From June 8th to June 15th, Thunder Bay is celebrating its 4th annual Thunder Pride. Full of events and activities culminating in a parade on June 14th. It is a event full of social inclusion and awareness for all members of the LGBT community. So in this week I will provide a few reviews of some books I have read over the months. Each is about some form awareness, coming of age, and acceptable of sexual orientation and identity. There is a great collection at the Thunder Bay Public Library, so come in and check it out.
To start off of the reviews, I am going to start off with one of my favourites. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. To me, it was a fantastic book, I just fell in love with. I enjoyed it so much that I went out and bought my own copy of it. Aristotle and Dante was one of those books that I sat down and read the book cover to cover. It even made me tear up a bit at the end, it was that good.
So, the book follows the story of the titular characters. Aristotle is an angry teen who is frustrated by life. Everything makes him mad, as every angsty teen boy is. Dante, on the other hand, is a know it all who looks at the world in the completely opposite way of Aristotle. The two start a very unlikely friendship and both soon realize how important their friendship means to them. Over the time of their friendship, the two learn many things about each other, themselves and the people they want to become.
The novel is all about their lives, from how they met, the events that shape them while becoming an adults and how they will turn out at the end of everything. It is an extremely heartwarming coming-of-age story about two boys, who are sort of outcasts of their area and learning how to cope, react and change. As the reader, you really connect to each of the boys, each of them quirky and relate-able in their own way. You can also feel the strong connection they have to each other and genuinely feel happy for them.
It is a very stylistic book, so if be warned when reading it. But, this is not your typical coming-of-age lgbt young adult novel. There’s not some gushy romance, no extremely unreadable events, just two boys finding how to be in the world they are given. The whole thing is such an experience and honestly tear jerking. I enjoyed it that much. This is a great lgbt young adult novel and a great way to start of your pride week reading.
Happy Thunder Pride!
-Eric Stein
Also, for events and activities check out the Thunder Pride Website : http://www.thunderpride.ca/
Thunder Bay Public Library's Book Blog 
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