Fade to Black

Perhaps no author since Robert Cormier, or Michael Cadnum in his early works, has dealt head on like Flinn with the violence in the lives of teens. Three teens tell the story of a violent hate crime: Clinton, Daria, and Alex. The victim, Alex is the new kid in school, but outcast due to his HIV status. The suspect, Clinton, has earned his homophobic stripes with past deeds and words, but Flinn develops him as a real person, not a stereotype, so the case isn't as clear cut as it seems. But it is with the witness Daria that Flinn takes a huge risk as writer both in terms of character and style. Daria is a special education student and tells her story in free verse. Yet none of the three narrators is entirely trustworthy, for various show more reasons, and there's more than one mystery to be solved. Review originally appeared in Novelist. show less

Fairly short, I found this story of a victim, a witness and a suspect very readable. Alex Crusan is hispanic and HIV-positive in a small town in the US, his life is circumscribed by his disease and he has to accept that one mistake has landed him with a whole heap of trouble. His mother tries to cover up the truth but he really doesn't feel happy with that. One of the people who make themselves clear about their prejudice is Clinton Cole, who was seen near the accident by Daria Bickell, who is Downs Syndrome and never lies. The story is told from the three of their voices and the author does a pretty good job of differentiating between them.

It explores bigotry and prejudice and perception of truth and I found it an interesting read.

Told from three perspectives. Alex is an HIV-positive high schooler who is attacked in his car by Clinton, a classmate who's alwasy had a problem with Alex's HIV status. Or so we are led to believe by Daria, a mentally challenged girl who witnessed the attack. The three voices take the reader through a journey of discovery, as each must grapple with their own personal flaws. A quick, gripping read.

Because Alex Crusan is violently brutalized due to his HIV status, he is hospitalized. A mysterious assailant hits his car with a bat while Daria Bickell, a Down-Syndrome inflicted girl watches. She is willing to testify that she saw Clinton Cole do it. He denies it and insists he is innocent. Teens will enjoy the facts being told from three different perspectives. They will also enjoy the realistic aspect of this novel as well as the social issues it brings up. The message of tolerance is a strong one which is intelligently conveyed in this novel.
VOYA Rating: 4Q, 2P

Small Florida high school administrators decide to hold a school assembly to announce the arrival of a 19-year-old HIV-positive student named Alex. Alex is thrown in the spotlight and becomes the target of by those students who are prejudiced, ignorant, and afraid of catching AIDS. Although Alex is able to persuade his protective parents not to sue the school administrator’s for their illegal assembly he is subjected to harassment. Eventually Alex is attacked one morning in his car by someone with a baseball bat and is hospitalized to recover from his injuries. A bullish male student named Clinton is the first to be blamed. Daria, the only witness to see Clinton near the crime has a disability. The book is told from the viewpoints of show more Alex, Clinton, and Daria. It addresses the stigma of HIV in many ways including Alex’s mother’s claim about how Alex contracted the disease. The book is told from Alex, Clinton, and Daria’s viewpoints. Their voices are distinct and sympathetic. Mr. Flinn uses this story to address YAs identifying with themselves and others in a story that shows how circumstances influence different points of views about the same situation. VOYA: (4G- Better than most, marred by occasional lapses. (4P – board general or genre YA appeal). show less

Cindy Dobrez (Booklist, Apr. 15, 2005 (Vol. 101, No. 16))
Flinn, author of Breathing Underwater (2001) and Nothing to Lose (2004), takes aim at bullying once again. This time HIV-positive Alejandro Crusan, a Florida high-school junior, is the target. After being attacked in his car by a baseball bat-wielding teenager, Alex is hospitalized while recovering from his injuries. Clinton Cole, prejudiced and afraid of catching AIDS, hates Alex and is responsible for tormenting him on several previous occasions. Now he claims he's innocent. However, Daria, a teen with Down syndrome, saw Clinton at the scene of the attack; she also witnessed one of the earlier assaults. The teens alternate telling their stories and sharing their secrets, as Alex show more struggles with the truth about the attack and about the origin of his HIV-positive status. Daria's narration unfolds in free verse, a form that effectively shows both her halting, repetitive speech and the disparity between her inner thoughts and her ability to communicate them. Teens will enjoy ferreting out the reality from the conflicting narratives and arguing about the sensitive issues raised along the way. Category: Books for Older Readers--Fiction. 2005, HarperCollins, $16.99, $17.89. Gr. 7-10. (CLCD) show less

An HIV-positive high school student hospitalized after being attacked, the bigot accused of the crime, and the only witness, a classmate with Down Syndrome, reveal how the assault has changed their lives as they tell of its aftermath