Check out our interview with Andrew Keenan-Bolger, the author of "Limelight."
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
My inspiration for "Limelight" was the New York I remember from the nineties. Grimier, louder, more dangerous, and somehow still full of wonder. My family moved to the city in 1996 so I could perform in my first Broadway show, and those memories are incredibly sensory for me. The crowds, the pace, the thrill of feeling anonymous in a place that seemed to reinvent itself overnight. I wanted to write a coming of age story inside that specific kind of electricity, when a neighborhood, a club, or even a version of yourself could be there one minute and gone the next.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
To me, Reading Rainbow means reading without shrinking. It means young people getting to see themselves on the page in a way that feels specific and true. It also means celebrating queer stories as part of our culture and our history, especially the stories that were interrupted, or never recorded. Pride is joy, but it is also memory and survival. Reading can hold all of that.
Why is representation so important when writing books?
Representation is important because it tells readers, you are not alone. For queer kids especially, stories can be the first place you find language for what you feel. They can also be a rehearsal space for living and a way to imagine a future when the world around you is telling you to stay small. Books shape the stories we tell ourselves about what is possible.
Tell us more about the book and why you decided to write it.
"Limelight" is a YA coming-of-age novel set in New York City in 1996. It follows a shy teen who earns a spot at LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts and gets pulled into a world of theater kids, ambition, chosen family, and first love. I decided to write it because I kept thinking about that moment in the city and what it meant for queer young people coming into themselves. So much queer history from that era is incomplete or missing, and I have always been drawn to the stories that never got recorded. I wanted to honor that world while it is still within reach, and to imagine the lives and love stories that might have unfolded inside it.
What can fans expect from your book?
They can expect a very lived in New York, a lot of theater, and a story that is both gritty and tender. There is humor, friendship, crushes, heartbreak, and that particular intensity of being a teenager in a place that never stops moving. It is a book about finding your voice, learning what you want, and realizing that the spotlight is not always about attention. Sometimes it is about finally being seen.
What’s next for you in the bookish world?
Right now I am focused on getting "Limelight" into readers’ hands and meeting as many librarians, booksellers, and teen readers as I can. I am also writing my next novel with my husband Scott Bixby, who spent many years as a journalist covering national politics, the White House and LGBTQ+ issues. I’m excited to keep exploring stories that sit at the intersection of queerness and art.
