Wide Awake Now

April 15, 2024
In Wide Awake (2006), Levithan imagined a political gaytopia in a divided nation roughly 20 years in the future; now he reimagines this world during the election of the first gay Jewish president of the U.S. in 2024. Readers encounter 16-year-old Duncan, who's Jewish and reads white, and his boyfriend, Jimmy, who's Black and multiracial. The opposition--fueled by hatred and bigotry--is angry about President-Elect Abraham Stein's victory (by over 5,000,000 votes) and refuses to concede, demanding a recount in the deciding state of Kansas. When Stein appeals to his voters to come to Kansas to protest, Duncan, Jimmy, and their friends who volunteered with the Abraham Stein / Alice Martinez campaign enthusiastically decide to travel to Kansas to raise their voices. Duncan's friend group is LGBTQ+ and racially diverse: For them, everything is at stake, democracy included. They understand that indignation is not enough; action is required. In the midst of everything, Duncan and Jimmy are at a crossroads in their relationship, wondering about their future, finding hope--or is it dying embers?--in each other's love and lust. Levithan allows his imagination to soar, exploring the possibilities of what if that are grounded in a modern-day reality where identity, religion, and hatred combust, tearing the U.S. apart. He also dares to dream of what could be--what harmony and unity could feel like. What began in Wide Awake as a speculative story is now a tour de force come to fruition. Emotionally charged, boldly confrontational, and brilliantly executed. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)

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August 16, 2024

Gr 10 Up-Levithan here reimagines his 2006 novel Wide Awake, with the political contention of the 2016 and 2020 elections. It is 2024 and the first gay, Jewish man, Abraham Stein, has been elected to the presidency. High school student Duncan, his boyfriend Jimmy, and their collection of friends and campaigners are elated until the governor of Kansas contests the election, stating foul play at the ballot box. President-elect Stein encourages supporters to participate in a nonviolent protest in Kansas, which Duncan and friends decide to attend. Throughout the political happenings, Duncan and Jimmy ponder the state and future of their relationship as well as how this political election is impacting their lives and those around them. While told from the viewpoint of Duncan, the perspectives of Christians (both for and against the new President-elect), members of the LGBTQIA+ community, older generations, and the opposition party are all mentioned in some way. In the back matter, Leviathan writes that he included factual elements of the events of the past 20 years, such as the January 6th insurrection, in creating the events of the fictional election. A sexual encounter between Duncan and Jimmy, while loving and consensual, will make this a difficult purchase in some school library collections. VERDICT A thought-provoking political novel best suited for older YA collections. A recommended purchase.-Ashley Leffel

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