Ships from: Lockport, IL
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Westlake, OR
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Richmond, TX
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Want a NOOK? Explore Now
Gr 8-10
A story of first love set in late-1970s Virginia. Vincent, 15, is the only son of a Baptist preacher. He has grown up knowing all of his father's sermons, the Gospel songs, and that he is going to go to hell for being gay. But no matter how hard he prays to God to change him, he stays the same. When his family moves to a new parish, he meets Robert, and the teens strike up a friendship that turns into romance. Despite his family's views and those of his religion, Vincent comes to realize that God loves him just as he is. The teen's angst and his desire to fit in are somewhat believable. What is difficult to accept is that when his parents discover proof of his orientation, they merely pray over him. Their reaction seems too subdued compared to the hellfire-and-brimstone of his father's ministry. And, at the end of the book, Vincent resolves his feelings quite quickly, despite having been fighting them for so long. A decent effort that falls short of the mark.-Jennifer-Lynn Draper, Children's Literature Consultant, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
NOTHING PINK, by Mark Hardy, is Vincent's story. It is about a preacher's son dealing with his demons - particularly those pertaining to his homosexuality; because in his church, homosexuality is viewed as a sin. <BR/><BR/>Vincent meets a boy, Robert Ingle, at church one day. Through horseback riding, birthday picnics, and Barry Manilow, they grow closer and closer, much to Vincent's mother's dismay. <BR/><BR/>Robert and Vincent's relationship is only part of the story. Vincent's relationship with God becomes increasingly more important as the story progresses; he is forced to wonder whether God will accept him, or change him. <BR/><BR/>When Vincent's secret is revealed to his family by a magazine found in his room, hidden away beneath his mattress, his parents pray for God to deliver him from his sins. Although his parents claim to love him unconditionally, Vincent wonders how they can, when they hate homosexuality. <BR/><BR/>Since he was a little boy, Vincent has felt that his gayness is as much a part of him as his religion. If Vincent were to have his way, everything would remain exactly how it is then. But, unfortunately, this seems out of his control; ever since a defining moment early in his childhood, there has been "nothing pink" in his life. <BR/><BR/>NOTHING PINK is a beautifully written story about a boy's acceptance of himself, and a higher power's acceptance of a boy.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I think you'll like this book. Pick it and see
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.salu25
Posted August 25, 2010
This book is a great book to read. It is a really nice book to read if your a teenager. You can try to like pink because my friend does but i didnt and she loved it. I didnt like it that much but then got used to it. She got me used to pink and now i like it to. What i like about this book is thats it is said there is nothing pink.
If,there was another book from this author i would love to read it but there isn't any book so i can't read it. But there isn't any book for me to read from this author. I don't know what I didn't like from this author cause i tought that the book was great.
Lawral
Posted July 16, 2010
I Also Recommend:
Nothing Pink is a pretty straight forward coming out story. That said, it's a very well done coming out story. Vincent does a lot of struggling within himself, with the help of his strict Baptist upbringing, about his sexuality. He does everything he can to try to change himself including making out with girls, avoiding TV shows featuring guys in tight pants, and a whole lot of praying. But this is not the focus of the book. This all happens before the book starts, though it is alluded to throughout the beginning. The book actually starts on the day things start to get better, the day Vincent meets Robert. Even though Vincent still has doubts about the morality of his relationship with Robert and has to hide the extent of their relationship from his parents, this is mostly a happy book about Vincent's first love and eventual acceptance of himself.
A lot of Vincent's happiness with himself hinges on religion, or rather, God. His relationship with God factors largely into Vincent's life and the story. Vincent is moved by his father's sermons, hymns, and prayer. He acutely feels God's presence in his life. He is a devout and upstanding Christian, except for his sexuality. That's why he's so confused and hurt by God's lack of response to his prayers to be straight. As he becomes more comfortable with Robert and his relationship with him, he becomes more convinced that God is okay with it too. It's great. His parents, however, do not agree. When they figure out what's going on, they give him a talking-to that centers around this oft heard sentiment:
"We love you, Vincent...But God hates the sin of homosexuality, so we must hate it too, son."
p.99
To their credit, they never say that God hates Vincent, and they stress that they love him unconditionally, though Vincent doubts that their version of "unconditional" should count when they hate something that is so much a part of him. I did get the feeling that the mom, at least, would come around at some point after the end of the book.
During the talk with his parents and later when he is at church camp, Vincent does a lot of defending himself. In his own head. I love that he didn't have to stand up and be out and and proud right away or a spokesperson/defender of all people queer in his Baptist community. Sometimes that's all you can do, and it's great that Hardy provides this positive role model of someone who can only hold it together for himself but is still not weak. Outwardly, Vincent simply stops asking God to make him straight. Internally, he does a lot of building himself up, and that involves a lot of "God-talk." The religious over tones and general message of God loves the gays becomes a bit redundant and heavy-handed toward the end. This is definitely not a book for readers uncomfortable with Christianity. I appreciated the message, but it did kind of take over the book in a couple of places and pull me out of Vincent's story. But given how heavy-handed much of the anti-gay, religious literature can be, I had to forgive this repeated positive religious message.
Book source: Philly Free Library
This book was set up to be a carbon copy teenage realization and acceptance of their homosexuality kind of story. It included the small, close-knit, religious family, parents who had certain standards for their child, and a self-hating, obviously homosexual teenager. You can predict every plot point almost as certainly as a page turn. I won't spoil the ending, but it surely isn't one you haven't heard before.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 5, 2009
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted March 4, 2009
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
HONORS Rainbow Project List-American Library Association