AUDIOBOOK
About
From the acclaimed author of the YA graphic novel Flamer, comes a gorgeous, heart-warming adult debut following four gay Asians as they navigate love, identity, and friendship in Seattle during the early aughts.
When AJ arrives in Seattle, naïve and eager for a new, gay, life, he has no friends, no job, no money. His first apartment sits so far north of the gayborhood that "not even lesbians live there." Leaning into his identity for the first time in his life, AJ he walks past the velvet rope into his first gay bar and discovers what he moved across the country to find: gay men who are out, proud, and unashamed.
That first night, a chance spilled drink unites him with new group of friends, also of Asian descent: K, ethereal drag queen, activist, matriarch; John, introverted gaymer who doesn't feel seen in real life; reckless Steven, who wields his good looks to secure validation via sex (whites only, please); and Tai and Eddie, the "perfect" Chinese-American couple. Together, this "Boy Luck Club" helps AJ navigate his new semi-fabulous life, with its equal trials and unbridled joys. But just as AJ begins to find his way, a devastating attack splinters the group, and tests everything each one of them knows about love, friendship, and family.
A meticulously observed, gorgeously-crafted snapshot of gay culture in the pulsing early years of the tech boom, Gaysians renders its hilarious, flamboyant, human protagonists with love and individuality, showing tenderly the particular joy of queer friendship and yearning. Mike Curato is the author and illustrator the children's book series Little Elliot. He has also illustrated What If... by Samantha Berger, All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle, Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian, The Power of One written by Trudy Ludwig, If I Were a Fish by Corook and Olivia Barton, and contributed to What's Your Favorite Color? by Eric Carle and Friends, Sunny Day: A Celebration of the Sesame Street Theme Song, and Dear Heartbreak: YA Authors and Teens on the Dark Side of Love. Publishers Weekly named Mike a "Fall 2014 Flying Start." In the same year he won the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show Founder's Award. Mike's debut young adult graphic novel, Flamer, was awarded the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Young Adult and the 2021 Massachusetts Book Award for Middle Grade/Young Adult. Gaysians is his adult debut. Praise for Gaysians:
"I've been hunting for books like this my whole life; this story broke my heart and healed it."-Maia Kobabe, author of Genderqueer Praise for Flamer:
"This is a story that will be read and reread, and for some, it will be the defining book of their adolescence."-Kirkus (starred review) "This book will save lives."-Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author of National Book Award Finalist Hey, Kiddo "Masterfully nuanced and stunningly told, this is visual storytelling at its finest."-Booklist (starred review) "Mike Curato knows [boys] like Judy Blume knows a teenaged girl, and that's quite a bit."-NPR "An essential book that shows readers that they are never alone in their struggles."-School Library Journal (starred review)
When AJ arrives in Seattle, naïve and eager for a new, gay, life, he has no friends, no job, no money. His first apartment sits so far north of the gayborhood that "not even lesbians live there." Leaning into his identity for the first time in his life, AJ he walks past the velvet rope into his first gay bar and discovers what he moved across the country to find: gay men who are out, proud, and unashamed.
That first night, a chance spilled drink unites him with new group of friends, also of Asian descent: K, ethereal drag queen, activist, matriarch; John, introverted gaymer who doesn't feel seen in real life; reckless Steven, who wields his good looks to secure validation via sex (whites only, please); and Tai and Eddie, the "perfect" Chinese-American couple. Together, this "Boy Luck Club" helps AJ navigate his new semi-fabulous life, with its equal trials and unbridled joys. But just as AJ begins to find his way, a devastating attack splinters the group, and tests everything each one of them knows about love, friendship, and family.
A meticulously observed, gorgeously-crafted snapshot of gay culture in the pulsing early years of the tech boom, Gaysians renders its hilarious, flamboyant, human protagonists with love and individuality, showing tenderly the particular joy of queer friendship and yearning. Mike Curato is the author and illustrator the children's book series Little Elliot. He has also illustrated What If... by Samantha Berger, All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle, Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian, The Power of One written by Trudy Ludwig, If I Were a Fish by Corook and Olivia Barton, and contributed to What's Your Favorite Color? by Eric Carle and Friends, Sunny Day: A Celebration of the Sesame Street Theme Song, and Dear Heartbreak: YA Authors and Teens on the Dark Side of Love. Publishers Weekly named Mike a "Fall 2014 Flying Start." In the same year he won the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show Founder's Award. Mike's debut young adult graphic novel, Flamer, was awarded the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Young Adult and the 2021 Massachusetts Book Award for Middle Grade/Young Adult. Gaysians is his adult debut. Praise for Gaysians:
"I've been hunting for books like this my whole life; this story broke my heart and healed it."-Maia Kobabe, author of Genderqueer Praise for Flamer:
"This is a story that will be read and reread, and for some, it will be the defining book of their adolescence."-Kirkus (starred review) "This book will save lives."-Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author of National Book Award Finalist Hey, Kiddo "Masterfully nuanced and stunningly told, this is visual storytelling at its finest."-Booklist (starred review) "Mike Curato knows [boys] like Judy Blume knows a teenaged girl, and that's quite a bit."-NPR "An essential book that shows readers that they are never alone in their struggles."-School Library Journal (starred review)
Related Subjects
Reviews
"A full cast brings this graphic novel to life on audio. Author Mike Curato narrates in an innocent tone as AJ, who is new to Seattle and anxious to break into the gay dating scene. When he crashes into a gorgeous drag queen, K, she sweeps him into her "Boy Luck Club." Nicky Endres brings elegance to their portrayal of K, who mothers the group of gay Asian friends while hiding her own pain. Earl T Kim voices John, a gamer with a deep, resonant voice and major insecurities about crushing on his flirtatious roommate, Steven, who is depicted with skill by Dustin Vuong Nguyen. The story shifts among the various points of view, giving a window onto the characters' past lives, and their futures together. E.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine"
AudioFile