Uneven novel about election of 1st gay, Jewish president.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Duncan imagines what might happen if they go to Kansas -- "Riot police pressing in. Gas in the air. Being pushed and grabbed and yelled at." After they arrive in Kansas, an altercation begins when the teens try to share chocolate bars with group of kids whose parents are Decents. They're yelled at, shoved, verbally threatened, and spit on. Fights break out until the police pull both sides apart. A man fires an AK47 into a crowd of people and White supremacists surround the Supreme Court building.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Duncan and Jimmy are in a sexual relationship. Duncan briefly describes the first time they had sex ("It was closeness not because he was inside me but because of what it meant, what we meant, what we could do") and one other encounter ("he was pressing our bodies together, toe to head, and we were sweating and I was ready and he was ready and we were both ready for everything."). Gus says he's "groin-crushing" on triplets Glen, Gary, and Ross. Mention of a partner cheating.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
There's some profanity ("damn," "s--t," "bastard," "pissed") and a good deal of homophobic hate speech. A woman wears a t-shirt emblazoned with the words "The Oval Office Is No Place For F-gs" and in Topeka, the teens see signs saying "God Says F-gs Should Die" and "Go Home Jew F-gs - This Country Isn't 4 You." When Duncan is making pre-election calls for the Stein campaign, a woman asks him if he was "Stein's little butt boy" and another caller tells Duncan they "wished that AIDS was still untreatable" A history teacher tells students that using the word "savage" to describe Native Americans is fine with him.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
Characters bring Everything Bars with them to Topeka.
Positive Messages
a lot
"Love is more decent than hate. Community is more decent than conflict. Kindness is more decent than violence."
Positive Role Models
a lot
Duncan and Jimmy don't just talk about supporting their candidate, they put in the time as volunteers for Stein's campaign. They work the phone banks, calling voters (some of whom responded with hate filled homophobic slurs), asking them to support Stein, and on election day, Jimmy passed out food and water to people waiting in line to vote. When confronted by hate at school and at the rally in Topeka, Duncan, Jimmy, and their God Squad friends try to be compassionate ("They're not all bad," Duncan reminds himself) towards people who show nothing but anger towards them.
Diverse Representations
a lot
While the novel does reflect the diverse racial and sexual identities of the world in 2024, it can feel as if too many boxes have been enthusiastically checked. Jimmy has African, Indian, Irish, French and Catalan grandparents and great grandparents. Keisha is an Afro Chinese lesbian and Gus is Duncan's "favorite Mexican American gay Jesus freak post-consumer activist." The stories behind the naming of four characters will likely be lost on teen readers. There's a boy named Sue (Johnny Cash recorded the classic "A Boy Named Sue") whose father is transgender. Triplets Glen, Gary, and Ross (Glen and Gary are gay and Ross is straight) seem to echo the 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross about New York real estate salesmen. Duncan and President-elect Abraham Stein are gay and Jewish and Vice President-elect Alice Martinez is Black and Latina. Sara is White and a lesbian and Mira is nonbinary and uses "they." Elwood comes from a small town and, against his parents' wishes, wants to become Jewish. Duncan and Jimmy's Christian classmates are divided between the socially liberal and politically conservative. Mandy and Janna, two of their God Squad/Jesus Revolutionaries friends, join them on the trip to Kansas.
Readers will learn that Topeka, Kansas was the home of Linda Brown, the young Black girl whose fight to attend the all-White elementary school nearest her home resulted in the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling (Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka) that made racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Duncan explains the meaning, history, and celebration of Passover to a boy who wants to become Jewish.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that David Levithan's Wide Awake Now is a "rewrite" of his 2004 novel Wide Awake. While the characters and storyline remain the same, the first novel revolved around a presidential election set in a future 2024 and Wide Awake Now is set in present day 2024. America has chosen Abraham Stein as its first gay Jewish President, but the Governor of Kansas is refusing to certify Stein's win and demanding a recount. Sixteen-year-old boyfriends Duncan and Jimmy volunteered in Stein's campaign and when Stein calls for his supporters to travel to Kansas to protest the recount, the two join a group of high school friends to make the trip to Topeka. For Duncan and Jimmy, Stein's election is about more than politics, it's also about validating their worth as young gay men. There are homophobic slurs (signs say "God Says F-gs Should Die" and "Go Home Jew F-gs - This Country Isn't 4 You") and some mild profanity ("damn," "s--t," "bastard"). A verbal confrontation turns into a fight that's broken up by police. Duncan and Jimmy are sexually active (with sex implied but no body parts or acts described in detail) and two girls are in a long term relationship until one cheats. Characters are White, Jewish, gay, lesbian, nonbinary, Black, Mexican American, Afro Chinese, and Black and Latina. Christian teens at Duncan and Jimmy's high school are both socially liberal and politically conservative.
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
WIDE AWAKE NOW begins after the election of Abraham Stein, America's first gay and Jewish President. For Duncan, Jimmy, and their high school friends, it's a great day. For the Decents, a movement of people that stoked fears about trans people and people of color, and tried to impose their ideas of what America should be on the educational system, it's a huge defeat. Students who supported the Decents are angry. When the news arrives that the Governor of Kansas (which Stein won by 76,000 votes) is confiscating voting machines and organizing a recount, the Decents feel empowered and one boy now feels free to call Jimmy a "f-g." Stein announces he's going to Kansas and asks his supporters to join him. Together with a group of friends (gay, straight, lesbian, non-binary and Jesus Revolutionaries) Duncan and Jimmy make the long trip to Topeka, Kansas. As the days pass and a million people stream into Topeka, there are clashes both verbal and physical between Stein supporters and the Decents. But it's an act of kindness by the friends that may have the most impact on the outcome of the election.
This mix of gay love story and political activism should have been a winner, but it's brought down by an uneven storyline that's more frustrating than inspiring. For teens who follow the news and relish the rough and tumble of current day politics, Wide Awake Now should give them lots to think about and discuss. Readers whose anxiety level rises any time the subject of politics is brought up should probably take a pass.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why it was important for the characters in Wide Awake Now to travel to Topeka and stand up for what they believed. What would you be willing to do for a cause you believe in?
Is it difficult for you to feel compassion for someone who doesn't share your beliefs or values? Why or why not?
If you could vote in the next election, what would be the most important issues for you?
Available on:
Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
June 10, 2024
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
