Rainbow Boys Series

1. Rainbow Boys (2001) - Selected as a 2002 “Best Book for Young Adults” by the American Library Association; a 2003 “Young Adults’ Choice” by the International Reading Association; and a finalist for the 2001 Lambda Literary Award for Children/Young Adult
   Jason Carrillo is a jock with a steady girlfriend, but he can't stop dreaming about sex...with other guys.
   
   Kyle Meeks doesn't look gay, but he is. And he hopes he never has to tell anyone -- especially his parents.
   
   Nelson Glassman is "out" to the entire world, but he can't tell the boy he loves that he wants to be more than just friends.
   
   Three teenage boys, coming of age and out of the closet. In a revealing debut novel that percolates with passion and wit, Alex Sanchez follows these very different high-school seniors as their struggles with sexuality and intolerance draw them into a triangle of love, betrayal, and ultimately, friendship.

2. Rainbow High (2003) -- Finalist 2003 Lambda Literary Award for Children/Young Adult
   Jason Carrillo, the best-looking athlete in school, has had his eyes on the prize from day one: a scholarship for college.
   
   But then his eyes turn to love -- and Kyle.
   
   Kyle Meeks, swim team star and all-around good guy, is finally in the relationship he wanted. Being in love feels so good, in fact, that he can't imagine giving it up to go to Princeton.
   
   Something he's worked for his entire life.
   
   Nelson Glassman, outgoing and defiant, might be HIV positive. Jeremy, the boy he loves, is HIV positive. Although Nelson fears testing positive, if he is infected Jeremy might stop protecting him and pushing him away.
   
   They can be together.
   
   High shool's almost over. Graduation is ahead. Life's a bowl of cherries, right? Right...

3. Rainbow Road (2005) -- Finalist 2005 Lambda Literary Award for Children/Young Adult
   Jason Carrillo came out to his basketball team senior year and lost his university scholarship. Now, with graduation behind him and summer ending, he's asked to speak at the opening of a gay and lesbian high school across the country. But after spending years in the closet and losing his scholarship dream, what message can he offer?
   
   Kyle Meeks is getting ready to go to Princeton in the fall and trying to see as much as possible of his boyfriend Jason before they have to separate. When Jason tells him about his speaking invitation, Kyle jumps at the chance to drive across country with him. Yet he can't help worrying: Will their romance survive two weeks crammed together in a car?
   
   Nelson Glassman is happy his best friend Kyle has found love with Jason. Now he's looking for his own true love -- and hopes he might find his soul mate during the road trip. But will being the "third wheel" in a trio ruin his friendships with Kyle and Jason?
   
   During an eye-opening post graduation summer road trip, each of the three very different boys also embarks on a personal journey across a landscape of love, sexuality, homophobia, and above all, friendship.

Other Fiction

• Bait (June 9, 2009 release)
  When a guy in his class looks at him funny, Diego punches him in the face, and ends up on probation. At first he wants nothing to do with his probation officer. But as Diego starts to open up, he begins to realize that Mr. Vidas is the first person in his life who ever really wanted to listen to him. With Vidas's help, Diego begins to make real progress in controlling his anger. He even opens up enough to tell Vidas about the shark tooth that his stepfather gave him that he uses to cut himself. But only if Diego can find the courage to trust Vidas with the darkest secrets from his past will he be able to heal completely.
  
  In this bold story of a boy trying to grow beyond a painful past, award-winning author Alex Sanchez calls upon his personal experience as a probation officer to reveal the complexities of one of his most genuinely realized characters to date.

• So Hard to Say (2004) -- Winner 2004 Lambda Literary Award for Children/Young Adult
  When Frederick shows up at school, Xio is thrilled. The new boy is shy, cute, and definitely good boyfriend material. Before long, she pulls him into her lively circle of friends.
  
  Frederick knows he should be flattered by Xio's attention. After all, she's popular, pretty, and a lot of fun. So why can't he stop thinking about Victor, the captain of the soccer team, instead?

• Getting It: From Make-over to Making Out (2006) -- Nominated 2006 Lambda Literary Award for Children/Young Adult
  He clicked on Queer Eye, a show where five gay dudes gave some grungy straight guy a makeover -- plucking his nose hairs, redecorating his apartment, and teaching him to bake a quiche -- so he could confidently propose marriage to his girlfriend and she'd tell him "yes." Which, of course, she did. On TV the guy always gets the girl.
  
  As Carlos watched, he recalled Sal, the supposedly gay guy at school. It was then that the idea first popped into his brain: If Sal truly were queer...could he possibly help Carlos?...Nor to propose to Roxy, of course -- at least not yet -- but to get her to maybe like him?

• The God Box (2007)
  How could I choose betwen my sexuality and my spirituality, two of the most important parts that made me whole?
  
  High school senior Paul has dated Angie since middle school, and they're good together. They have a lot of the same interests, like singing in their church choir and being active in Bible club. But when Manuel transfers to their school, Paul has to rethink his life. Manuel is the first openly gay teen anyone in their small town has ever met, and yet he says he's also a committed Christian. Talking to Manuel makes Paul reconsider thoughts he has kept hidden, and listening to Manuel's interpretation of Biblical passages on homosexuality causes Paul to reevaluate everything he believed. Manuel's outspokenness triggers dramatic consequences at school, culminating in a terrifying situation that leads Paul to take a stand.
  
  Lambda Literary Award-winning author Alex Sanchez tackles a subject ripped from the headlines in this exciting and thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be both religious and gay.

Nonfiction

• Rumbo Al Exito: Una Guia Para Juntas Directivas De Organizaciones Sin Fines Delucro (1997) with Paquita Bath
  A guide for boards of directors of organizations.

See also:

• 13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen (2003), James Howe, ed.