I will think about The Town of Babylon for a long time.

This book is about the coming of age of a younger, gay, progressive Hispanic man as he returns to his traumatic home town, his family, his school mates and his first love after years of absence.
Personally, The book gives me thoughts of reflection. Unlike Andrés, I am white and at least 50 years older, but like him, I am gay, a professor (retired) and a progressive liberal. I relate to his social and political views and to how those views were and are and were and are not received by others during my life.
This book gave me opportunity to see myself in him both in both positive and less positive lights as he relates to others. Frankly, I glimpse in Andrés why conservatives might dislike liberals with our repulsion and instant judgment of conservative people, their views and actions. There were times in the book that I didn’t like Andrés, his inflexibility, his self righteousness judgment toward others even as I saw myself in him.
During the course of the book, Alex matures and mellows a bit. He becomes more human, more likable. Additionally, the book has opened my understanding of hispano Americans experience in our predominantly white culture.
I just finished this book but I will think about ‘The Town of Babylon’ for a long time and maybe I will be more understanding of both others and myself.

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Real life

I have never listened to or read a more real life novel in my life. This was raw, filled with emotion and connections to every character that anyone can relate to or understand. This book will stay with me forever in my mind. A truly wonderful story.

Not at all what I expected

I understood that this was a coming of age story about a young, gay, Hispanic adolescent but had I known that it would focus on gay sex with unrelenting detail I would never have bought it. I expected something much better and more nuanced. This book was simply salacious and boring.

Did I really like this?

There were so many parts of this book that I thought were honest and genuine and captured the inner turmoil of this 30-something Gay Latinx protagonist. But other parts seemed like the author pontificating on certain topics he found interesting, and while I generally agreed with the opinions, they didn’t always seem relevant to the story. Also, the main character isn’t likable, which isn’t a big problem, but takes away some of emotional impact.

Nice story

Solid characters, great time. Like grosse point blank but entirely different. Great hang out book.

Outstanding!

I loved this book. It may not be for everyone but there’s a lot to relate to in this novel. It’s a commentary on race, class, and homophobia wrapped into
a sociological look at the suburbs. It goes beyond the white picket fences and culdesacs and tells it from an immigrant family’s perspective.

Loved this book!

I loved this book filled with inner dialogue. For fans of The Heart’s Invisible Furies. I thought the audio performance was spectacular.