SuitabookI Can’t Even Think Straight
Dean Atta
- Reading
- Consider reading alongside the young person, pausing after difficult topics rather than predicting their impact. Discuss consent, privacy and stereotypes, and let them decide whether the verse format suits their reading rhythm.
- Themes
- Coming out and queer identity: Kai wants to come out at school; his best friend Matt fears consequences, while Kai’s mother is described as supportive of his queerness. The story appears to centre queer self-understanding and supportive relationships, while also showing fear and social pressure around disclosure.
- Race, heritage and assumptions: Kai has Greek Cypriot and Jamaican heritage, and the story explores assumptions about Black boys and Kai’s experiences as a biracial teenager. The book takes a critical view of this.
- Consent and harm: Consent, sexual assault, forced outing, anger management and therapy are identified among the novel’s themes. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- Content needing preparation includes homophobia, racism, racial profiling, forced outing, sexual assault and consent. Anger management and therapy are also mentioned; the intensity, detail and aftermath of these topics are not established.