I got goosebumps and felt like I was part of the story. Rare story who can make me feel like that. ( )

Beautifully written, but at first feels too ''preachy'' and partisan-- like a party platform disguised as a novel. The history teacher is just a complete caricature of everything the main characters oppose, a sort-of right-wing bogeyman. However, the mood shifts once Duncan and his caravan of ragtag activists arrive in Kansas. I love the symbolism of Kansas, a perfect setting for the story to unfold. Levithan does a terrific job of bringing the reader into the excitement and urgency of the rally. The drama and relationship angst make the story all the more thrilling. There are so many quote-worthy and touching passages throughout the book and the plot feels so familiar and relevant without being trite, that I can forgive some of the more ludicrous aspects of the novel (non-shopping malls being the height of stupid ideas . . . how about fighting for fair wages for all and safe working conditions and domestic production incentives, rather than eliminating consumerism with one fell swoop). Overall, the book is a triumph though and I even felt that I was ''one unique person at one unique moment . . .a part of history" right along with the Steinheads at the end. ( )

David Levithan is the guy whose books I read when I can't deal with the world. Like after Pulse, when all I wanted to do was vanish between the pages of You Know Me Well by Levithan and LaCour. Or like how right now, as we're on the cusp of a Trump/Pence White House, I've decided to pick up Wide Awake.

Wide Awake, published ten years ago, takes place in a near-future America... one where a gay, Jewish man has just been elected president... and the equivalents to the Republicans are angry.

This is a very political book -- think Vote for Larry but more realistic and also with a bunch of LGBT characters. It's about political activism and respect for others.

And it's a very hopeful book, too. There are things -- like the treatment of religion -- that I wish I could see more of in today's politics.

Writing-wise, this is not my favourite of Levithan's. However, it's optimistic, and beautiful, and exactly what I needed to read in the wake of the election. ( )

Duncan and his boyfriend Jimmy, along with their friends, have been working hard on the campaign of Abraham Stein hoping he will become the first gay, Jewish President of the United States. Stein wins by 1000 votes, and everyone is ecstatic – except for the governor of Kansas who insists there was election tampering and hopes to have him defeated. With his opponent refusing to concede the election, hoping to have Stein lose votes in the recount, Stein invites Americans to join him in Kansas to protest the behind-the-scenes politics working to take away the people’s vote.

Jimmy fiercely believes in action when he spots wrongdoing, while Duncan hopes silence will make bad things disappear. Their differences of opinion begin to rise to the surface with Stein’s election issues, and the trip to Kansas seems to be the match that could set them off in different directions. With a strong belief in America’s founding principles of “liberty and justice for all,” the two embark on a trip that will forever change the views they hold of their country, its citizens and themselves.

Levithan mixes politics, romance, relationships and history to give readers a dystopian story that, though written in 2006, is eerily prescient of the 2016 elections. His descriptions of the Kansas rally reminded me of the Atlanta Women’s March, where I joined millions of other women across the nation to march in solidarity for civil rights and liberties. It’s impossible to not compare the hateful vitriol spewed forth from the opposition party in “Wide awake” to that emitted by supporters of our current administration.

Eleven years have passed since Levithan took pen to paper, and many things have happened politically – including the election of our nation’s first Black president. One can only hope America will have its own Abraham Stein to elect in the years to come. Thank you David for opening our eyes to its possibility.

Highly recommended for ages 14 and older.

Book review link: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2017/06/10/wide-awake-david-levithan/ ( )

I can't tell you how much I wanted this novel to be good. The premise is spectacular, and Levithan is a major talent. The characters just fall flat, though, and the major issue (outside the contested election) never gets resolved. Pacing issues abound, and in the end, there simply isn't enough connection to narrator or plot for the payoff to have the desired effect. An okay read, but not as powerful as the jacket copy made it sound. ( )