Freak Show

Title Freak Show
Author James St. James
St. James grew up in Michigan but spent his high school years in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. During his youth, he became involved in New York's club scene and he is infamous for his involvement with Michael Alig, about whom the novel, film and documentary Party Monster is based. St. James currently resides in Los Angeles.
ISBN 9780525477990
Publisher Dutton's Children's Books
Copyright Date 2007
Reading Level/Interest Age 15+
Genre Issues: Sexual Identity; LGBT Fiction
Plot Summary
Seventeen-year-old Billy Bloom has just been sent to live with his father in Fort Lauderdale and is forced to start his senior year at a very prestigious, conservative private school filled with wealthy, cruel people with names like Bib and Baba and Bo-Bo. But while his initials might match, that’s about the only thing that does. Billy is a drag-queen-in-training, a “gender-obscurist” and a wanna-be-megastar and he is immediately singled-out as an outcast, inviting his peers’ taunts, bullying and even physical violence that puts him in the hospital. Things start to look up for Billy when he is befriended during his recovery by the extremely handsome, but slightly country-bumpkin star football player, Flip Kelly. With Flip by his side, Billy can’t be touched. When their relationship turns sour and Billy is again faced with the prospect of eternal ridicule, he summons the help of his alter ego, Superfreak, to give him the courage he needs to run for homecoming queen and change his high school forever.
Critical Evaluation
James St. James creates one of the strongest voices in LGBT teen literature with Billy Bloom. Endowed with an endearing blend of over-the-top confidence and crippling self-doubt, Billy is not a character you will soon forget and neither is his story. There are no tortuous coming out tales in this book (well, at least not for Billy), no serious questioning of one’s sexual or gender identity. Instead, we are given an unflinching look at homophobia and transphobia in the face of Billy’s refusal to give in, to abide by the cultural and heteronormative standards and to conform to the opinion of his peers. Billy’s voice is at first a bit difficult to get used to and seems a bit exaggerated. But by the third or fourth chapter, it all becomes a part of Billy’s personality which is certainly over the top. At this point, Billy became, for me, a living, breathing character – albeit a somewhat annoying living, breathing character. Regardless, St. James’ novel is a fantastic read that shatters ones expectations and charts new territory for LGBT books for teens. Freak Show would make a great recommendation not only for teens just starting to explore their sexual and gender identities, but also for those who know who they are, know the challenges and are pissed off enough to want to do something about it.
Reader’s Annotation
HONEY, let me tell you how to be FAB.U.LOUS! Step one: read this book, seriously, you have to read it because babydoll, this will be the best book about a drag queen senior in an uptight private high school you’ve ever read. Believe.
Curriculum Ties Could be tied into lessons about LGBT issues, tolerance and prejudice.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Read the first chapter and encourage the audience to think about the narrator and then read the book – they might be surprised!
Challenge Issues
Please see "Controversy & LGBT Teen Collections"
Why did I include this book?
Rainbow List Starred Pick (2008, ALA); I wanted to include a book about cross-dressing/drag queens/gender-bending.