Product Description

BREATHE is the story of a teenage boy's struggle to keep his sexuality a secret from his devout religious family and homophobic friends. BREATHE, which is set against the backdrop of contemporary city life and hip-hop culture, is written with a passion and verve reminiscent of James Earl Hardy. A realistic portrayal of the isolation, angst, and mental turmoil of a young African-American male coping with his sexuality, BREATHE is a magnificent work of American fiction. Blair R. Poole's prose undoubtedly leaves you anxiously turning the pages to find out the protagonist's Fate. And, after you read it, you'll truly want to breathe!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #465425 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Customer Reviews

... for every teen ... and those of us who remember.
Just by the cover one can see its a slick urban tale.

Nafiq Johnson-Blair R. Poole's protagonist, described as "the quintessential hip-hop teenager", with his corn-rows, timbs, and throwback jersey-could almost be a caricature of a black male urban youth. A high-school basketball star, his future looks bright, if he can only keep his attraction for boys under the radars of his friends at school, his teammates, and his uber-Christian family ... all of whom are beginning to wonder about ol' boy's curious behavior.

I liked Nafiq from the start. He reminded me of the boys in high-school whom I fantasized over ... and yet remained invisible to. The popular boys, the jocks, the ones destined to win `Best Looking' or voted `Most Likely to', the ones girls primped for and giggled about. Even the brooding ones, who kept to themselves yet emitted a pheromone trail of danger and pleasure which led me around like a bloodhound. Yeah. Nafiq was all of that and a box of chocolates ... and everything I needed when I was young, lonely, and confused.

Sorta like 'Breathe'.

I'll never know what effect reading this in high-school would have had on my life. Maybe I wouldn't have done this or that. Maybe I wouldn't have believed I was doing something wrong for as long as I did. Maybe I wouldn't have been so self-destructive. Maybe.

One thing is for sure though: Blair R. Poole crafts a lyrically slick urban tale for every teenager with unwanted desires ... and those of us who remember those angst-ridden days and nights, when we thought we were going straight to Hell. ~ Taylor Siluwé, author of Dancing With The Devil

(RAW Rating: 4.5) - Running From Secrets
Blair Poole's debut novel BREATHE is a compelling story about Nafiq Johnson, a teenager who by most accounts has everything going for him. He is a star athlete, a straight A student, hip, popular, and handsome. As the story opens during his birthday party, Nafiq seems unusually aloof and unhappy. This is in spite of the fact that he is surrounded by friends and family, and has captured the heart of the prettiest girl in school. The reason Nafiq is so withdrawn is because he has a secret that is getting harder and harder to hide. The secret is his attraction to men and he tries to do all he can to hide that fact from everyone who knows him. Leading a double life is difficult and as a result, true happiness always seems just outside of his reach. As the story unfolds, his inner turmoil about his sexual orientation and his attempts to keep them a secret are revealed. But how long can he keep up the act? And if he is true to himself will he be accepted?

BREATHE is a thoughtful tale about the struggles of a teenager who in the end, only seeks to be truly and unconditionally accepted. The story is honest, candid, and bittersweet. Blair Poole built a strong primary character and then provided just enough detail about most of the secondary characters that they could be understood. The plot was well-paced and had just enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and engaged. While this book features a teenager as its main character, I wouldn't consider it a teen book because it includes some rather descriptive (although brief) sex scenes, and drug and alcohol use. My only disappointment was with the book's ending, which I felt was a little rushed and definitely left room for a sequel. Overall, this was a very impressive effort from a first-time author, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Blair Poole.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

A Heartbreaking, Triumphant First Novel
As a person who has sons and who is very interested in sports, I was intrigued when I first saw the book Breathe. When I found out the material was gay-oriented, I was somewhat taken aback and didn't want to read it. But I picked it up again, and continued to read it, and I came to the conclusion that Breathe was not a gay story. It is a human story. Blair R. Poole has done a good job of writing about Nafiq, a teenage high school basketball star who struggles with questions of sexual identity. But he has also portrayed a middle-class African American family whose struggles with Nafiq's emerging identity are just as anguished as the teen's own. There is much tension and conflict in this book, and as in real life, much of it never gets resolved. This is a great first novel, or novella, as the author has dubbed it.