S.W. Ballenger delivers a way groovy M/M LGBTQ YA love story with “A Gay Polyester High School Romance”, set in the days of long hair and bellbottoms of 1973. This novel is adorable and cute and it will deliver nostalgia for those old enough to remember 1973 and will satisfy those thirsty to spend time in the era of hot rods, 8-track tapes, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Robert Redford and The Jackson Five. I was 10 years old in 1973 and remember it well, and like our two 15-year-old heroes, Shawn and Brad, I also sat through many screenings of “American Graffiti”. Our boys have been best friends since single digits and now they are horny adolescents looking to pop their cherries. Their dedication to each other is unquestionable but both boys are noticing some tingly feelings in each other's presence and, well, it just doesn’t make sense. The book does a beautiful job examining the adolescent search for sexual identity. Shawn is handsome and from a wealthy family and a hot prospect for the girls at this Connecticut public high school. Brad comes from a poor family and has an abusive stepfather. Brad's sexual identity search is farther along than Shawn's. Brad is close to full acceptance internally of his homosexuality, and he is far gone for Shawn. Shawn is attracted to girls but doesn't understand why his looks linger on naked boys in the school showers and why he feels a butterflies are free sensation around Brad. Shawn's mom is a therapist, so he brings hypothetical questions to her. Shawn slowly realizes that he is bisexual and in love with his best friend. Kudos to Ballenger for tackling the issue of bisexuality in this early 70s tale. Bisexuality has been misunderstood and denied by some in the Gay community, and to see this book give bisexuality the respect it has deserved but not always received, especially in 1973, is a glorious detail of this book. Homophobia is certainly still about in 2020, but the point has to be made that being LGBTQ was anything but cool or trendy in 1973. Stonewall was only four years in the past and an event that was not well known outside the New York area. Physical bashing of LGBTQ is not uncommon in 2020, but trust me, it was guaranteed in 1973. Unless you were the bravest of souls, you would not be out of closet, would not be visibly dating someone of your gender, certainly no Gay PDA, and if you were LGBTQ you were likely drowning in self-hatred. We have come a long way, baby. Brad and Shawn go through the self-exploration, but any HEA will include only the most limited “coming out” – it would be a danger to their physical safety, and the majority of society openly hated homosexuality in 1973. But Ballenger's story beautifully explores identity issues that might be as old as time, but in a time much, much different than today. Ballenger is a talented wordsmith – the prose was as slick as the fat tires on the back of my brother's ’72 Dodge. The story is charming and as easy to consume as a Tootsie Roll Pop, and the world still may never know. There is a vacation to the Bahamas and a NYC penthouse hot tub starring tiny Speedo trunks. I adored a subplot involving Shawn's lookalike farm boy cousin. Culture is subjective, but I've lived nearly six decades and for me, nothing touches the 1970s in terms of cool. And Ballenger takes you there and for me, it felt authentically familiar. I consumed “A Gay Polyester High School Romance” with great pleasure, and I can believe I ate the whole thing.
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2020
