Getting It by Alex Sanchez was a quick, light read, but it had a very positive message—a message that teens as well as adults could stand to receive. Getting It revolves around the life of Carlos, a fifteen-year-old guy who comes to understand that getting something isn’t nearly as important as giving.Carlos wants a girlfriend. Bad. His buddies all brag about their latest hookups, but Carlos is a virgin, and he doesn’t see that changing anytime soon. He’s obsessed with gorgeous Roxy, but he knows he has no shot at her. He’s a slob with bad skin and no confidence. Is there any way to change his image and get the girl of his dreams? There just may be…Carlos decides to seek the help of the only openly gay guy in school, Sal (because everyone knows that guy guys know about being clean, neat, and fashionable). Sal agrees to help Carlos in exchange for a little cash and his assistance in starting a Gay-Straight Alliance at their school. Even though Carlos worries that everyone will think he’s gay, he agrees to Sal’s terms.As Sal works his magic, and Carlos begins to notice changes on the outside, it seems the inside might be changing as well. Yes, he’s still obsessed with Roxy, but he’s also coming face to face with homophobia among his friends and classmates. His time with Sal has made him realize the power of words, and how gay slurs, even when directed at straight people, are not okay. But Carlos is still uneasy about his friendship with Sal and forming a GSA at school. Can he overcome his own issues and step up for the friend who has helped him so much, or will he always be worried about what other people think? Will Carlos ever get the girl, and, if he gets her, will it really make him happy? Join Carlos on his journey of self-discovery when you read Getting It by Alex Sanchez.Even though some of the pop culture references in this book are a little dated—particularly the nods to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy—and some stereotyping of gay men, the book’s message is really timely. If you keep up with current events at all, you know that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people are fighting alongside their straight allies for equal rights. There have been great strides recently, but there is still work to be done. Getting It brings that fight to a high school setting. Even teenagers, gay and straight alike, can do their part to battle against homophobia (and they might just teach us adults a few things along the way).If you’d like more information about Getting It or author Alex Sanchez, visit http://www.alexsanchez.com/default.asp.
This book is about a boy named Carlos Amoroso who wants to get in this one girl's pants (have sex with her), Roxy is the girl's name. He was inspired by the TV show "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy" to get a makeover from a gay senior at his school named Sal, the catch is that Sal will hep Carlos only if he helps him start a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Club. Not knowing what the catch is Carlos agrees.After Sal and his boyfriend Javier help him buy his clothes, cut and streak his hair, and clense his face, he gets noticed by Roxy. He IM"s with her throughout many nights before she IM's asking him if he would like to come over to her place, but that he would have to hurry because her mother would be back soon with her little brother, he was estatic because he would be alone with Roxy in her apartment.Later on Carlos and Roxy get together one more time, where she almost gets into his pants but her mother comes home and ruins everything. Roxy ignores Carlos for a while until he confronts her and asks her why she stopped talking to him, she told him that he was just a "Hook-up" and that she didnn't want anything from him, she just wanted sex.He then falls for Espie another girl who is helping Sal with the GSA.Roxy then IM"s him asking if he would like to come over, he tells her NO.I thought that this book... was interesting, I mean I did not expect there to be any kind of sexual contact in this book at all, maybe a little bit of the characters saying what they wanted but not really visualizing it happen. It was a little disgusting, but nevertheless the book was good and I wouldn't mind reading it again.
Do You like book Getting It (2006)?
Alex Sanchez has a talent for heavily hinting at interesting and nonconventional endings for his novels, and then disappointing you by not going there. For example, Getting It. (view spoiler)[I understand that the annoying main character Carlos had to remain straight in order to maintain the veneer of a lesson that hanging out with gay people doesn't make you gay, but his interest in his funny, attractive gay classmate, Sal, seems romantic at times, and, gosh darn it, you want them to end up together. (Though Sal would have a bit of a raw deal there, perhaps.) Sal sparkles, as all romantic leads should (in the sunlight?), and all the scenes without him are dull. Sanchez's only(?) straight-centered coming-of-age makes straight relationships, straight sex, and straight BOYS seem totally unappealing. The makeovers are good, though (Carlos quickly turns into quite the metro, giving lectures about proper skin care regimens, etc. I don't know whether I love it or hate it). (hide spoiler)]
—Laura Hughes
This book was a quick read and was really great. Two things were particularly quality from my perspective: Carlos as a believable, round, and sympathetic character (you really feel bad for him at times, get a sense of the multiple levels of his identity, but also get annoyed with him too) AND the lack of usual predictability in the plot (there are a few good turns in here that keep you guessing). I found the mix of realistic teenage language & sexual content with polite respect for the audience to be comforting. As I was reading, I was definitely rooting for both Carlos and Sal; hoping that both of them would have their goals met! I loved the fact that this book was mostly about what it's like to be a teenage Latino boy worrying about normal HS stuff!I definitely want to read "The God Box" after reading this book!
—Bridgette Davis
Carlos has three best friends since childhood, Toro, Pulga and Playboy. He also has a crush on Roxy, one of the most popular girls in school, but he feels so ordinary and unattractive, so one day after watching a TV program called Queer Eye, he decides to gather up nerve to ask Sal, a gay guy, to help him with on how to get Roxy. As the story develops, Carlos starts changing his opinion toward his problems and his every day's life.This is the seventh book of Alex Sanchez's I've read so far, and none of his books get less than five stars from me. I mean, C'mon. He has talent on how to write a story that can catch teenagers' interest outside in or inside out. Each time I pick up his book to read, all my stresses seem to disappear and I start giggling with what happens in the story. He has never let me down with his books. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did.
—Menglong Youk
