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A review by betweentheshelves
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is my second time reading this, and I opted to listen to it this time. Which was an excellent choice! David Levithan is such a poetic writer, hitting such strong emotional beats in this book. And in light of so many kids and YA LGBTQ+ books getting silenced, the narration lens just hits so much harder. The older queer generation is imagining a world where the younger queer generation gets to be free. Or at least, freer than they were. And yes, that's the case in some instances. But it's also not the case as people are continuously trying to silence their voices.
This just makes me think about the fact that there was an article I read in the last year or so that said that we're in a sort of golden age for queer literature. Could that be the case? Maybe, I don't much pay attention to any sort of adult publishing market. But even if it is--queer literature has still been a major target in the rash of book bans that have been happening in the US over the last 4ish years. Not the only target, but you know. Definitely a major one. And it's books like this they want to get rid of; books that show queer teens that they're not alone. That show how hard it can be to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community. And I don't much think we're in a golden era of queer literature when there is a whole audience of queer books getting silenced.
Also: David Levithan has been publishing queer YA books for years. Since the early 2000s. Way before there was a boom in LGBTQ+ YA publishing (which still needs work!). And I'm pretty sure he's championed for way more queer books as an editor. I've read almost all of his books and it's his prose that always hits home for me. He's got a knack for writing emotional, poetic lines. Seriously.
Anyway, that was a bit of a rant, my apologies. But this book is lovely. It will spark excellent discussion at our Banned Book Club. And I'm glad I got to visit it again.
This just makes me think about the fact that there was an article I read in the last year or so that said that we're in a sort of golden age for queer literature. Could that be the case? Maybe, I don't much pay attention to any sort of adult publishing market. But even if it is--queer literature has still been a major target in the rash of book bans that have been happening in the US over the last 4ish years. Not the only target, but you know. Definitely a major one. And it's books like this they want to get rid of; books that show queer teens that they're not alone. That show how hard it can be to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community. And I don't much think we're in a golden era of queer literature when there is a whole audience of queer books getting silenced.
Also: David Levithan has been publishing queer YA books for years. Since the early 2000s. Way before there was a boom in LGBTQ+ YA publishing (which still needs work!). And I'm pretty sure he's championed for way more queer books as an editor. I've read almost all of his books and it's his prose that always hits home for me. He's got a knack for writing emotional, poetic lines. Seriously.
Anyway, that was a bit of a rant, my apologies. But this book is lovely. It will spark excellent discussion at our Banned Book Club. And I'm glad I got to visit it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Self harm