Putting Makeup on the fat boy

Putting makeup on the fat boy
by Bil Wright
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011

Genre: Romance, Hispanic American Fiction

Honors:

ALA Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Award Literary Prizes - Booklist

Literary Prizes - Kirkus Reviews

Literary Prizes - Library Media Connection

Literary Prizes - Publishers Weekly

Review: Carlos Duarte is a gay teenager named who feels he is destined to become a famous makeup artist. When his best friend Angie suggests he channel his dream into an application for makeup assistant at a local Macy's store, Carlos resists at first, but when he hears about the number of well-known clients Macy's draws in, he decides to fake a resume and portfolio, with the help of his female friends, his sister Rosalia, and his high school first crush, photographer and punk rocker Gleason Kraft. Carlos uses his friends' support and trust to his advantage and some of his ideas land him the job, while others land him in big trouble, both with his new boss (otherwise known to Carlos as the archenemy standing between him and his dream) and some of his friends. He has other problems to deal with as well: his sister is dating an abusive, homophobic boyfriend who harasses Carlos frequently, and his mother and sister both have a hard time understanding his passion (and lack of girlfriend). When a famous actress appeals to Carlos for an emergency makeup job, Carlos lies, "borrows," and hopes for the best in order to make up for his prior mistakes. Readers will laugh aloud at some of Carlos' wild depictions of his clients and their pitiful, pre-Carlos-style makeup jobs.

Opinion: This is my first exposure to literature that is written from the perspective of a metrosexual teen, and for someone who is outside of that culture, Wright offers readers a chance to empathize with someone who is interested in culturally atypical activities for a male, while at the same time providing a positive image of a gay high school-aged boy who is able to be himself and follow his dreams (most of the time). I would recommend this book for older tweens based on some of the subject matter (there is a fair amount of violent encounters and some sexual references) and the fact that the protagonist is sixteen, but the language and plot are overall probably not too mature for younger tweens.

Ideas: Mainly I would love to put a book like this in an LGBTQ-themed display. It raises several questions about gay behavior that can be discussed in a group dialogue as well.