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booksanddoggo 's review for:
Not So Pure and Simple
by Lamar Giles
Wow. I thought this would be a sort of lighthearted look at a teen boy trying to be celibate, in a sort of comedy-of-errors type way. Instead, it was a nuanced and empathetic look at religion, sex ed, teenage pregnancy, and teenage slut-shaming and dating culture, especially “nice guys” and how toxic masculinity is passed down from fathers to sons.
There is so much going on here, but it all feels so natural and understandable and never preachy — the main character, who really feels like a real person, learns valuable lessons from the women around him, but not in a way where they feel like two-dimensional learning opportunities. This is a “teen boy” book with so many multifaceted female characters (the sister! I was obsessed), and for that alone it stands apart. When you add in all the work it does and how valuable it could be for teens to read? It’s honestly amazing.
I highly recommend this. Also, I cried!
TW: discussion of (attempted/interrupted) sexual assault, sexual harassment, and homophobic & misogynist/slut-shamey public shaming. Also, generally I would say that it can be very difficult and frustrating as an adult woman to read the kind of casually sexist stuff the main character and his friends think, say, and do. It’s all eventually addressed/challenged, though.
There is so much going on here, but it all feels so natural and understandable and never preachy — the main character, who really feels like a real person, learns valuable lessons from the women around him, but not in a way where they feel like two-dimensional learning opportunities. This is a “teen boy” book with so many multifaceted female characters (the sister! I was obsessed), and for that alone it stands apart. When you add in all the work it does and how valuable it could be for teens to read? It’s honestly amazing.
I highly recommend this. Also, I cried!
TW: discussion of (attempted/interrupted) sexual assault, sexual harassment, and homophobic & misogynist/slut-shamey public shaming. Also, generally I would say that it can be very difficult and frustrating as an adult woman to read the kind of casually sexist stuff the main character and his friends think, say, and do. It’s all eventually addressed/challenged, though.