Mike Curato

Award-winning author and artist Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in Flamer, his debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love. "This book will save lives." —Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author of National Book Award Finalist Hey, Kiddo I know I’m not gay. Gay boys like other boys. I hate boys. They’re mean, and scary, and they’re always destroying something or saying something dumb or both. I hate that word. Gay. It makes me feel . . . unsafe. It's the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone's going through changes—but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can't stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.

Flamer

Award-winning author and artist Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in Flamer, his debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love. I know I’m not gay. Gay boys like other boys. I hate boys. They’re mean, and scary, and they’re always destroying something or saying something dumb or both. I hate that word. Gay. It makes me feel . . . unsafe. It's the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone's going through changes—but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can't stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.

Ryan 

4.5 stars

CW: internalized homophobia, anti-Asian racism, self-harm, suicide ideation

fatru tamzil

"Even if they all forsake you, you ARE enough." 

:")

Lara Engle

Beautifully drawn and emotionally arresting, Flamer tells the story of a young man on the brink‐‐of high school, maturity, self- awareness, but also of self-loathing, anger, and desperation. He's not sure how to defend himself against the bullies who endlessly harangue him, partly because he's not even sure who he really is yet. So how can he defend against something he doesn't understand? This is an important story for young people who are trying to find themselves and also for those who care for young people. Through this book, we can all understand more and help those who need it.

renee badenoch

cw: depression, bullying, suicide 

SPOILERS

Flamer touched on a lot of subjects: bullying, body shame, depression, family dysfunction, and being gay and closeted. It was not an easy book to read; and I was impressed by Mike Curato's unflinchingness, particularly when depicting scenes of bullying. I wanted to reach into the book and give Aiden Navarro a hug so many times when reading this. 

I was particularly moved by a scene at the end when Aiden is contemplating suicide because he feels like no one loves him. He has a conversation with his soul, depicted as a body of flame. The soul reassures Aiden that he is loved by others in his life, but says, "Even if they all forsake you, you ARE ENOUGH." Though Aiden deserves love, his own life is not based on the value that others see in him, he is reason enough to save himself. The end of the scene shows Aiden merging with his soul and accepting the flame inside himself is a powerful, searing image. 

I suspect that Mike Curato might revisit Aiden's story when Aiden is in high school, and I hope he does. While I loved Flamer, I am hopeful for a sequel. I think it would be nice to show the way that depression (and suicidal thoughts) are not always "fixed," but a cycle of rediscovering reasons to live, and innate value within ourselves. I'd also love to see more of Aiden's coming out, finding new friends, and (hopefully) being able to receive mental health care aside from just having to figure everything out on his own.

Isabela H 

I absolutely loved the way that all of the subject matter was handled because you could really empathize with Aiden and his struggles. You root for him the whole time and want nothing but the best for this poor kid who's going through so much. I came away from this book with a much deeper understanding of the world around me, and I definitely recommend.

Samantha Holmes

Francis Buggey

i absolutely loved this graphic novel and the story it told. the art style and choice of coloring certain aspects in the story was beautifully done and felt really significant to me. on top of that, aiden's story and how he navigated summer camp while struggling with his identity hit super close to home for me and some other people i know. i truly did not know where the story was going, and i found myself anxiously turning each page to see what would happen. 4.5/5 stars

Caroline Lewicki

I haven’t cried reading a book in a long time but “Flamer” got me good. An uplifting, soul crushing, painfully relevant story and one that so many people experience. Curato touches on things men and boys are often told they don’t struggle with - body image issues, sensitivity, FEELING. All wrapped up in Aiden’s struggle with his sexuality and feeling morally good. The connection back to the Catholic Church hit me hard. This is truly a book that could save lives and one that I couldn’t put down. May have to buy this for my collection.

Alexis Aumagamanaia

I was provided with the eGalley of FLAMER through Macmillan Children's publishing group!

This graphic novel left me in tears. It details a week in the summer between Aiden Navarro's 8th-grade year and his first year of high school in which he grapples with his fear of his own sexuality and being different from kids his age. He feels like an outcast, alone in this world with no one to turn to. His home life isn't great and he is continuously bullied by his schoolmates and a few of the campers at his Patrol Troop Camp, and he has a crush on his best friend and bunkmate. 
Curato touches on heavy topics such as racism. coming to terms with your sexuality, body image, and suicide/suicidal thoughts.
The drawing style of the comic panels was perfect for the time period and it was an insightful look into the struggles of being a teenage boy, which I feel that we don't often get to hear about. It really lifted the curtains and gave a valuable glimpse into the psychology of these boys and showed that girls aren't the only kids struggling through puberty and transitioning from one learning environment to another. 
Everyone should read this!

Heather Killeen

Rating: 5/5 Fire Metaphors

Format: ebook. I’d like to thank FierceReads and Mike Curato for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

To sum up: 
This own-voices graphic novel is the story of Aiden Navarro, a young half-Filipino boy struggling with bullying and his sexual identity while at summer camp. Gorgeously illustrated, this is an emotional tale about the destructive power of homophobia and hate, but also about learning to find your inner fire, the life-saving power of friendship, and the importance of self-acceptance and love.

What I loved:
This story is set in the 90s and having grown up in the 90s myself, I could identify strongly with the pop-culture references, and the slang/slurs used during that era. This story totally summoned the past in my mind (all the great and ugly parts). Although I wasn’t myself a victim of bullying, I remember hearing a lot of this language while growing up and hating it, while simultaneously feeling like I had no power to change anything or help anyone. The emotional journey Aiden goes through was so powerful that by the end I was crying right along with him. So many young kids I grew up with (and hell, I did too) needed to hear messages of hope and acceptance that are found on these pages, so I strongly encourage sharing this book with young teens (see note at the bottom about mature content/trigger warnings).

The main character of this story is dealing with a whole host of issues and fears that felt completely realistic and relatable. He is afraid of starting high school because of the frequent racist and homophobic attacks he faces. He is also afraid of growing apart from his best friend and one shining light in his life. He is upset by issues with his parents, frustrated by his present and afraid for his future, he feels like all hope is lost. On top of all of that, he is confused by his feelings for other boys and what that means for his soul and his faith given his very Catholic upbringing. Aiden’s feelings of isolation, loneliness, and confusion are heart-breaking and totally understandable. 

 "I know I’m not gay. Gay boys like other boys. I hate boys. They’re mean and scary, and they’re always destroying something or saying something dumb or both.

“I hate that word. Gay. It makes me feel . . . unsafe.”

I also have to mention the art, which was absolutely beautiful. I loved the use of color (and lack of it), and fire being an image we come back to again and again. 

Overall, I’d highly recommend this emotional graphic novel. It’s a powerful story of love, bravery, and friendship overcoming hate, which is a much-needed message right now (and always)!

Trigger warning/mature content: homophobic slurs used, racist slurs and comments, thoughts of suicide, & masturbation.

Brianna Brown

Wow.
This was so incredibly moving and done so well. I wanted to reach into the pages and punch some bullies in the face and give our main character a hug. 
We follow Aiden navigating life, trying to figure out who he is through friendships and the church and boy scouts etc. So much of this story resonated with me and it was done brilliantly. Even the art style added so much. This was genuinely amazing. 

Do check trigger warnings if needed.

Flamer

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