Weetzie Bat

VOYA: 5Q, 4P

As you read Weetzie Bat's lyrical, dancing, text, you get a sense that a spell is being cast around you. The characters and events are clear and yet there is a mystical approach to the description of their characters and actions. This book is unlike any other I have read in terms of writing style and was a treat to experience. I rated the popularity as a 4 because while I think it has the power to lure in people from all walks of life, I can also imagine that it could be off-putting to a few that don't happen to connect to the non-traditional style.

The moment I finished reading this book I wanted to open it back up and read it again. Even though I didn't grow up in LA or have really any of Weetzie's same experiences, show more reading this book made me feel the same way I feel when I remember being 16. It was such a weird, confusing, disjointed, awful, wonderful, magical time. Everything was completely dramatic even though I had no real responsibilities. I felt like such a grown up even though I was spending my evenings at the Sonic Drive-Thru blasting the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, writing cringe-worthy poetry, and reapplying my glittery lip gloss between french fries. show less

4Q, 4P
I appreciated Weetzie Bat for the simplicity of the writing, yet complexity of the subjects. In such a short amount of time, Francesca Lia Block wove a story of friendship, loss, love, longing and trust. Entire books are written on complexities of same sex relationships, broken marriages, alcohol and drugs, broken trust, unfaithful behavior, death, desire, parenthood and fear of the unknown. By writing such short, but powerful anecdotes of these weighty topics, the reader gains enough context and insight to understand the overall message. While the first few pages of the story led me to believe this was going to be about bored kids looking for trouble, I learned at the end of chapter one, the story was truly about respectful, show more loving relationships. Weetsie is an honest, accepting, caring, person who sets the bar high for all of us. show less

I read this 30 years ago and did not get it. It was TOO weird for me and I didn't understand why it was getting such laudatory reviews. Now I can see the wild charm of it. It's L.A. life through sparkly rose-colored glasses, written in a tone of childlike wonder. The themes are definitely mature and sometimes dark but there are no graphic passages. In the end, no matter how unconventional and diverse Weetzie and her friends are, love is what matters. Editor Charlotte Zolotow was so far ahead of her time back in the '80s that she was already in the 21st century.

I've been a Francesca Lia Block fan for years without having ever read what is probably her most popular book, Weetzie Bat. And I loved this so, so much. It's basically a modern day fairy tale, but structured in reverse. Most fairy tales start with some awful thing happening to the protagonist. They then go on a journey and things usually get better from there. This is set up in reverse in where only good things happen to Weetzie Bat from the start, her life is so amazing, so magical and filled with nothing but love. It is 100% fantasy. She is not supposed to be real and grounded. Halfway through the book though, real life starts to intrude on the fairy tale. Fear, infidelity, drug abuse, death, a fucking AIDS epidemic, etc. But it show more maintains its fairy tale format by 1) maintaining the fast-paced storytelling and 2) keeping this silly little family together. The hard times don't completely break them. They grieve and they move on, together. It's really rather sweet and admirable...which is the whole point of a fairy tale: to model the values we'd most like to see in ourselves and others. This little novella is so simply about love and forgiveness, but I could probably spend hours talking about it. show less

A joyous, dreamlike fugue, this novel is about a quirky, funky family consisting of the eponymous heroine, her best friend Dirk, her mysterious lover My Secret Agent Lover Man, the leather-clad surfer Duck, her dog Slinkster Dog, her daughter Cherokee, and many other fantastic yet utterly believable characters. Block mixes magical realism, pop mysticism, and a sweet hipster tone to tell of adventures in love, loss, and the strange, wonderful city of Los Angeles. This novel also deals with issues such as homosexuality, AIDS and non-traditional family structures, so it is an excellent choice for LGBT reading lists and discussions about sexual and social mores.

I was surprisingly impressed with how much I liked this book after I finished reading it. The author managed to make difficult subjects readable without creating bias in the reader. I found myself rooting for Weetzie and her family despite their unconventionalities. I was particularly surprised at the inclusion of a magical realism element. While this new twist was a bit jolting at first, I thought the author, like the family she created, managed to seamlessly incorporate it into the story. Having been exposed to young adult fiction for quite some time, I hadn’t read many LGBTQI titles that so poignantly expressed the difficulties of growing up young and queer while maintaining a sense of optimism. I am anxious to read the other books show more in this series! show less

4Q 3P

Weetzie Bat reads like a 1990's pop music video. I found myself both liking and disliking it. At times the language was just off-putting but then the descriptions of characters and places would draw me back in to a golden place of nostalgia. I love that the book takes on serious and controversial issues (AIDS, homosexuality, and unwed mothers) without a ton of discussion. The author just lets the situation exist without overburdening the reader. My only concern is that today's teens will be turned off by the language and speed-rap style of the book. While this book was novel for its time perhaps there are modern alternatives for modern teens?