Bil Wright

I thought the title too irresistable to give this book a chance – and I will have to say that it was a rather delightful sort of read. Imagine if Marc St. James from Ugly Betty gave his own backstory – and I think you will be able to picture Carlos perfectly! He was sassy, confident, and just a perfect blend of ambitious and niceness to make for a likeable main character.

I am not a makeup fiend (…well, maybe I dabble in eyeshadows like a regular Bob Ross), but the enthusiasm that show more exudes from Carlos as he lands a job at a Macy’s cosmetics counter is all but infectious. I think anyone who has any retail experience can appreciate the challenge of handling a moody, self-centered boss and learning how to make ornery customers feel beautiful again.

I did appreciate that Carlos came from a low-income family, and he struggled to help his family make ends meet. So many books seem to have characters who live charmed lives where they don’t have to worry about food or meeting rent, and this story element brought more tension to Putting Makeup On The Fat Boy than what would have been if Carlos had been born to riches.

As enjoyable as watching Carlos walk the path toward his dream career, there were a few bumps in the road that seemed a little too disconnected with the ultimate goal. Of course, no road traveled should be without detours and obstructions, but I did not think enough time had been spent on them – and these projects were left unfinished or else with an less-than-desirable ending. Perhaps I have read too many happy-ever-afters, but even the unhappy-ever-afters seemed not fully realized when I reached the end.

Putting Makeup On The Fat Boy is a charming read, despite the title that sounds a bit rude, and Carlos embraces himself with as much joie de vivre as the cast of Ugly Betty does. A sequel would be very welcomed in my mind since there were a few loose ties that I thought still needed closure. show less

In “Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy” (Simon & Schuster, 2011), author Bil Wright has conjured, in Carlos Duarte, one of the most authentic teen narrators since Holden Caulfield. Sixteen year-old Carlos has a fabulous sense of style, loves makeup, and dreams of becoming “Carrlos, Duarte, makeup artist to the stars!” He imagines “doing Mary J. Blige’s makeup before a concert, or maybe Rihanna’s, or taking a month off from school to go on tour with Janet Jackson because she insisted show more if she didn’t have me she couldn’t do the tour.”
When he lands a job as a salesman and makeup artist at the FeatureFace counter in Macy’s he’s sure that he’s on his way to achieving his dream. But Carlos’s life is far from perfect. His sister is dating an abusive loser, his single mother struggles to make ends meet, and his boss feels threatened by his up-and-coming employee’s talent and charm. But he’s determined to do right by his mother and sister, even as he struggles to overcome the hurdles his boss places in his path.
Carlos is flamboyantly and unabashedly gay. He turns heads. “All right, I’m not stupid,” Carlos says. “It was raining hard and I had on my black vinyl slicker and the hat that goes with it. And my mascara may even have been smudged a little from so much rain. So, I didn’t look like any of the yuppies in the stupid place. Or those boys in their dirty uniforms. But I never look like anyone else, and that’s the point. I don’t want to look like anyone else.”
Authors and publishers of LGBT literature have worked hard—and with good reason—to overturn the pervasive stereotypes of queer teens. Not every gay teen loves fashion, makeup, and calls his platonic girl friends “darling.” But some do, and the thing I like about this book is that Carlos’s in-your-face style is just one aspect of his complex and layered character. Despite the fact that Carlos is harassed and attacked by his sister’s homophobic boyfriend and his buddies, this is not a Gay Problem Novel. While “Fat Boy” does address some serious issues, it is mostly an entertaining read about a teen—who just happens to be gay—with a burning desire to be a famous makeup artist.
“Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy” won the 2012 Stonewall Book Award, which is given annually to works of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience.

This review originally appeared in The News-Gazette, Sunday, February 12, 2012. show less

As the story opens Ben Stamp, troubled Louis Bowman’s stepfather has just died following a family row. It had seemed that Ben might have given Louis the means to overcome all his problems by teaching him how to box, but now that it’s just him and his mother and Louis retells his difficult life so far and on going events as they unfold.
Louis is different from other boys and suffers the consequences, being the target of bullying. He is also embarrassed that he responds to and enjoys the show more physical groping from a married man he encounters on several occasions while travelling the train to visit his grandfather. Not surprisingly he is having difficulties handling all his problems and so is sent for a course of regular psychiatric help.
I found this a lively and delicious story; Louis is a lovable character despite his often self imposed problems. While he establishes a warm relationship with his therapist, his real saviour comes in a most unlikely form, the flamboyant Ray Anthony Robinson, the local rogue, both feared and respected. It occurs shortly after Ben is given a new bike for Christmas and after his first real encounter with Ray when he grabbed and then rode off on the bike; much to Ben’s surprise he returned the bike safely. The next time Louis takes his bike out he is physically set upon by some local bullies, to his surprise rescue comes when Ray intervenes on his behalf. There begins a strange but most endearing relationship between the two boys that builds to a most heart-warming and triumphant climax. show less

Sunday You Learn How to Box tells the story of Louis Bowman, a bright and sensitive (read: “sissy”) teen who lives in the housing projects of suburban 1960s Connecticut with his abusive mother and stepfather. His mother suspects (fears?) Louis might be gay, so she sets up regular Sunday boxing lessons with his stepfather to both teach Louis how to “be a man” and to help him protect himself from the other project kids. Also, they’re a nice way to legitimize of the physical and show more psychological abuse Louis’s mother and stepfather already dole out. Louis faces other hardships, too, but Wright handles them skilfully and with a dry wit that takes some of the sting away. While this novel is certainly not sentimental, it does have a certain sweetness and wistfulness about it which made this novel hard to put down.

I only wish there were more of it. show less