Ray, a Chinese immigrant in Canada, gets kicked out of his house when his father finds out that he's been browsing gay websites. The following days are formative, as he navigates the challenges of being young, gay, immigrant, and homeless. ( )

[Revised based off instructor feedback]

Ages 13-18.

Having recently immigrated to Canada, teenaged Ray Liu can’t live up to the perfect student his ex-military father expects him to be. Ray daydreams of returning to China as he spends his time on the warcraft role-playing-game Rebel State. His daydreams are interrupted when Ray’s father discovers Ray has also been surfing gay websites. Ray is kicked out of the house with a quickly packed bag.

Ray navigates shelters and soup kitchens, and explores downtown. He meets friends who help him and model that happiness is possible for people who come out. However, many strangers seek to harm him. As Ray’s resources dwindle, he fears he must sell his body as a “money boy.” Sexual experiences and trauma are suggested in the text, but not detailed.

Ray’s harrowing experience on the streets is also a time of self-discovery. At the start, Ray is isolated and embittered by fear and confusion; Ray transforms into someone who openly declares who he is, and embraces the freedom and chance for a happy future his new country offers.

The cruel and frightening elements of the novel are counterbalanced by hope: family can overcome prejudice, mismatched expectations, and cultural differences to love and support one another. Yee gives readers a nuanced narrative examining the intersecting identities of a young man who is both gay and a member of the Chinese immigrant community. Recommended. ( )

Review from library copy.

It wasn't great - it got a Stonewall Book honor. Still, POC and Canadian GLBTQ. ( )

I picked this book up while I was going through the YA section of my library, and with my interest in gay YA and Asian cultures, this seemed like a good choice of book to read. I can't really relate to the main character, Ray Liu, because I'm a white girl living in Michigan and Ray's a gay, Chinese teenage immigrant living in Canada. I can't comment on the authenticity of the voice or whatever, but that's fine. Because I adored this book. It's not very long, just under 200 pages and I read it in a few hours. While I might not be able to relate to Ray, it feels honest to me. The emotions that Paul Yee writes are raw and you can feel Ray's worries and frustrations.

It's similar to a lot of gay YA I've read, there's drama when his dad finds out he's gay. He has to go out into the world to find himself, but that's where a lot of similarities end. Ray's a computer gamer, he has to live on the streets (which is also where he finds himself). And yes, it does have a happy ending -- but it's not a happily ever after. It also made me cry. We don't know that Ray's life will be easier after he's figured out who he is and that's okay. The ending gives us closure, because we need it. As the novel told us a few times, Ray's young and has plenty of time, which makes the end of the novel all the more bittersweet and wonderful.

There are sexual themes, but not any descriptions of sex. If you're interested in gay YA lit, definitely check it out. But, really, it's a good enough book that people who aren't necessarily interested in gay YA could pick it up, too. Just don't expect it to be sunshine and roses. Paul Yee's book is a twist of harsh reality, the kind that makes a really good YA novel. And it is good. ( )

A Stonewall honor book, this is an important contribution to YA lit because it's unique - a Chinese immigrant teen's experiences when his strict father kicks him out for being gay. But I didn't connect with Paul Yee's writing style and I never really felt like I got to know Ray enough to care very much about his plight. However, I will say that Ray's story is one I won't soon forget. ( )