Title: BABY BE-BOP
Author: Francesca Lia Block
Series: book five of Weetzie Bat
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 112
Publication Date: 1995
Price: $7.50 CAD, $5.99 USD, £5 GBP
Status: keeper, in omnibus
Amazon Info
LibraryThing Info
MISSING ANGEL JUAN wasn't so hot the second time through. BABY-BEBOP, however, was still just about the best thing ever.

WEETZIE BAT begins with Weetzie and her best friend Dirk searching for love on the streets of Los Angeles. We learn an awful lot about Weetzie, but Dirk remains something of a mystery. This book thrusts him into the limelight. It's set a year or two before he and Weetzie entangle their destinies, and focuses on his struggle to accept his sexuality and embrace his story.

And it's heartstoppingly gorgeous. It really, really is. Block's very best books focus on their characters' emotional lives, above all else, and I'd say this is pretty damned close to being her best book. (GIRL GODDESS #9 and I WAS A TEENAGE FAIRY also do it for me in a big way). It drew me straight in and held me tight from the first page to the last. The damned thing demanded that I read it in one sitting, that I allow myself to become fully immersed in Dirk’s story. I felt what he felt. I saw what he saw. Some parts affected me so much that I found myself sobbing wretchedly.

It meant so much to me that I don’t even know where to start. Do I want to ramble on about Block’s imagery? She’s in top form here, that’s for sure. Or would I rather go on and on about how beautifully she deals with the themes of self-acceptance and love? Maybe I should talk about how much I value the role stories play in Dirk’s quest for identity? There’s so much to love here, so much that leaped off the page at me and made me take notice.

The bottom line is, it's a gorgeous book that sweeps you up and carries you along and just dunks you straight into Dirk's world in the most involving way possible. It's a deeply personal read, and is tailor-made for anyone who's ever struggled with anything about themselves. Dirk's particular insecurities stem primarily from his sexuality, but his desire for acceptance is universal.

I really can't recommend this book highly enough. And since it's a prequel, you don't need to have read the rest of the WEETZIE BAT books to get something out of this one.

(And, as was the case with MISSING ANGEL JUAN, it’s both easiest and most economical to get it as part of an omnibus. It’s collected in both DANGEROUS ANGELS and BEAUTIFUL BOYS. And I’ll be hella surprised if your library doesn’t have a copy).

Other Reviews:

I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the hell do I read?
things mean a lot (also covers the other DANGEROUS ANGELS books)

If I've missed yours, please let me know!