Boy Meets Boy

         Bibliography: Levithan, D. (2003). Boy Meets Boy. Ember. ISBN: 9780375824005  

         Plot Summary: Paul is a normal high school boy in a school that's not quite normal. The cheerleaders ride motorcycles into the gym. The quarterback is a drag queen. He hates his ex-boyfriend and wants nothing more than to move on.  And when he meets Noah, he thinks he has.  But when Paul makes a stupid mistake, he needs to decide what's really important to him, and what he can do to fix things with Noah.

          Critical Analysis: Regardless of sexuality, any teen reader can relate to this book.  Gossip, ex-boy/girlfriends, high school drama, a broken heart and stressed frienships are all things teenagers go through. Though the characters ethnicities are never discussed, the book still demonstrates diversity in orientation with gay, straight, bisexual and drag characters. None of these are depicted in a stereotypical way which helps the reader to relate to any of them. The book is somewhat idealistic (I believe that was intentional) as there is no mention of bullying anyone because of their orientation, there is some discussion of lack of acceptance as Tony's parents are critical of his homosexuality. There are some elements of suspense that keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat (I read the whole book in one sitting). As mentioned, the characters are all relatable which helps in creating empathy in the reader.  A great read. 

          Reviews:

          Kirkus Reviews: "With wry humor, wickedly quirky and yet real characters, and real situations, this is a must for any library serving teens."

         Booklist: ""In its blithe acceptance and celebration of human differences, this is arguably the most important gay novel since Annie on My Mind and seems to represent a revolution in the publishing of gay-themed books for adolescents."

           Awards:

           Best Book for Young Adults, 2004

           Lamda Literary Award, 2003

          Connections:

          Use in a high school studies class after a unit on discrimination. Read together as a class and discuss how their experiences are different than those in the book and how they are similar. Discuss possible reasons the author created a school free of discrimination.

     

     

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