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February 2019 Book-et list: "Two Boys Kissing"

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While there are many honorable mentions in the search for the best LGBTQ young adult novel, the number one novel that every queer teen should read is David Levithan’s “Two Boys Kissing,” published in 2013. Before I get started, it’s good to note that the book cover is very in-your-face: a zoomed-in photo of, suitably, two boys kissing. So a word of caution: if you check it out, people are going to know what you are reading about.

The novel is told from the first-person perspective of an old and deceased generation of the LGBTQ community. They recount and comment on the experiences of the living members, the 21st century high-schoolers. With each story, the old generation makes a reflection, observing how they felt when they were in these situations and how they miss it. They are written like proverbs, offering advice and telling us, the reader, to notice and appreciate the overlooked.

“Two Boys Kissing” tells the story of LGBTQ people from beginning to present. As a member of this community, I was able to relate to the stories of ignorance and eventual love. I was able to feel sorrow for those who could not yet come out. I was able to yearn for the freedom that some boys were able to experience. While reading, I felt for every character. Every word on the page stayed in my mind like no other novel has ever done. Each reader will resonate with different things, but almost every personal experience is touched on: being accepted, thrown out, loved and ignored.

But it’s not just a list of gay proverbs. The suspense of the plot lines combined with the hesitation at the realization of what’s to come creates a massive build-up of emotions. I never knew what was going to happen to each of the stories or what proverbs the old generation would draw from the situation, but I was grateful for every one.

I most definitely cried more than once while reading “Two Boys Kissing,” and it was the only non-school novel in my possession that had sticky notes poking out the sides.

Every LGBTQ teen will find something that resonates with them through the wise narration. As Levithan writes, “This is how we understand. We wore your flaws. We wore your fears. We made your mistakes.”

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