Baby Be-Bop by Francesca Lia Block
Joanna Cotler Books, New York, 1995
ISBN: 0-06-024879-3

Plot Summary:
Dirk lives with his grandmother Fifi in Los Angeles. His parents died when he was young, and Dirk has always known he was different. When he meets Pup, they hit it off right away and become best friends and the coolest guys in school. Then Pup gets a girlfriend and he drifts away from Dirk, suspecting that Dirk loves him, and perhaps being afraid of his own feelings for Dirk.

Dirk gets involved with the punk rock scene, and ends up getting beat up pretty badly by three skinheads after a show. While Dirk is unconscious, he is visited by Gazelle, who turns out to be his great grandmother. She tells him the story of her life, and his grandma Fifi's story. Then he is visited by his parents. His father, Dirby, tells Dirk the story of how he met his mother. Then Dirk is flashed into the future where he sees Duck, a surfer from Santa Cruz who has moved to Los Angeles because he knows his mother will not accept him being gay. Duck seems like Dirk's perfect match. When Dirk awakens in the hospital, he knows Duck is out there, waiting for him, and he is filled with hope again.

Critical Evaluation:
This is a beautifully written story. I was not expecting the magical realism aspect, but it was a nice escape, and kind of turned the story into a fairy tale. I'm not sure how many teens would appreciate it. The ones I've met prefer ultra-realistic fiction or complete fantasy. This book was somewhere in-between and might be confusing for some teens at lower comprehension levels. But older teens and adults who enjoy lyrical writing would definitely appreciate the book.

Block kind of beats the reader over the head with her message that we must all tell our stories in order to heal. She draws parallels to gay people and Jews who survived the concentration camps, which I'm not sure is entirely apt, but I suppose gets her point across. We can all gain some healing by telling our story. The only problem I have with that, is that we get very little of Dirk's story, and I'd like to get to know him much better. Half of the book is Dirk listening to the stories of his ancestors and his future soul mate. His story is still left to be told.

Reader’s Annotation:
Dirk knows he is gay and thinks he is keeping it a secret. He will soon find out that all of his ancestors already know, and he is not going to be alone.

Information about the Author:
Francesca Lia Block is the author of many books for young adults living in Los Angeles, including Weetzie Bat and Witch Baby. She has received the Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement award and the ALA Phoenix award for Weetzie Bat.

Genre: fiction, fantasy

Curriculum Ties: none

Booktalking Ideas:
I would introduce Dirk and his playing with a toy train on which men are all taking a shower together and his grandmother realizing he is probably gay. Then I would talk about the isolation he feels after being abandoned by Pup and soon after getting visited by his ancestors who need to tell their stories.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
I would recommend this book for ages 16 and up.

Challenge Issues:
This book would be challenged for its depiction of homosexuality and drug use. I would explain the library's selection policy and give the challenger a complaint form to fill out.

Why I chose this book:
I chose this book because I knew Block was a popular young adult author and this book in particular was mentioned in the genre presentation of controversial literature.