lit

This book has received many (much-deserved) acclaim as gay literature, Asian-American literature, Indian-American literature, but the piece that kept resonating with me was the broader coming-of-age story. Clearly Kiran's gender and ethnic identities heavily influence how his narrative unfolds, but there's something in his story that any creative misfit child of the 90s can grab onto. Maybe I'm just swept away by all the references to Strawberry Shortcake and The Babysitters' Club, but I felt li...more

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Nov 07, 2010 Mickie Ashling rated it 5 of 5 stars

Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal is a powerful novel about an Indian boy growing up in an all-white community in Ohio. He's an outcast among his classmates because of his ethnicity and is ridiculed by the Indian community for being 'different'. He loves the color pink, ballet, Strawberry Shortcake, dolls, and make-up. The POV is Kiran's, our twelve-year-old hero, and is alternately poignant, humorous, and tragic. I purchased this novel last month at the height of the bullying and suicides. It is a must...more

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Feb 14, 2010 Serena rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: NO ONE

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was rather disappointed in this book to tell you the truth. The back held such promise, and Mr. Satyal's writing style is really well done. I felt like I was in the room with Kiran the entire the time.

But the actual story was disgusting. The amount of sex in this book horrified me. He didn't leave anything out, we heard the entire sordid details about masturbation, pornography, homosexual sex, hetersexual sex, child molestation-everything. This kid was supposed to be around nine years old. Ni...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Johnjernigan Johnjernigan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sweet little Kiran is on a voyage of self-discovery in Blue Boy, so confused and unhappy and socially inept. His traditional Punjabi parents are very hard on him,they don't get him at all, not seeing any of the sweet uniqueness that make him so utterly special in his "difference." He has his Strawberry Shortcake (and Blueberry) dolls, he's taking ballet, he's incredibly smart, he's an artist...and he can sew. His failures at trying to fit in are funny and heartbreaking and sad, ending with Kiran...more

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Nov 20, 2010 Kalen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads

A sad, thoughtfully-told story about a young boy struggling with his gender identity. Well, Kiran isn't so much struggling with it himself (he is pretty darn cool with who he is) but reconciling the relationships and reactions of others. What threw me off on this one was Kiran's voice--I kept thinking it was an adult relaying a story of childhood but it wasn't. The voice was far too mature and insightful for that of a 12-year-old boy, but then could be so vulnerable and naive as to be believable...more

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Sep 22, 2010 Natasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was an engagingly witty yet bittersweet read about a pre-teen boy growing up in a suburban mid-western town...while dealing with the double-whammy of being Indian and coming to realize that he is gay. Kiran expresses these differences in a unique interpretation that is both creative and spiritual, making the "odd" boy who is on the fringe of both the Indian and American social circles a a distinctive, endearing personality.

While this was a work of fiction, it is wrought with realism and is...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Karen by: Kim

Shelves: fiction, lgbt-issues, spirituality

Who'd have guessed that a novel from the perspective of a smart, artistic, and flamboyant sixth-grade boy could cover so much emotional ground? Kiran--the only child of immigrant Indian parents--struggles with acceptance and a sense of belonging at public school, in his Hindu temple, and at home. How he grapples with the people and situations (and with his sense of self) is in turns funny, heartwarming, and surprising. An insightful book that reminds us how difficult--and ultimately liberating--...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Donald Blum rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was a freebie on Kindle that probably wasn't worth the effort. Although the descriptions of life in the Indian community in America are illuminating, the confusion and complexity of this boy don't lead to many compelling tales. It flows well enough and the writing is noteworthy, but his story simply didn't hold my interest through the novel. I also guessed the reason for "blueness" before it was revealed at the end. Being such a complex character i was hoping for him to realize some degree...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Amira Soltani added it

Amira Soltani
11/5/11
Blue Boy Review by Amira Soltani
In the fictional coming of age novel Blue Boy, author Rakesh Satyal writes about a twelve year old gay Indian American named Kiran Sharma. Kiran is a social outcast not only because of his ethnicity but also because of his “girlish” ways. Kiran's parents want him to be successful, find a nice Indian girl, and to make them proud. The protagonist struggles to find himself among the crowd and turns to the blue Hindu God Krishna, whom he identifie...more Amira Soltani
11/5/11
Blue Boy Review by Amira Soltani
In the fictional coming of age novel Blue Boy, author Rakesh Satyal writes about a twelve year old gay Indian American named Kiran Sharma. Kiran is a social outcast not only because of his ethnicity but also because of his “girlish” ways. Kiran's parents want him to be successful, find a nice Indian girl, and to make them proud. The protagonist struggles to find himself among the crowd and turns to the blue Hindu God Krishna, whom he identifies himself with. By incorporating the blue God into Kiran's identity the author makes the novel creative, interesting, and humorous. Most young gay boys would not identify themselves as a blue Hindu God which makes the novel very unique. Satyal also does a great job of transforming Kiran into the blue Hindu God. Kiran starts to mold himself into the God by eating butter, practicing the flute, and even wearing blue makeup. Kiran plans to reveal his true self as the Hindu god in his school's annual talent show. Kiran states, “I pick up the eye shadow as if to put it back, but before parting with it I dip my my pinky in, turning the tip of my finger blue” (Satyal 5). As Kiran applies the makeup he is anxious because his mother could find out, and be very concerned. He still takes a risk and expresses his true self in the mirror. While reading the novel I was glad that Kiran had something to turn to and express his feelings with, and I wish that everyone could have something like that to turn to. This doesn't just pertain specifically to the LBGT community but to people who are being bullied in general. Also, there are scenes such as the makeup scene all throughout the book that make the novel a page turner.

In most if not every coming of age novel, there are bullies who cause the main character stress. In Satyal's coming of age novel the protagonist has to not only worry about being judged for his “girlish” acts from his school peers, but from the Indian American community as well. On one occasion Kiran wears an orange neon coat to school, and finds his desk covered in Barbie stickers. Instead of telling his teacher about the situation and, “putting a spotlight on the situation,” (Satyel 19) Kiran decides to just scratch them off. Kiran isn't aware that he already “put a spotlight on the situation," by wearing the coat in the first place. The author incorporates the sense of struggle to be accepted in Kiran as well as a sense of individuality and expressionism. By doing so the author touches on a topic that most gay boys have to struggle with. They want to express themselves and be true to their nature but at the same time they want to fit in. Kiran states, “…what those kids don’t know—what those derisive posses can’t get their thickly black-haired heads around—is that I am destined for great things, too. I am blue, too. You just can’t see it yet” (Satyel 32). The Indian American boys tease Kiran at the temple but Kiran uses his identification with the blue Hindu God to cope with the bullying. I love how the author creates a character who is not afraid to express himself regardless of people's opinions. The tone of the author is also sarcastic and funny but at the same time serious which makes the novel intriguing and interesting.

Satyal incorporates humor into the novel which makes it quite riveting. One example of this is when Kiran asks himself, “How did Sarah and Melissa, otherwise ‘cool’ girls end up with a hunchback like Cody and an ostrich like Danny” (Satyal 228)? Kiran's humor stems from his anger with the bullies who make him a social outcast. I believe that the author's idea of incorporating humor into the novel was a good one because it is enjoyable, and at the same time he allows the protagonist to "blow steam off.” “Mrs. Sharma apologizes again, but you don't take issues with the sort of garbage that your sun is carrying?” “Garbage! Vell, excuse me, but aren't you a teacher? I can't believe you vould object to poetry!” “Poetry! Is that what you call it? Unbelievable! Good night, Mrs. Sharma. And good-night, Key-ran. God help you” (Satyal 56). As portrayed in this conversation, a funny misunderstanding takes place between Kiran's teacher, and his mother when Kiran's teacher catches him reading dirty magazines such as Penthouse. Kiran tells his mother that he is going to buy poetry, which is why she is confused in the encounter with the teacher. Satyal not only makes the novel humorous but also sends out a message by doing so. This was one of my favorite scenes in the novel because of the irony of the situation, and the message that it tries to convey to the readers. The message that the author tries to get across is that parents with gay children are usually oblivious to their children's desires, needs, and sexuality. The irony of the situation makes the novel quite interesting as well.

The author of the novel can very much connect with Kiran because of his own experiences growing up. When asked if he can recall his own first experience of self-shame Satyal answered, “I had gay feelings from a very, very early age, and I remember telling a classmate in first grade that I thought he was cute. He was instantly repulsed and never let me forget that sense of rejection, and so I always knew that not only was I different but that I would have to recalibrate my conduct if I didn’t want to be criticized in a similar way again.” I really recommend this novel, not only to LGBT youth but to everyone because of its uniqueness, and portrayal of how cultural influence as well as gender identity can effect an individual. It also manages to get a laugh out of the reader every now and then. I would like to warn you that there are quite a few swear words, and porn scenes throughout the novel that might make you feel a little easy. Other than that I really do recommend this novel!(less)

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Jun 10, 2011 Kelly Schuknecht rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I was lucky to find this book on the list of Top 100 Free Kindle eBooks a few weeks ago. I didn't really know what it was about, but it had a nice cover, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did.

The story is about an Indian boy, Kiran, who is going through some of the normal pre-teen growing pains that we all remember, such as bullying, friendships and discovering sexuality. But Kiran has another set of hurdles to face as he learns how he is different from the other kids at school when it...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Pia Veleno marked it as nfm · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-lendable, source-amzn

Okay, done. It sounded like it had such promise, but I'm not a fan of the narrator's storytelling voice.

(DNF at 15% so no review or rating other than a comment on dialogue, because I found it interesting that I didn't see it mentioned in other reviews.)

The dialogue, with words spelled as the author must imagine they sound, ruined those scenes as I had to guess at what was being said. I tried reading the dialogue out loud to understand the weird spelling, but when I did, it remind me of Dracula...more

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Jun 03, 2010 Julia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-books-i-read-in-2010, contemporary-fiction, glbtq, magical-realism, ya

A first generation Indian Hindi boy living in an Ohio suburb, Kiran knows he’s very different from his American classmates and he is also very different from the Indians he goes to temple and parties with on the weekends.

Kiran is a sixth grader and he intends for the school talent show to do a tribute to Krishna. He will wear his mother’s blue eye shadow, has learned to play the recorder, will dance and sing and has designed a wild costume made from one of his mother’s saris all to a Whitney Ho...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Queen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: journey-bio, multicultural, tangible-library

R. Satyal knows the recipe for a great read: A cup of butter. A scoop of sequins. A heavy dose of adolescent identity searching & sexuality. A bundle of culture and spirituality. Not overseasoned with pretty words but still flavored with literary mastership (thanks to Princeton), and most of all, biting humor.

Some of my own favorites taken totally out of context, but it doesn't represent the style of the entire book.

. “I’ve been creating my own whimsy—or at least my heart has—and that whimsy...more R. Satyal knows the recipe for a great read: A cup of butter. A scoop of sequins. A heavy dose of adolescent identity searching & sexuality. A bundle of culture and spirituality. Not overseasoned with pretty words but still flavored with literary mastership (thanks to Princeton), and most of all, biting humor.

Some of my own favorites taken totally out of context, but it doesn't represent the style of the entire book.

. “I’ve been creating my own whimsy—or at least my heart has—and that whimsy has led me to exhibit my artistic self in its most unfettered state. The world can be as uncommonly beautiful as you want it to be as long as you give yourself over to that whimsy, however melancholy and lonely it may be sometimes.” 259

“You feel like you know something for certain, and then it changes its colors and smacks you upside the head with its daring. At first, the change surprises and unsettles you, but then you take in the surprise and embrace it and wish life could always be so gloriously unpredictable….What is a more beautiful thought than the one that questions everything you take for granted?” 255

“The sky will lighten as it always does, and there is no more hopeful moment than that: when time is tomorrow but still carries a strain of today, when we’re wiser and reborn all at once.” 244

“As in so many other instances in life, the dream is greater than the reality, and now I am left with nothing…” [but a loud, unruly, and unkempt bunch of hooligans who don’t even have the decency to fuck each other in front of me.:] …How different are they [places:], really? They both act as de facto playgrounds for local people, all of them looking for a way to escape the mundane together.” 186

Teehee—both the mom and dad are exactly like me. Kiran is describing how his mom goes to yard sales, which I don’t, but it is similar at the Dollar Tree and Walmart with spoiling the boys… “He greets anything she buys for him with a confused annoyance; since he never buys anything new for himself, he doesn’t understand what could compel someone to do it for him…She knows that my father’s reaction will melt into pride—pride that he owns something for so cheap a price…Instead of buying people specific gifts for particular occasions, my mother builds up a stash of stock gifts that she can dole out when necessary. It acts as part of her therapy shopping; if she’s buying things for others, then she is not feeding her addiction, obviously.” 152

“Books are much better companions to me than people. A book’s content never changes, and yet it is always intriguing; something you read can mean something completely different to you at a different time. This is not the case with my classmates [colleagues:]. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that people can be devastating at any moment.” 100

“I am a genius rediscovering the roots of his genius. It’s like picking up a piece of writing that you wrote years ago; you have forgotten everything you wrote down—be it a book report from school or those first song lyrics you composed at the age of eight—because you were in that moment and the art was merely using you as a vessel, passing through you and leaving little of itself in your memory. You feel the tiniest stab of recollection when you rediscover it, but mostly you are in awe of how it was you who wrote down these words and felt something so creative in that moment. Or it’s like picking up an old, lost photo and remembering faintly the joy or apprehension you felt at that moment, but also remarking that this was you, this was a person, this was someone doing something and it escaped you…I am transforming my weaknesses into ruses, and in doing so, I am becoming surer of myself. I am the calm in the middle of the battle.” 72-73
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Jun 23, 2010 James rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

There are some wonderfully detailed scenes in this novel. Kiran's life is drastically different than mine in some ways, and so much like mine in others. I was him but without the nerve. I felt myself comparing notes with him, wanting to figure out how he could persevere in the realms of family, school, and ethnicity, which in different ways impose a great deal of homogeneity.

While I believe most everything that happened to him is possible, the events in the last 40-ish pages don't ring true. He...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Who doesn't have a soft spot in their heart for the little gay boy who loves the talent show and Strawberry Shortcake? Especially when he is a little gay, first generation American with traditional Punjab parents? This one made me laugh out loud over and over again. Satyal's image of this little boy reminded me of the one in the film "Ma Vie en Rose" - they know that they are different but it seems normal in their eyes. They like to play with dolls, put on makeup, sing out loud, perform songs us...more

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title link	preview: Blue Boy
avg rating	preview: Blue Boy Goodreads rating: 3.76 (502 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6116947-blue-boy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347523713l/6116947.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6116947-blue-boy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal[/url]

Blue Boy

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