★★★★★
Destination Unknown by Bill Konigsberg
Published on September 6, 2022
by Scholastic Press
Genres: Young adult fiction, LGBTQ, gay, queer, historical fiction
“Just another part of the gay world. Deny people the right to be who they are and any reasonable outlets for expressing themselves and they will find them or create them anyway.”
Synopsis
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 that 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.
“That’s what they do. They steal our stuff, they make it their own by stripping out the true meaning, and they don’t give a fuck if we die.”
My Thoughts
This book wrecked me in ways similar to last week’s Pride Month Reads selection, When You Call My Name. Write a gay YA book set during the ‘80s that grapples with the AIDS crisis and I will not be too far behind.
What I liked most about Destination Unknown, other than the pop culture references and passion for ‘80s music, is how much it touches on the idea that behind every confidently flamboyant gay man is a sense of fear they choke down every single day.
C.J. Gorman knows a thing or two about what it means to be “out,” but it doesn’t make him any less afraid. At a certain point, every queer person struggles with the notion that you can spend our entire lives in fear, or we can fake a sense of confidence in our queerness until it’s not fake anymore, despite existing in a world where governments let the AIDS crisis go unchecked because of which members of the population it was killing.
There’s also an immediate sense that Destination Unknown is a very personal story for the author, which is what makes it heartfelt, poignant, and swoonworthy in all the right ways. I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a good dose of heartbreak, puppy love, and ‘80s nostalgia.
“‘I’m constantly afraid,’ he said. ‘Almost exclusively. Not being afraid and not giving a fuck are two different things.’ ”
If we aren’t already, let’s be friends on Goodreads!
When you shop through affiliate links on this page, I may earn a commission.
Jeffrey Reads 