Boy Meets Boy

Bibliography: Levithan, D. (2005). Boy meets boy. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Genre: GLBTQ

Reading Level/Interest Age: 13-16

Reader's Annotation: High school sophomore Paul has known he is gay since kindergarten, but it's never been a problem for him since he belongs to an accepting community that accepts people for who they are. But Paul's easy life falls apart when he meets Noah and struggles to figure out what it means to trust someone with his heart and be trustworthy in return.

Author: David Levithan (born September 7, 1972 in Short Hills, New Jersey) is an editorial director at Scholastic and the founding editor of PUSH, a young-adult imprint of Scholastic Press focusing on new voices and new authors. Levithan, primarily known for featuring strong male homosexual characters in many of his works, is the author of several young adult titles, including co-author of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which was released as a major motion picture in 2008.

Plot Summary: "This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.

When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he's found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul's not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.

This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world." (back cover)

Critical Evaluation: Levithan's universe in Boy Meets Boy is entirely unrealistic. I know of no school in America where a drag queen names Infinite Darlene could be the quarterback of the high school football team, especially when the team is comprised of heterosexual boys. Yet, that does not matter in the slightest. Because Levithan presupposes acceptance of alternative sexualities and gender identities, he is free to move beyond the stereotypical exploration of those issues that plague every other LBGQ novel I've ever seen. Levithan relegates the struggle against restrictive, heterosexual stereotypes to a subplot involving Paul's friend Tony, leaving Paul himself to deal with other struggles. I find that this is a clever move in a society where increasing acceptance of LBGQs means that they can no longer define themselves and their relationship with the world based solely on their sexuality or gender identity. Besides, Infinite Darlene is a whole lot of fun, as are many of Levithan's other characters in the novel. They are also believable and complex. I found myself wanting to know them more, as if they were people I had met in real life, and that more than makes up for the fantasy setting.

Curriculum Ties:

Book Talk Ideas:
• read scene when Paul meets Noah
• focus on painting music in Noah's studio
• focus on Paul and Noah's first date
• adapt scene where Paul pleads with Noah to forgive him outside Noah's house at night
• read the scene at the Dowager Dance
• focus on rescue of Tony

Challenge Issues: positive view of homosexuality, rebellious teens

Challenge Defense:
• Explain library selection policies
• Provide reviews of the book from reputable sources
• Explain library challenge procedures
• Offer challenge form

Why was this text included in this project? Breadth