Title
The Dangerous Art of Blending In
Publisher
Balzer & Bray
Publication Year
2018
ISBN
9780062659002
Pages
315 pages
Genre
realism
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
Evan Panos's strict immigrant Greek mother sees him as a disappointment. His workaholic father is a staunch believer in avoiding any kind of conflict. And his best friend, Henry, has somehow become distractingly attractive over the summer. His only escape is drawing, in an abandoned monastery that feels as lonely as he is. And Henry makes Evan believe that he deserves more than his mother's harsh words and terrifying abuse. As things escalate, Evan has to decide how to find his voice in a world where he has survived so long by being silent.
Grade Level
6-8; 9-12
Lexile Measure
HL500L
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Culture/Ethnicity; LGBTQ (Gender and Sexuality); Family violence; Bicultural; Gay/Lesbian; domestic abuse; physical abuse; abusive parent; abusive mother; violent parent; rage; bicultural teenager; gay; gay teenager
Main Character
male teenager
Race/Ethnicities
Greek / White
Family Formation
mother and father
LGBTQ+
gay male
Keywords
religion; Christianity; high school; small town; Illinois; Greek family; teenage romance; church; self acceptance; artist; homophobia
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Surmelis, Angelo, "The Dangerous Art of Blending In" (2018). DIVerse Families. 1484.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1484