Sunday, May 11, 2014

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Two Boys KissingPublished: August 27th, 2013
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 239
Format: Paperback
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

The two boys kissing are Craig and Harry. They're hoping to set the world record for the longest kiss. They're not a couple, but they used to be.

Peter and Neil are a couple. Their kisses are different. Avery and Ryan have only just met and are trying to figure out what happens next. Cooper is alone. He's not sure how he feels.

As the marathon progresses, these boys, their friends and families evaluate the changing nature of feelings, behaviour and this crazy thing called love.


I was very impressed with this novel, I loved reading it. It was touching and heartbreaking, and absolutely wonderful. It is narrated by a group of gay men that have died from AIDS, etc. We get to know the stories of seven main characters, seen through the eyes of those who have died. Each of the stories are so touching and important, we see how some of them struggle and others don't, we see that it is widely exepted that they are gay and that it isn't, and all of the stories that David Levithan tell in this novel are so important and so beautiful in their own way.

I adored the characters and the voice of the nerration, and it is written so beautifully. I think it is an important book because it gives such a deep look into the struggles that some gay teens go through, it sheds so much light on issues that are pressing but are not being handled properly and it is just a great novel. It is sad in part but also optimistic in part and I loved that about it. Also, the way that Levithan writes it is so beautiful, of you are a person that loves beautiful quotes, this book is full of them. It is just a beautiful book and I think that while it can really help someone that is gay come to terms with themselves, people that are not gay can read it as well, because it has so many important messages embeded in it. Everyone should read this book - adults as well as teens.

“Love is so painful, how could you ever wish it on anybody? And love is so essential, how could you ever stand in its way?” 

“The first sentence of the truth is always the hardest. Each of us had a first sentence, and most of us found the strength to say it out loud to someone who deserved to hear it. What we hoped, and what we found, was that the second sentence of the truth is always easier than the first, and the third sentence is even easier than that. Suddenly you are speaking the truth in paragraphs, in pages. The fear, the nervousness, is still there, but it is joined by a new confidence. All along, you've used the first sentence as a lock. But now you find that it's the key.”

“Things are not magical because they've been conjured for us by some outside force. They are magical because we create them.” 

“You can give words, but you can't take them. And when words are given, that is when they are shared. We remember what that was like. Words so real they were almost tangible. There are conversations you remember, for certain. But more than that, there is the sensation of conversation. You will remember that, even when the precise words begin to blur.” 

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