I really didn't like the main character of
Drag Teen at first. I also didn't like the way that the author,
Jeffery Self, depicted the parents, at first. But then it all just really worked for me. So if at first you don't like the main character or think that the whole thing is just going to be a cheeseball, stereotyping deal, keep at it, because it doesn't take too long to get sucked into the book and also to understand that the voice of the narrator is so real, I mean some main characters are just TOO smart, too understanding, too evolved, that they aren't real. This kid was real. His attitude toward his parents was real and the changes that happen to him seemed really, real, too. I wonder how old Self is because really got this kid's voice. I wish I could remember the kid's name! It isn't because I didn't care about him, because I really did! It's just that I listened to it and it is told in the first person and so it wasn't said very much and well, I am old. Still, this kid's voice, a gay teen who loves drag and comes from
Clearwater, FL which doesn't seem too progressive, is so real. Just real. Also, even if one isn't gay or a drag queen, there is a lot in here about self-acceptance and self-discovery and just plain teenishness that will appeal and was done very well. I really ended up liking this book, very much!
