7.8 /10 1 Votes
3.7/5 LibraryThing Series Rainbow trilogy Pages 256 pp Genre Young adult fiction | 4/5 Goodreads Language English Publication date October 2005 Originally published October 2005 Preceded by Rainbow High Country United States of America | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Publisher Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Media type Print (Hardback, Paperback) Nominations Lambda Literary Award for Children's/Young Adult Similar Alex Sánchez books, Young adult fiction books, Homosexuality books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rainbow Road is the third in a trilogy by Alex Sánchez; the first two books are Rainbow Boys and Rainbow High respectively. The three main characters Nelson, Kyle, and Jason, are on a road trip told from the point of view from each one of them the summer after they graduate from high school. It is the last time they will see each other before going off to college. They travel across the country so Jason can speak at a high school about coming out to his town and team on TV. They find a lot on the way, from a transgender Britney Spears look-alike to a gay seven-year-old named Esau.
Contents
Jason Carrillo
Jason gets asked to speak at the opening of a gay and lesbian high school in Los Angeles, but contemplates whether or not he should go since he Kyle is going away to Princeton in less than three weeks. He's also worried about maintaining his basketball scholarship to the local community college. During the trip, Jason constantly scuffles with Nelson over his flamboyant behavior since he doesn't want to cause any trouble. Jason also struggles with being attracted to boys as well as girls, which causes tension in his relationship with Kyle when a random girl kisses him. Towards the end of the trip, Jason realizes that while he and Kyle are different, they balance each other out. When it comes time for him to make his speech, he talks about how lucky he is to have people who accept him for who he is.
Kyle Meeks
After working for most of the summer, Kyle and Jason have spent barely any time together. When the idea of the road trip comes up, he jumps at the chance to spend more time with his best friend and boyfriend before heading off to college. But as the trip goes on, he begins to doubt the security of his relationship with Jason. He also worries about what will happen to Nelson if he's not there to look out for him. He learns that he has to let go and trust other people, especially those who he cares about most. And Jason and Kyle have sex again.
Nelson Glassman
When Nelson hears about Jason's trip, he proposes the road trip as a way to get out of town and have fun. He makes several attempts to hook up with various guys, but is unsuccessful. When they arrive in L.A., he meets a guy named Manny who works at the high school where Jason is giving his speech. They quickly develop a mutual attraction, and he decides to stay behind.