Wide Awake

I can't believe there's going to be a gay Jewish president.

As my mother said this, she looked at my father, who was stillstaring at the screen. They were shocked, barely comprehending.

Me? Some of our fellow students walked by us and smiled. Others scoffed or scowled-there were plenty of people in our school who would've been happy to shove our celebration into a locker and keep it there for four years.

It was only by one state, one of them grunted. Only a thousand votes in Kansas.

Yeah, but who also got the popular vote? Mandy challenged.

The guyjust spat on the ground and moved on.

Did he really just spit? Janna asked. Ew. Can you believe it? I'd asked.

I am so so so happy, he'd answered.

And I was so so so happy, too. Not only because of the election but because I had Jimmy to share it with. I had two things to believe in now, and in a way they felt related. The future-that was it. I believed in the future, and in our future.

I love you, he'd said at the end of the call, his voice bleary from the hour but sweetened by the news.

I love you, too, I'd replied. Good night.

Very good night.

Now I wanted the continuation, the kiss that would seal it. The green states had triumphed, the electoral college was secure, and I was in love with a boy who was in love with me.

Somewhere Jesus is smiling, Janna said.

Praise be, Mandy chimed in.

Keisha and Mira joined us in the halls, fingers entwined. They looked beamy, too.

Not a bad day for gay Jew boys, huh? Keisha said to me.

Not a bad day for Afro-Chinese lesbians, either, I pointed out.

Keisha nodded. You know it's the truth.

We had all skipped school the previous two days to get out the vote.

In the not-too-distant future, when a gay Jewish man is elected president of the United States, sixteen-year-old Duncan examines his feelings for his boyfriend, his political and religious beliefs, and tries to determine his rightful place in the world. Reprint.

In the not-too-impossible-to-imagine future, a gay Jewish man has been elected president of the United States. Until the governor of one state decides that some election results in his state are invalid, awarding crucial votes to the other candidate, and his fellow party member. Thus is the inspiration for couple Jimmy and Duncan to lend their support to their candidate by deciding to take part in the rallies and protests. Along the way comes an exploration of their relationship, their politics, and their country, and sometimes, as they learn, it's more about the journey than it is about reaching the destination.

Only David Levithan could so masterfully and creatively weave together a plot that's both parts political action and reaction, as well as a touching and insightfully-drawn teen love story.

From the Hardcover edition.

\David Levithan is a children's book editor in New York City. The author lives in Hoboken, NJ.

From the Hardcover edition.