Rag and Bone

I think that it was very significant for me to read this novel. While I do have a best friend that is gay, I didn't have a real grasp for the problems and the inner struggles that many people of different sexual orientations go through. I think understanding the history behind the AIDS epidemic really opened my eyes as to how exactly AIDS is stereotyped in the gay community, and the effects that has on the people that get stigmatized. Most importantly, I think this book was good to read because so many people in Oklahoma have a close-minded view of homosexuality. So many think that "those people" need to find God, as though their sexual orientation completely eliminates any possibility that they might in fact have a religious set of beliefs. I think that Elena is the perfect example in the book; she has her way of life, and yet she has made her peace with God so that she does not feel like a hypocrite or is turning against her religion.