We finally had our June meeting in July due to schedule conflicts and class demands, but it was worth the wait. In honor of Pride Month (June) we had selected Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan. This is a book that we all felt was an important book for any teen.
Although the main character has known that he was gay since kindergarten and was the first openly-gay third-grade class president and has a truly accepting family, many of the other characters have deeper struggles. Paul, our main character, does have the one thing that is new to him, his first serious feelings for a boy named Noah. What starts out seeming a little too "perfect world" ends up being an uplifting and fun story with some very real moments in the book. One of the thoughts about the "too ideal" beginning was that the perspective of the book is told from Paul's perspective and for Paul, up until he meets Noah, things have been very easy and ideal. Even the character of Infinite Darlene, who seems over the top and in no way a possibility, develops into a real person, although a few of us still had a hard time wrapping our heads around her being both the Homecoming Queen AND Quarterback since we wondered just what kind of a body it would take to be both. The most grown up perspective comes from Tony who needs a huge amount of support from his friends but also needs to have a super amount of inner strength to deal with his parents, who don't accept him being gay but do really love him. His understanding of his parents actually gives him the courage he needs and the parents are not portrayed as terrible people. Kyle is probably the most confused of the characters and the one thing that seems to capture the essence of anyone coming to terms with their sexuality when they realize that they may not fall conveniently into a socially-acceptable norm.
The book deals with some very universal truths that anyone can understand and connect with... mainly, "The Crush". Who hasn't had a crush on someone? Who hasn't wanted to be with someone or been with someone that made their mind and heart race? Especially during the teen years? We all connected with this book on that issue alone.
Older teens may find it a bit to young for their reading level, but the enjoyment of a quick read is still worth offering this book on a reading list. Plus it remains one of the stronger GLBT books out there with a positive outlook. There is a lot to consider and think about within the mere 185 pages of this book!
Our leader for our book discussion actually developed a wonderful set of discussion questions that we hope to post soon.
Ok, fellow bookclub members... that's my wrap on the book. Have anything else to add? Please do! See you at the next meeting...
Next book: Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac
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