Module 4: Ask the Passengers

Book Summary: Astrid Jones and her family live in the small town of Unity Valley. She likes to look for airplanes in the sky and send the passengers love from far away. This is her reprieve from the narrow-minded viewpoints and gossip of her town. Her mother, father, and sister are all too involved in their own lives to recognize that Astrid spends time thinking about people–airplane passengers–that won’t judge her. She has a secret relationship with Dee, a girl she works with at a restaurant. Dee is more experienced and confident about her sexuality. Astrid, is unsure of her sexual identity, but in the process realizes that she does not have to label herself. Socrates acts as her personal philosophy guide throughout her personal discoveries. When Astrid gets busted with her friends at a known gay club in town, the reactions are varied. Astrid's family is surprised and it turns out that the homecoming queen and king are actually both gay and covers for each other in the small town. When this information gets around school, Astrid manages to sidestep any major issues with her town's small-mindedness. In the end, she discovers her own version of love and acceptance.

APA Reference of Book:

King, A.S. (2012). Ask the passengers. New York, NY: Little Brown.

Impressions: I think the struggle of determining your identity, both outwardly and inwardly, is not without questions. This book handles Astrid’s struggles in a realistic way that made me want to find out how she would resolve her questions and search for truth. Astrid's mother comes off like the class drama queen in the story and I consider her the weakest character.  When Astrid cannot decide whether or not she is gay, you understand as a reader it is because a committed response, either way, is not without its repercussions. If Astrid decides not to embrace her sexual identity, she risks alienating the girl she cares about, Dee. If Astrid decides to come out fully, she understands that her classmates and her family may not understand or be supportive. Her father acts more sympathetic than Astrid's mother, who believes that Astrid's behavior (when she gets busted at the gay club) makes her look bad. Further, Dee is on the same field hockey team as Astrid's sister, Ellis. Ellis is furious with Astrid because she gets ridiculed because of her sister. Astrid does not feel sorry for herself, however. If anything, she becomes more confident with her decision to come out and the relationship she has with Dee becomes more true because of Astrid's acceptance of herself. I thought the most poignant part of the plot was Astrid's friend Kristina getting outed at the gay club.  Kristina and Justin are the homecoming queen and king and covers for each other. They are popular and well-liked, but once their classmates finds out they are gay, the two go into hiding. For Kristina, it is practically the end of the world that she is outed. Her confidence crumbles when she doesn't have a cover. I find it interesting because as Astrid is coming to terms with her sexuality, the reader gets a glimpse at cowardice of not being true to yourself and the complications that ensue. This story is a lot about perception. The devices of adding various passengers within the story and their smaller stories is somewhat problematic because it is difficult to discern  how their stories relate. It is not until the end, when a passenger is going to "gay camp" because she is forced by her mother. She is frustrated and sad, but decides to send love to someone down below to hold onto for a bit.

Professional Review: 
"The heart of the novel is Astrid's coming out, which is nuanced, thoughtful, and thought-provoking in all the important ways. Her rejection of labels allows readers to feel more comfortable with the ambiguity Astrid faces; it makes her coming out feel new, interesting, and engaging--and extremely personal. Her relationship with Dee is complicated and gratifying reading; Dee takes advantage of more experience to try to pressure Astrid into having sex. When Astrid calls her on it, we get a chance to actually see teens navigating the Awkward Sex Talk--it's so sex positive, so respectful, and so mature. (Oh, and contrast this complicated subtle relationship with the school's handling of Tolerance Day. That right there is subtle, smart, and makes me want to give this book a shiny sticker.)" (Couri, 2012, http://blogs.slj.com/printzblog/2012/12/28/ask-the-passengers/)

Couri, S. (2012, December 28). [Review of the book Ask the passengers, by A.S. King] Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/printzblog/2012/12/28/ask-the-passengers/

Library Uses: This title would be on my recommends list for LGBTQ titles. It is a book that digresses about the issues that go with identity and sexuality as a teenager. I think many teens and adults could identify with Astrid's confusion about the intricacies of relationships and search for her identity.