24 November 2010 CROSSING LINES by Paul Volponi, Viking, June 2011, 256p., ISBN: 978-0-670-01214-5

"He mentioned the steamboats, soldiers, and soap, and called the baseball team the 'Red Stockings-slash-Reds.

'"Then Alan said, 'Cincinnati is also called the Queen City.

'"I almost fell out of my seat when he said it.

"Toby and a couple of other guys laughed out loud, and I swore I heard Marshall say 'ho-mo' inside of clearing his throat.

"'Quiet!  Quiet down! shouted D'Antoni, nearly losing his hippie temper.

"'May I continue?' Alan asked.  D'Antoni nodded to him.  'It was called the Queen City because it had so much growth and prosperity.  People were proud of it.

'"When Alan took a long pause, I thought he was finished.  But he stood up, turned to look at Marshall, and said, 'Now if you only had some growth, I mean more than just the hair on your upper lip, somebody might complement you sometime.

'"Marshall shot to his feet.  He almost had to.  He couldn't let a fag like Alan disrespect him that way in public.

"'You got something to say to me?' he challenged Alan with maybe ten feet separating them.

"Me and Toby jumped up out of our chairs and got in front of Marshall.

"'He's not worth it,' Toby whispered to him.  'Don't get kicked off the team over that mistake of nature.'"

Another day, another great read about unenlightened adolescents who just cannot deal with being in the same schoolyard as someone who is different.  You just know from the get-go that things will sooner or later be coming to a head. 

Paul Volponi has established himself as an author of straight-ahead, contemporary teen novels that are so easy to get caught up in.  CROSSINGLINES is one more reason why I am a guy who really likes this guy.

In CROSSINGLINES, the main character -- high school senior and offensive lineman, Adonis -- has a mother, a younger sister, and a girlfriend who all are enlightened and accepting of those who walk to the beat of a different drummer, and a father who walks the fine line between tolerance and ignorance.  And so it will be up to Adonis to decide for himself how to act in the face of his football team leader's planned attack on Alan, who begins getting called "Alana" when he comes to school wearing lipstick and, then, begins wearing dresses.

"I wonder whyI feel like lettingMy freak flag fly"-- David Crosby, "Almost Cut My Hair"

I still remember so well, four decades ago, wondering why my growing my hair long would cause some to become offended and offensive.  I'd think, how does my hair have anything to do with them?  Of course, it was a blessing for me: being a recipient of such ignorance causes one to subsequently recognize similarly ridiculous attacks on others for what they are.  They'll pick on someone because they are Black or Hispanic.  Pick on someone because they have braces.  Pick on someone because they are Islamic.  Pick on someone for just about anything.

Now it's up to Adonis to learn what I did.

"'I'm just a blocker, for whoever's carrying the pigskin.  That's what I do best.  I know it's not glamorous or anything.  It's more like grunt work.  But it's really important.  Without good blocking, the ball carrier would get creamed on every play...

'"I figure if I was meant to be a hero, I would be,' I said.  'I have this dream, though, that Ethan or one of the other guys fumbles.  I pick up the ball and dodge tackler after tackler, running it in for a touchdown.'"

Blink twice, and we'll be up to the tenth anniversary of 9/11.  What I found myself realizing back then, in 2001, was that I cannot begin to explain geopolitics to adolescents.  I can barely fathom it all myself.  But what I can hope for is that if teens can learn to accept differences at school, then they might eventually realize that the world is like one big schoolyard: a place where you can choose to be a follower of ignorant asses or a place to choose to stand up and make a difference.

It is up to Adonis -- and readers -- to be making such decisions.

Richie Partington, MLIS
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