** spoiler alert ** So a month or so ago, I read an article in the NYTimes ("Are These Parties for Real?" 6/30/05) about this controversial young adult book. It was so controversial, that bookstores weren't even carrying it; you had to order it specially. So naturally, I had to read it. Now I'm going to review it for you. And my review is going to have full spoilers. I figure, most people won't read this book anyway, though I think it is probably one of the more important books a parent can read with his or her teenager.

First, to give you some background, this is from the Washington Post (6/24/05):

"To offer some parental guidance in this fast-changing arena, Weekend Journal sorted through more than 100 of the season's talked-about teen titles. We kept our eye out for literary merit and great stories, and also looked for themes that parents might want to know about. One discovery: The subject matter is rarely clear from a book's title or graphics. "Rainbow Party" features tubes of lipstick on the cover -- though it isn't about girls discussing makeup, but a teen oral-sex party. We also found that girls are the main target audience here, reflecting publishers' belief that more teen girls than boys read. (The idea is that boys stick to fantasy epics.) That helps explain why there are more controversial girl-oriented titles, like "Alice on Her Way," about a 16-year-old who spends a weekend in Manhattan on a class trip.

"Publishers say the mature material simply reflects the culture teens are exposed to today, and may help them to process situations they've heard about or experienced. In some cases, they add, the themes help advance a moral message: "Rainbow Party," for example, teaches children about the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, says Rick Richter, president of Simon & Schuster's children's division, which published the title. He adds that he'd be happy to have his 13-year-old daughter read it."

So that gives you the skinny on the book. Girl throws oral sex party. In the end the party doesn't happen. To be perfectly honest, I don't know why the WaPo reviewer got squirmish. Was it that a girl would dare throw this kind of party? Was it that some of the teens in the book are portrayed as sexually active? Was it the introduction to Perry when he's just finished sucking off his friend Hunter (for the 47th time--he keeps track, because Hunter owes him one but has yet to deliver) in the boys bathroom at school? Who knows?

Maybe I'm cold and heartless. But, to be honest, there is so much going on in this book, that I think it's a mistake for parents and critics to focus on the idea of a "rainbow party." And that seems to be the main concern. For example, as reported in the NYTimes: "Michelle Malkin, a syndicated columnist, found the book appalling. "Why on earth would a publisher market such smut to kids?" she asked. Ms. Malkin was heartened by the many children's booksellers not stocking 'Rainbow Party.' But she worries that it could nonetheless end up on school library shelves in the name of helping children 'deal with reality.'" Ms. Malkin needs to get off her high horse and look at what the book is actually saying.

Anyway, I think this book hits a lot of important issues regarding teens and sexual behavior. It should be read. It should be read by teens and their parents. Preferably as a launching point into a discussion about the real issues with premarital sex.

I'm a firm believer in the importance of young adult literature because it provides a safe space for teens to experience life vicariously through others. So, yes, Ms. Malkin, this book should be available on library shelves to teens to help them deal with reality. Not everyone is having sex, but teens don't know that. The only ones who are visually not having sex are those in the celibacy club, and they're stigmatized. No amount of adult praise is going to change that. So teens need to see other teens dealing with issues and insecurities about sex. They need to see the consequences. Books are the best place for that.