Destination Unknown
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4.7 • 10 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From Stonewall Award winner Bill Konigsberg, a remarkable, funny, sexy, heartbreaking story of two teen boys finding each other in New York City at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
The first thing I noticed about C.J. Gorman was his plexiglass bra.
So begins Destination Unknown -- it's 1987 in New York City, and Micah is at a dance club, trying to pretend he's more out and outgoing than he really is. C.J. isn't just out -- he’s completely out there, and Micah can't help but be both attracted to and afraid of someone who travels so loudly and proudly through the night.
A connection occurs. Is it friendship? Romance? Is C.J. the one with all the answers... or does Micah bring more to the relationship than it first seems? As their lives become more and more entangled in the AIDS epidemic that’s laying waste to their community, and the AIDS activism that will ultimately bring a strong voice to their demands, whatever Micah and C.J. have between them will be tested, strained, pushed, and pulled -- but it will also be a lifeline in a time of death, a bond that will determine the course of their futures.
In Destination Unknown, Bill Konigsberg returns to a time he knew well as a teenager to tell a story of identity, connection, community, and survival.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Konigsberg (The Bridge) draws on personal experiences, as detailed in an author's note, to deliver a touching love story between two gay teens, set in 1987 New York at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Sparks fly when closeted Jewish Micah Strauss, 17, meets offbeat, out CJ Gorman, 18 and wearing a plexiglass bra, in a nightclub bathroom. The pair bond over music from period-specific musicians such as Wham!, and deliver meals to people with AIDS. Though Micah is immediately captivated, calling CJ "a puzzle I needed to solve," the two decide they're better off as friends after engaging in awkward sex. But upon discovering that CJ is an exotic dancer, Micah is overcome with jealousy around CJ's patrons. A compassionate cast, including Micah's affectionate mother and a mentoring lesbian coworker, supports him as he learns more about queer people's triumphs and trials, and reevaluates his place within the community while falling hard for CJ. Konigsberg's keen sense of time and place, coupled with an optimistic atmosphere, make for both a swoony romance and a sensitive, nuanced look into a tumultuous period in history. Characters cue as white. Ages 14–up.
