WIDE AWAKE NOW

In Wide Awake (2006), Levithan imagined a political gaytopia in a divided nation roughly 20 years in the future; now he reimagines this world during the election of the first gay Jewish president of the U.S. in 2024.

Readers encounter 16-year-old Duncan, who’s Jewish and reads white, and his boyfriend, Jimmy, who’s Black and multiracial. The opposition—fueled by hatred and bigotry—is angry about President-Elect Abraham Stein’s victory (by over 5,000,000 votes) and refuses to concede, demanding a recount in the deciding state of Kansas. When Stein appeals to his voters to come to Kansas to protest, Duncan, Jimmy, and their friends who volunteered with the Abraham Stein / Alice Martinez campaign enthusiastically decide to travel to Kansas to raise their voices. Duncan’s friend group is LGBTQ+ and racially diverse: For them, everything is at stake, democracy included. They understand that indignation is not enough; action is required. In the midst of everything, Duncan and Jimmy are at a crossroads in their relationship, wondering about their future, finding hope—or is it dying embers?—in each other’s love and lust. Levithan allows his imagination to soar, exploring the possibilities of what if that are grounded in a modern-day reality where identity, religion, and hatred combust, tearing the U.S. apart. He also dares to dream of what could be—what harmony and unity could feel like. What began in Wide Awake as a speculative story is now a tour de force come to fruition.

Emotionally charged, boldly confrontational, and brilliantly executed.