Wide Awake

This was a fantastic book. It has wonderfully complex characters, an intriguing story, and a uplifting--dare I say inspirational--tone. It's a very short book, and a very fast read, as you find yourself constantly being pulled forward to find out what happens next.

Taking place several decades in the future, the US has just elected its first gay and Jewish president, a man named Abe Stein. America, having suffered through an economic collapse known as the Greater Depression and a disastrous series of wars, is seeming to be pulling out thanks to a progressive movement that has swept Stein into office. But Stein also won by a very slim margin: only a few thousand votes in Kansas finally tipped the scale in his favor.

The main character, Duncan, a high school student who like Stein is gay and Jewish, is elated that the candidate he supported has won. But things take a darker turn when the governor of Kansas declares a recount because he doesn't believe Stein won his state. Since the governor of Kansas is a dutiful member of the party that lost the presidential election, this is viewed as a political stunt by pretty much every character in the book. The uncertainty over the election is mirrored in problems in Duncan's own relationship with his boyfriend, Jimmy, and the revelation that one of his friends has been cheating on her girlfriend. When Stein calls on his supporters to come to Kansas to stop the governor from throwing the election, everything comes to a head.

As I said before, this is a fantastic book. Duncan, Jimmy, and all of their friends are all very interesting characters, and they are definitely complex ones: for instance, Duncan is a true believer in Stein but is also somewhat timid when it comes to confrontation, which causes problems with his relationship with the more confrontational Jimmy. Stein's speeches, which litter the book, are all inspirational, so much so that I kinda wish I could vote for him as president. I also liked the background details that David Levithan, the author, includes in his story, like how the progressive movement that has elected Stein was greatly supported by a progressive evangelical Christian movement known as the Jesus revolution based around Jesus's actions as a man.

However, there are a few problems with it. After a while, the dramas of Duncan and his friends are kind of pushed aside for the greater drama concerning Stein and Kansas. This kind of makes sense in context (they're all so swept up in their protest against Kansas throwing the election that they forget their petty dramas), but some of the smaller dramas, like Duncan feeling insecure about his relationship with Jimmy, feel unfinished. I also wished that there were more and less extreme characters representing the other side: those who did not support Stein seem to be made up entirely of the kind of people who think Barack Obama was born in Kenya and who think that healthcare reform will result in "death panels." Duncan mentions talking to more moderate opponents of Stein when he was canvassing, but they never actually appear in the story itself. This makes the whole political divide in the story seem a bit more than a bit one-sided.

Speaking of Obama, this book also feels a little dated now that a black semi-progressive Democrat has been elected president. Levithan was clearly expecting the US to go further into the toilet after Bush's term, and Obama's pointing us in a different direction doesn't seem now like it would lead to the future depicted in this book. A small quibble, but one I bring up nonetheless.

However, all in all I really liked this book and I found it a fantastic read, one I can truly call inspirational. I hope that one day our world can be like the one envisioned by the characters in the book, as a Great Community brought together in tolerance and equality.