i was talking about Julian (the love interest in CEMETERY BOYS) today and I wanted to talk about Bad Boys in YA, our expectations, and how society labels boys (ESPECIALLY Boys of Color).

i know we love Brooding Bad Boys in YA — like, SAME — but that is NOT Julian Diaz...

at the beginning of CEMETERY BOYS, Yadriel has only heard rumors about Julian that amount to the same thing: he's Bad, he's Trouble, he's Dangerous.

Julian's Bad Boy label has been put upon him for several reasons:

a big one is that Julian is EXTREMELY hyper and can't sit still. he's got too much energy and his attention is fleeting, so lecture style classes are NOT for him, which teachers interpret as him "rebelling".

SO OFTEN kids get labeled as "bad" students just because they have trouble focusing/staying on task in class, and this is especially true for boys, and even MORE SO for boys of color.

Julian also talks really loud — i dont know about y'all but in my latinx family, if you're not loud, you're NOT HEARD. in order to get any attention or for people to listen to you, you gotta raise your voice!

that's gotten him the label of being "disruptive in class".

i bet if you think about your time at school, the "bad boys" or "trouble makers" in your classes probs had similar traits.

when kids get these labels, it tells them they're not Good and it's a vicious cycle. those labels follow them through school and they get written off.

i wanted to explore these expectations and stereotypes that society places on these kids, just bc their learning style or behaviors don't fit what society has decided are "good".

this disproportionately happens more often to boys of color.

they're not bad, they just haven't been given the right resources. and structured classroom learning doesn't work for everyone, AND THAT'S OKAY! but often it's easier to dismiss them than put in the work to fit their specific needs.

when Yadriel gets to know Julian, he sees he's just a boy who is super hyper, talkative and — okay yah he can DEF be obnoxious — but he's also kind, loyal and would do anything for his friend, including die for them.

Julian is a Bad Boy, but only bc society has decided he's one.

unfortunately, if you're looking for a brooding, mysterious Bad Boy with a dark and twisted past, Jules ain't it.

BUT if you're looking for a chaotic Scorpio who's a terrible singer and loves FIERCELY, get your hands on a copy of CEMETERY BOYS and meet Julian Diaz!