M or F?
by Lisa Papademetriou and Chris Tebbetts
Razorbill/Penguin, October 2005. 304 pages.
ISBN: 1595140344
My rating:
Frannie shook her head. "There's nothing to know."
"That's so not true," I said. This was about the hundreth deep dark secret Frannie had ever told me, but as far as I knew, it was the first one she had ever held back before telling. That meant something. I tried wearing her down with a heavy stare for a few seconds but then realized something else.
"Wait a minute. This isn't just an eye candy thing. You're big smitten, aren't you?" That's why she wasn't talking. If silence speaks louder than words, right then Frannie's silence was saying crush, crush, crush, which is different than hot for, hot for, hot for. Hot was all she'd even been for anyone until now.
I walked my fingers across the table and up her arm. "So what are we going to do about this?" When I reached her ear, she squirmed off to the side.
"We," she told me, "are not going to do anything."
"Yeah," I said. "That's exactly the kind of line people give right before they do the thing they just said they aren't going to do."
"This is real life, sweetie," she said. "Not a movie. Remember?"
"It's the same thing," I argued.
--M or F?, Lisa Papademetriou, Chris Tebbetts, p. 4-5
Best friends Marcus and Frannie are "brain twins"--they think alike, can complete each others' sentences. They are both looking for love--and both looking for a boy. But when Frannie gets a crush on a cute guy, Jeffrey, she feels too insecure to make a move. Marcus encourages and pushes her, and finally helps her to talk to Jeffrey through the school chat board. But when Jeffrey continues those conversations, pretending to be Frannie without her knowledge, and finds himself falling in love with Jeffrey, things start getting complicated.
This is a funny, enjoyable book that moves quickly. The dialogue and thinking are refreshing, alive, and vibrant--and often have that gay twist that makes it seem that much more fresh. The dialogue also sounds current ("Um...ew?" p. 9).
The observations of the school and teen life feel real. Marcus being gay is slipped into the story naturally, as a regular aspect to his character, something that is just accepted. It is refreshing to read a book where the problem is not the character being gay.
The chapters move nicely between Marcus and Frannie, often picking up where the action or thought left off with the previous character. Marcus, especially, is so well drawn and unique that we know immediately when it is him talking, what he thinks, and what his problems are. He seems like the hero of the story. He also has depth and complexity. It's nice, too, how the reader can see that Marcus is lying to himself before he does.
However, Frannie does not feel like as full or real a character as Marcus does, or even as interesting. At times, she feels almost like a puppet for the authors, putting words into her mouth and using her to further the plot and contrast Marcus. This is most glaring when she discovers Marcus' betrayal of her trust; her responses don't ring true, and feel like an over-the-top support of the gay character and his situation without real balance.
Jeffrey, too, feels flat, even more than Frannie does. It was hard to see what Frannie saw in Jeffrey, beyond his looks, especially based on his interactions with her. Still, the rest of the book is so enjoyable and fresh that the overall enjoyment is not lost.
It is easy to have sympathy and empathy for Marcus; the book is slanted towards him, and we are in his head and awareness a lot. What helps reader sympathy even more is how the authors cleverly showed us in many ways that Frannie and Jeffrey were NOT connecting, even though they wanted to think they were. It is also clear that Frannie and Marcus have a strong friendship, and truly care about each other.
There are also a few plot events that feel slightly forced or unbelievable, but nothing that completely stops the forward motion of the story.
There are some nice showing-not-telling moments, especially when a character says and thinks one thing, but acts and feels another. There are also some hints laid out throughout the story that are fun to pick up on, and that help a reader figure out some secrets or guess what might happen next.
Marcus' actions and reactions, including his denial, feel very real. It is nice, too, that Marcus' being gay is not the issue of this book; his gayness is just an accepted part of him.
There is some good tension in this book, as well as intrigue and fun, and a nice movement toward the climax. And there are some great plot twists that add to the pleasure and satisfaction of the story.
Papademetriou and Tebbetts have done a great job at producing an enjoyable, fun story with some depth. This is a book that should appeal to both gay/lesbian and straight readers; it is a fun, romantic mix-up.
-Added June 2006.
Totally Joe
by James Howe
Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, September 2005.
ISBN: 068983957X
My rating:
Okay, fine, I'm not a boy like them, but I'm still a boy. The thing is, boys--by which I mean guy-guys like my brother, Jeff--have always been a total mystery to me. I mean, how do they know how to do all that stuff, like throw and catch and grease car engines? Besides the fact that I don't have a clue how to do any of those things, on a scale of 1-10 I have, like, below zero interest. Way below. Try negative a thousand.
But when you're a boy, people just expect you to:
- Make fart noises under your armpit and think it's hilarious.
- Make real farts and go, "Good one!"
- Spit.
- Relate to other boys by punching and shoving and calling them "jerk" and "butthead" and other names I'd better not put down if I want to get a good grade. (Guy-guy fact: Calling somebody "butthead"--or worse--is considered even more brilliantly hilarious than making armpit noises.)
--Totally Joe, James Howe, p. 7-8
12-year-old Joe (almost 13) knows he's gay--and he doesn't go out of his way to hide it, even though he faces homophobia at school. Joe doesn't understand macho-boys, or how they behave, and is unable to conform or to act like them. Instead, he is truly himself, and he gradually learns to appreciate this after he finds someone else wishes they could be more like him.
Joe and his classmates are asked to write an autobiography about themselves, from A-Z with a life lesson for each letter, and that is how we hear Joe's story. Joe's account is written in a vibrant voice as he moves throughout the school year, changing, growing, and eventually coming out (even though most people already knew he was gay).
This is a funny, enjoyable book with a strong voice, good observations (both inner and outer), and a great sense of right and wrong. Although Howe addresses some potentially painful issues, the book remains a fairly light read. The pain is balanced out by the fantastic humor, by Joe's own acceptance and awareness of his gayness, and by his supportive friends and family.
Readers who are gay/lesbian or who have friends who are may recognize many things that feel true to the experience--both fun and painful. Different levels and types of homophobia are addressed in this book, as well as an almost celebratory-feeling of being gay and being oneself.
Joe's voice is especially refreshing. He is funny and honest, open about being gay, and reveals details that might be surprising to some readers in a totally matter-of-fact way. These details are woven throughout the story naturally.
Joe is a very likeable character. He allows himself to be who he is, without apology, and stands up for what he believes in, though he also undergoes struggle. He is brave, funny, thoughtful, observant, and tries hard not to ridicule or put down people the way others have him. He is also keenly aware of gender stereotypes, homophobia, sexism, and more. Joe seems, in many ways, like a stereotype of a 'queen', but he is a full character, and the authors are careful to balance out gay characters, and show diversity; not all gay or straight people are alike.
Joe has a fairly non-sexual relationship with Colin (a few kisses, holding hands, enjoying movies together)--which perhaps is appropriate for the age, but I wonder if it was also to be less threatening to homophobic readers. Through Joe and Colin's relationship, we see the heartache that can come from being with another gay person who is unable to accept who they are or be honest with other people--and the homophobia or oppressiveness that can sometimes come from another gay person. We move with Joe through his excitement and elatedness, his hurt and his anger, and by the end of the book most readers will be glad at the outcome of this relationship.
There are many heart-warming, triumphant, and touching moments in the book, as well as a great amount of support for Joe from other characters. All of this makes Totally Joe a supportive, encouraging, and fun book for gay readers, their friends and family, and it may also help to make the subject matter more palatable or easier for some readers. While at times the amount and ease of support about being gay--especially from his family--may seem unbelievable or false, it adds to the positive tone--and this book cannot be separated from the context of a world that is frequently and harshly homophobic. We need more positive gay/lesbian stories. At the same time, a slightly more balanced tone may have led to a greater richness. But taken for what it is--a story of acceptance, encouragement, and support about being gay for teens and anyone else who needs this message, and the book works completely.
Joe and a few of his friends are the most keenly drawn characters here. Joe's father and Aunt Pam have some nuances and shading to them, and it is clear they love Joe. However, Joe's mother appears as a flat character, hardly present and without depth or complexity. It almost seems as if she is an unnecessary character.
There are a few places where Joe's voice or memories do not seem believable for his age; a few small inconsistencies; and a few rare places where we are being told something instead of being shown--but these are easily overlooked in the pure joy of reading such a light-hearted, funny, yet thoughtful account of being gay.
This is a positive, affirming book about being gay, being who you are, accepting yourself and others, and believing in yourself. Highly recommended.
-Added June 2006.
The Year of Ice
by Brian Malloy
St. Martin's Griffin; October, 2003. ISBN: 0312313691
My rating:
Jon Thompson's already made it down the field and snags the ball ... On the way down I hug him hard; Jon's a fox. He's got these really big eyelashes and hair that's the same color as chocolate. You could say that I'm in love with Jon. So I just lie there on top of him. This is like the only time I can get away with it without people shitting their pants.
"Get offa me," he says.
"Okay, tough guy," I tell him and slap the side of his head. I do this for two reasons, really. First, 'cause if I smack him, nobody will guess that I want to pick him up in my arms and kiss him really hard, right on the lips. And second, he's got to be reminded that I'm tougher than he is. Wolves do this all the time to keep order in the pack. I'm the alpha; he's the beta.
--The Year of Ice, Brian Malloy, p. 6
17-year-old Kevin is having a hard year. He is in love with another boy—who doesn't even know he exists. He is pretending to be someone he's not, and trying to be the alpha male so others won't discover he's gay. He just found out that the car accident that killed his mother may have actually been a suicide—prompted by her discovering her husband was having an affair and wanted to leave her. His father is being besieged by widows, wanting to marry. And he is having to face that his father is not a nice person—he's an emotionally distant and neglectful father, a cheating husband, an alcoholic and a liar, and an all around not-nice guy.
Kevin is a likeable, three-dimensional character with a strong male voice. Although he at times becomes violent in ways that may have readers losing sympathy with him, and uses his power at times like a bully, he usually redeems himself. He has both flaws and goodness, and we root for him in his search for happiness. Most of the characters feel very believable; Kevin's crass aunt is the only character that feels a bit like a caricature---however, she does provide comic relief.
Kevin's relationship with his father is painful and emotional. A few kind people in the book help to balance this. There is a good weaving together of the various plot lines. Kevin's story is told with a strong voice, evocative descriptions, fresh analogies, and powerful emotion. This is a compelling, intense read. Recommended!
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