Ziggy, Stardust and Me

By: James Brandon

Narrated by: Tom Picasso

In this tender-hearted debut, set against the tumultuous backdrop of life in 1973, when homosexuality is still considered a mental illness, two boys defy all the odds and fall in love.

The year is 1973. The Watergate hearings are in full swing. The Vietnam War is still raging. And homosexuality is still officially considered a mental illness. In the midst of these trying times is 16-year-old Jonathan Collins, a bullied, anxious, asthmatic kid, who aside from an alcoholic father and his sympathetic neighbor and friend Starla, is completely alone. To cope, Jonathan escapes to the safe haven of his imagination, where his hero David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and dead relatives, including his mother, guide him through the rough terrain of his life. In his alternate reality, Jonathan can be anything: a superhero, an astronaut, Ziggy Stardust, himself, or completely "normal" and not a boy who likes other boys. When he completes his treatments, he will be normal - at least he hopes. But before that can happen, Web stumbles into his life.

Web is everything Jonathan wishes he could be: fearless, fearsome, and, most importantly, not ashamed of being gay. Jonathan doesn't want to like brooding Web, who has secrets all his own. Jonathan wants nothing more than to be "fixed" once and for all. But he's drawn to Web anyway. Web is the first person in the real world to see Jonathan completely and think he's perfect. Web is a kind of escape Jonathan has never known. For the first time in his life, he may finally feel free enough to love and accept himself as he is.

A poignant coming-of-age tale, Ziggy, Stardust and Me heralds the arrival of a stunning and important new voice in YA.

©2019 James Brandon (P)2019 Recorded Books

WOULD BE A PERFECT FILM

Reading this book, I could see it clearly in my head, it's so incredible. I would love to see this turned into a film... Probably a semi musical like when Jonathan talks to Ziggy in his imagination or something like that...

BEST. BOOK. EVER.

first of all, the narration was perfect. I really felt like he matched the character well. as for the book, I am not joking when I say this is the best book I think I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Jonathan, the main character, has such an interesting and incredible mind I felt transported while listening. and then THERES THE STORY!! the representation of internalized homophobia is so important and accurate and just crazy to read it all put into words. and the fact that it represents indigenous (and queer) people in a way that doesn't stereotype makes it feel so genuine and I really appreciate the time and authenticity the author put into this book. I've read this book so many times and recommended it to anyone who would listen to me talk for more than 30 seconds. it's so good I cannot stress it enough.

almost too real

tw: conversion therapy, rape, violence
this was a wonderful story and I appreciate how indigenous culture was represented (however clunky it might seem as well as told from a white protagonist's perspective). Personally for me a lot of the parts were hard for me to hear, so I had to skip through them to avoid triggers. (spoiler) The only part I really rolled my eyes at was that the guy got arrested because of a "good cop". Justice for assault victims are slim to none. Otherwise I loved I
it and will definitely return to this one.

A Beautiful Story

A beautiful story about how far we've come as a society and much more we need to accomplish for equality for all walks of life. This was an eye opener about the 70's time period and beautiful love story.

Finally

Finally a love story worth reading, been waiting for this one very heartfelt and beautiful

Beautiful

please, listen to this. beautiful. absolutely beautiful. for a representation of gay struggles, and the beauty and pain of love. truly a remarkable experience. a pleasure to hear. beautiful.

Ziggy Stardust and Me

Absolutely incredible book. Very insightful. Gripping and intense, funny and whimsical. Would definitely recommend. Fantastic!

beautiful and so important

I can't tell you how much I loved this book. the 1970s was a hard decade for the LGBT community as it was considered a mental illness during that time. I loved the friendship between stara and Johnathan they were so funny. the friendship and love story of Jonathan and Webb its natural ,beautiful and I really wish there was a sequel I really need one!

Eye opening!

As an lgbt person myself, I’m moved by this book and the struggles my community faced and still face today. This book spreads light on those issues and hopefully helps some people realize there’s nothing to fix because they’re not broken.