The God Box

by Alex Sanchez

Overview

Paul, a religious teen living in a small conservative town, finds his world turned upside down when he meets Manuel—a young man who says he’s both Christian and gay, two things that Paul didn’t think could coexist in one person. Doesn’t the Bible forbid homosexuality? As Paul struggles with Manuel’s interpretation of the Bible, thoughts that Paul has long tried to bury begin to surface, and he finds himself re-examining his whole life. This is an unforgettable book on an extremely timely topic that strives to open minds on both ends of the spectrum.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416909002
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	05/05/2009
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	760L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Alex Sanchez spent almost fifteen years working with youth. He is the author of the teen novels Boyfriends with Girlfriends, Bait, The God Box, Getting It, Rainbow Boys, Rainbow High, and Rainbow Road, as well as the Lambda Award–winning middle-grade novel So Hard to Say. Lambda Literary Foundation honored Alex with an Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists’ Prize. He lives in Thailand and Hollywood, Florida. Visit him at AlexSanchez.com.

Editorial Reviews

"With candor, conviction, and compassion, Alex Sanchez dramatizes the plight of teens who struggle to balance their homosexuality and their deeply felt religious beliefs. An important, heartfelt book that deserves a wide readership." — Michael Cart, editor of Love & Sex: Ten Stories of Truth

"Alex Sanchez evokes the crucifying experience of adolescents wrestling with their sexual identity and their identity as Christians. This book is a gift not just to teenagers, but to those who love and work with them." — The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate, the Episcopal Church

From the Publisher

Gr 9 Up
Conservative, closeted, and a Christian, Paul has a girlfriend and sticks to the straight and narrow in his small Texas town. He's changed his name from Pablo to appear more American, and he keeps his mouth shut when it comes to hot topics, like who is gay and who isn't-until Manuel, who happens to be openly gay and Christian, wanders in on his turf. The new guy slips easily into the high school senior's mostly accepting circle of friends and his Bible-study group. Before he knows it, Paul finds himself spending more and more time around Manuel, who simultaneously bends his heartstrings and his belief system. The results are a boxing-ring-like philosophical and spiritual debate on the intersection of homosexuality and religion. Sanchez's cleverly diverse characterizations, conversational stylings, and sense of humor lighten this potentially daunting theme. Plus, the brewing romance between the pair-not to mention the dissolution of Paul's romance with his loyally lovable girlfriend-keeps the pages turning during even the most excruciatingly detailed Bible-passage battles between the two warring parties. These rightfully thought-provoking debates-most of which happen either in after-school Bible study or between Paul and Manuel-make Sanchez's latest an intense, necessary addition to the burgeoning LGBTQ teen lit canon.
—Hillias J. MartinCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Hispanic high-school senior Paul has struggled to overcome his attraction to boys, placing his prayers on slips of paper in an ornately carved "God box" in hopes the feelings will be taken away. He also dates best friend Angie and prays he will soon be sexually attracted to her. A new student arrives at their small-town Texas school, and Manuel comes out on his first day. He shocks the Bible Club by not only professing to be Christian but in more than holding his own in scripture-heavy debates. Manuel and Paul's friends start a GSA and deal with homophobia. After a six-month struggle and a tragedy, Paul realizes he can't love God or anyone if he doesn't love himself. Sanchez takes on the myth that homosexuals are ungodly in this sometimes melodramatic tale. Occasionally reading more like a manual on dispelling homophobic misinterpretations of Bible verse than a novel, this is still an important work about self-acceptance and the meaning of God's love. (Fiction. YA)

Kirkus Reviews