#3: Flamer

 

 

Flamer

Mike Curato

Year Published: 2020

Pages: 366

Genres: Young adult graphic novel, queer fiction, contemporary realistic fiction

Topics: LGBTQ+, self-acceptance, bullying, sexuality, racism, friendship

Recognition:

    American Library Association Top 5 Most Challenged Books, 2022-2023
    Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ+ Young Adult Book, 2020
    NPR Best Books of 2020

Summary

It's 1995. Fourteen-year-old Aiden Navarro has just graduated middle school, but he's not looking forward to high school at all. He feels too short, too fat, too Asian. Worst of all, he's picked on for being "weird": his voice is high, his best friend is a girl, and he's more interested in relationships than in sports.

Aiden is in his last week of scouting summer camp, which, while not perfect, is better than school—or home, where Aiden's parents are constantly fighting. He enjoys the peacefulness of nature, and he's got at some of the activities, like cooking and basket weaving. And he has friends at camp, especially his tentmate Elias, a popular football player.

But when Aiden starts to dream about Elias at night—and during the day—he begins to wonder if something is really wrong with him. Catholic school has taught him that homosexuality is a sin, and he tries to be a good person, but he can't control his "unholy" thoughts. As his anxiety turns to anger and despair, he faces a monumental choice about his own future.

Flamer and Me

I've loved comics and graphic novels since I was little, and I'm always excited to read a new one. I hadn't heard of Flamer or Mike Curato until I saw the book on the American Library Association's list of most challenged books, which immediately piqued my curiosity.

As a straight white man, I am likely not Flamer's intended audience: Curato has said he created the graphic novel to help kids struggling with their sexuality know that they aren't alone. Regardless, I was very moved by Aiden's story, even tearing up at the end. Curato's art and prose style are simple but engaging, and his creative use of colors (black and white except for the repeated fire motif) adds to the urgency and poignancy of the story. Don't be deterred by the book's physical size: I finished the whole thing in two days, and it easily could have been one. Curato has created a brilliant story not only of LGBTQ+ strength but of adolescent self-acceptance in general.

Teaching Considerations

Early Young Adult: Although Flamer would be an excellent read for anyone struggling with their sexuality, Aiden's position between middle and high school probably makes it ideal for 7th-9th grade audiences.

Individual or Small Group: Flamer would be difficult to teach as a whole-group read in most circumstances, but I think it should absolutely be available to individual students

Sensitive Content: Flamer is frank and honest in its depiction of young male sexuality. It contains descriptions of sexual acts and body parts, profanity and other crude language, and discussions of pornography. None of the art, however, is sexually or otherwise explicit. It also contains many homophobic slurs and some racist jokes, and it includes themes of self-harm and suicide.

Self-Acceptance: Curato's graphic novel is an excellent text for the exploration of adolescent self-acceptance. Although likely most powerful for LGBTQ+ youth, I believe this book could be an affecting read for any young person feeling bullied, outcast, or afraid of their own thoughts.

Graphic Novel Conventions: Because of its straightforward style, Flamer is also an excellent inroad for learning the basics of graphic novel construction. The panel layouts are easily understood, but Curato incorporates creative lettering, splash pages, double-page spreads, and especially colors that could make this a great introduction to the medium, especially for students interested in making their own comics.

Read-Aloud/Viewing Passages

• Pages 12-19
• Aiden introduces his current situation at camp during the summer between middle and high school. This is a good passage to introduce the main character and set up his background and character struggles.
   
• Pages 24-29
• A graphically inventive passage where Aiden describes his difficult home life. The art style is very different and much more dynamic in this passage, making it a great example of innovative ways to combine words and art.
   
• Pages 160-165
• Aiden writes and sends a letter to his best friend Violet describing his disturbing dreams about Elias. The scene is conveyed completely without dialogue, yet Aiden's emotions are made very clear through powerful artistic choices and panel layouts.
   
• Pages 226-249
• Aiden and Elias sneak out for a moonlit canoe ride together, and Aiden makes a fateful decision. One of the pivotal moments of the narrative, and strong positive and negative emotional valences.
   
• Pages 299-337
• When Aiden is at his lowest point, he is visited by a mysterious figure. This is the story's climax and its most inspirational moment, and it also contains some evocative artistic choices that transform the meaning of the novel's central motif of fire.

Liked Flamer? Try These:

• American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (2006)
• Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (2016 - , ongoing)
• Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (2019)