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A review by protoman21
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
4.0
I'm glad books like this are being written, and I enjoyed seeing several perspectives on what it is like to be a young gay man today, and although I wasn't a big fan of the ghost narrators of gay men past, I did like that history was represented and you got an idea of what came before and how it was vastly different and hard in different ways.
Craig and Harry are the central characters in the story, though their big dramatic gesture took away from their personal moments because they couldn't speak to their families. I love world records and contests of endurance though, so this was the storyline that kept me the most interested.
Cooper's story was painful in its reality. You could see the pain in his every action, but also the truth in them as well. Levithan didn't shy away from presenting the ugly side of a young man's mind and what depths he will sink to in order to feel something.
Ryan and Avery's story was cute and it was fun seeing a gay couple meet and flirt just like a straight couple or any couple would. The transgender issue was touched on here, but a big deal was not made of it, which is ok, since it doesn't have to be a big deal and maybe that was the point Levithan was making, but it just seemed to be skimmed over rather quickly. I was happy to see the intense bullying scene resolved in a realistic way.
The thing that stood out the most to me in Neil and Peter's story was when Neil came out to his family. Even though they already knew and it was just an unspoken thing between them, it was very powerful to see him confront them about it and make them speak the words out loud. I was crying to myself when his mother finally broke down that last wall and admitted the truth.
A very important book and one that throws itself out there in a way that cannot be denied. I wish everyone could read this book with an open mind and heart.
Craig and Harry are the central characters in the story, though their big dramatic gesture took away from their personal moments because they couldn't speak to their families. I love world records and contests of endurance though, so this was the storyline that kept me the most interested.
Cooper's story was painful in its reality. You could see the pain in his every action, but also the truth in them as well. Levithan didn't shy away from presenting the ugly side of a young man's mind and what depths he will sink to in order to feel something.
Ryan and Avery's story was cute and it was fun seeing a gay couple meet and flirt just like a straight couple or any couple would. The transgender issue was touched on here, but a big deal was not made of it, which is ok, since it doesn't have to be a big deal and maybe that was the point Levithan was making, but it just seemed to be skimmed over rather quickly. I was happy to see the intense bullying scene resolved in a realistic way.
The thing that stood out the most to me in Neil and Peter's story was when Neil came out to his family. Even though they already knew and it was just an unspoken thing between them, it was very powerful to see him confront them about it and make them speak the words out loud. I was crying to myself when his mother finally broke down that last wall and admitted the truth.
A very important book and one that throws itself out there in a way that cannot be denied. I wish everyone could read this book with an open mind and heart.