The Mariposa Club

González, Rigoberto. The Mariposa Club.

New York, N.Y.: Alyson Books, 2009. Print.

ISBN: 9781593501068

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The Mariposa Club

Written by Rigoberto González

Reviewed by Korinna Alvarez

At Caliente Valley High School, there isn’t much room to be different. Actually, in the entire city of Caliente Valley, the people do not seem too eager to change their ways like the rest of the world seems to be doing. This is why the Fierce Foursome—Maui, Trini, Lib and Isaac—find their way to express themselves in a variety of different ways. Rigoberto Gonzalez takes a deep look into what it’s like to be gay and seventeen in a community where this lifestyle is not easily accepted. Gonzalez shows how even though all four teens are gay and best friends, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are going through the same hardships. The Fierce Foursome is a group of four boys with completely different personalities, yet who share the same understanding of their sexual preference and how their city views them.

At seventeen, Maui is still very unsure of himself. He may excel in school and get along with his teachers, but he still has a hard time accepting that his fellow mariposas can be so sure of themselves and where they want to go in life when he is so unsure of himself. Trini, on the other hand, is quite set in her ways. Yes, her ways. She walks around in female clothing and has no problem telling people what’s on her mind. She understands the difficulties she will face living her life in Caliente Valley and doesn’t seem to mind too much. As the youngest of the group, Lib knows he will go far; graduating a year early to be with his mariposas and becoming valedictorian are only two of the great accomplishments he achieves. Although Isaac may seem to have his head on straight about his future, his relationship with his father takes a turn for the worst, which changes the Fierce Foursome for good.

The Mariposa Club is important for teens to read and understand for a few different reasons. Although written through the perspective of only one of the Fierce Foursome, it still brings about very important topics. It’s one thing for a seventeen year old to deal with finding himself and how he belongs in this world, but something completely different when that seventeen year old is gay and gets treated differently by almost anyone regardless of who he is on the inside. González doesn’t hide what these boys feel and think; there isn’t much restriction when it comes to what the boys say and talk about. That’s exactly the point, though; to show readers that even though the Fierce Foursome may be attracted to the same sex, they are essentially dealing with the exact same adolescent problems as everyone else. Teenagers can relate to these boys that call themselves girls on that level, just like most adults can also think back to times that can relate to them as well.

View González’s website.

Listen to an interview with González.

Gonzalez was Poet of the Month, May 2010.