Great Book
I bought this book after reading a review on a random blog. I am so happy that I read the review and purchased this book. Even though a child of the 80's will get a flashback, those born after will still get a great story. I was not a band geek, but after reading this, I kinda wish I were.

More than High School Band and the 80s, a real, touching story
From most of the reviews of "Band Fags!" I've read it seems like the two things that readers comment on are High School Band and the 80s. While both are a part of the book, the novel is so much more. This novel is about finding yourself and the friendships you gain and lose along the way. It examines the complexities of relationships in the turbulent high school years.

This is the coming-of-age and coming-out story of a high school "band fag" who grew up with his best friend in the suburbs of Detroit in the 80s. The plot tracks a typical high school experience from year-to-year. The novel examines characters that might be gay, don't want to be gay, think that they may be gay, are gay-for-a-day, and every other way a kid can questions his sexuality. High school for many is an isolating and confusing time for many teens as brilliantly illustrated by the novel. "Band fags" Jack and Brad try to avoid the negative aspects of those years and while trying to navigate through their own issues and problems. A cast of interesting characters unite and divide equally the two friends as they try to figure out which are "like that" and which are not. The story ranges from sweet and touching to heartbreaking and hilarious. The novel is easy to read as it is told from the perspective of a high school boy who is writing exactly what he's thinking at the time.

This book will appeal to many different readers and will disappoint few. Anyone who was raised in the 80s will enjoy all the 80s references. Anyone in high school band will remember being called a "band fag" whether gay or not. Anyone from the Detroit area will know exactly all the places the author describes. Anyone who has been through high school will understand exactly what Jack goes through in this novel.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a good, interesting book that drags you in and keeps you there.

An engaging and thoroughly entertaining gay coming-of-age epic
First, a note to readers who may be turned off by the title: This book is not just about teens in high school band (for those not in the know, "band fags" has been used by kids in various cliques to describe all members of the high school band, not just gay ones). This novel includes a wide array of characters. As the old saying goes, "Never judge a book by its cover." That being said, "Band Fags" is a truly inspired title and, more important, a truly inspired book. And it is epic in size and scope, following its protagonist, Jack, from junior high through the day he leaves for college. The book is about Jack's inner turmoil, his struggle with his sexuality. And it's about friendship, from a best friend relationship through good friends and peripheral friends. The author brings to life fully realized and easily lovable characters. And he posits them in situations that are so very true to life. The primary thrust of the work is the relationship between Jack and his best friend Brad. It's emotional, honest, engaging and wonderful. The only fault with the book, however, is the next-to-last scene between Jack and Brad. Jack really should have been shown to openly and clearly embrace the truth he finds. Instead, he leaves it up to the reader to draw the conclusion. While the conclusion is pretty obvious, it would have been better, keeping with the spirit of the book and the subject matter, to see Jack embrace who he is, and especially communicate that clearly to best friend Brad, who knows himself very well. Still, the novel is so genuine, so spirited and so much fun that such a fault does not detract from the overall read. This is a great gay coming-of-age tale, a must-read for fans of this genre. And if you were or are a band fag, this is required reading!

Great book
This book was so evocative of my high school days as a band fag. It was a compelling story, with great characters who I wanted to learn more about. I highly recommend reading this one.

Those Glorious 80's
For those of us Gen Xer's, the 80's, a much maligned area, played a significant role in our development ... Reagan, AIDS, Madonna, Dallas, and the premiere of MTV. It's a wonder any of us survived this decade, much less thrived in it. But somehow we did, such as the characters did in Frank Polito's new book, the appropriately titled "Band Fags".

Polito takes us on a journey in what appears to be a semi-autobiographical journey through his adolescence in the Detroit suburbs. He writes about Jack, a top-notch student, lead trumpet player, and questioning homosexual, and a bevy of friends that accompany Jack through his school years. His first and foremost friend is Brad, whom he meets almost casually, but then develops a quickly close relationship that somehow only teens seem to be able to pull off. Brad, discovering his sexuality and accepting it quickly , poses an unspoken threat to Jack, who seems to exhibit signs of "gayness" but is ultimately unsure of his path. The duo form an interesting pair, and it's their story that really drives you through the book.

True to high school, Polito throws in a bevy of friends, characters that sometimes get confused, despite his attempt to clarify them through Jack reminding you of who was who. Soon, however, the important ones bubble to the surface, as Jack goes through different events that shape his social standing with the groups. As Jack reunites with a former best friend Joey, and develops a crush on him, the "am I" or "am I not?" question rears its ugly head in an all too familiar and painful way. Ditto with another guy he develops a crush on, Tom. How many of us developing homosexuals fell in love with our best friends who were straight? The pain was intense, and captured well by Polito.

The 80s feature prominently in the book, but I felt sometimes it was too much. Especially at the beginning, Polito had 80s cultural references on nearly every page. At first, it was a fun walk down memory lane, but then it became a little too much. Fortunately, Polito eases up a bit with them as he allows his story to progress. Also, not being familiar with suburban Detroit, Polito's insistence on including driving routes around the area, and specific place names, made the reading drag a bit; although I imagine that people from that area love that aspect!

Overall, Band Fags was a easy, and very enjoyable read. You find yourself rooting for Jack, even in his less positive moments, because overall, anyone who was gay has been in his situation before. And as you turn the last page of the book, you find yourself wondering what happened to Jack in college ... and what happened to Brad ... and you realize this book is absolutely begging for a sequel.