Two Boys Kissing

Citation

Levithan, D. (2013). Two boys kissing. New York, NY: Ember.

Description

Based on true events—and narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS—Two Boys Kissing follows Harry and Craig, two seventeen-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record. While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teens dealing with universal questions of love, identity, and belonging.

YA Romance, Realistic Fiction

Scholarly Review

Harry and Craig are challenging the record for the world's longest kiss. They have chosen the venue carefully--the lawn in front of their high school-and they have the support of the principal, Harry's parents and their friends. The kissing marathon is Craig's idea: '... there had to be some way to show the world that he was a human being, an equal human being.' The private act becomes a public gesture of protest and affirmation; as the two boys prepare for and carry out their record-breaking kiss, the marathon becomes a vehicle for the author to explore the experience of being gay in contemporary America. The novel has an original narrative voice; Levithan uses the generation of gay men who died in the AIDs pandemic to observe and comment, chorus-like, on the experiences of Harry and Craig, and on the lives intersecting with their own. We meet Avery and Ryan who are instantly attracted to each other at a gay prom, Tariq, whose support of the marathon allows him to take back his sense of self after a homophobic beating and Cooper, who allows himself to feel nothing because to feel is to know suffering and pain. The narrators note the freedoms and the difficulties today's generation experience and contrast them poignantly with their own lives, reminding the reader how far some societies--but not all--have travelled in the past 20 years. The energy and lyricism of the narrative provides a counterpoint to the sadness of the past; Harry and Craig break the record, Avery and Ryan negotiate a potential obstacle in their relationship, Tariq supports his friends and the carpe diem theme is encapsulated in the final words of the novel: 'Make more than dust.' A potential prizewinning novel which deserves a wide readership. [School Librarian Review, 2014].

My Analysis

I was really moved by this book, especially because it is based on a true story and is narrated by a Greek chorus of men that lost their lives to AIDs. I feel that this book is important because not only is it LGBTQ fiction, which is still small compared to heterosexual fiction, but it also shows love, friendship, positive role models, and support. Most of the novel is tame and is mainly about two boys kissing to try to win a world record. There are a few scenes that are a little explicit, so I would recommend that this book is suited for young adults over the age of twelve or thirteen. Overall this book was beautiful, and I think young adults will benefit from reading it no matter what sexuality with which they identify.

Tags

romance, LGBTQ, LGBTQ romance, friendship, social issues

Usage

I would love to use this as part of Banned Books week because this book has been challenged so much and because it is about LGBTQ culture. This book can be used to show that there are many types of romance novels, and it can also be used as a discussion topic to talk about societal issues surrounding LGBTQ teens. It could also lead to forming support groups or event a student alliance.

Awards

2014 Lambda Literary Award

2014 Stonewall Honor Book

Censorship

In 2014, a parent in Fauquier County Public Schools requested that the book be banned. She based her request on the title as well as reviews from Amazon that she found using the keywords “sex” and “kissing.” She claimed that 60% of the book’s content related to those keywords and that her request is not about the homosexuality in the book but rather the “overt sexual nature” of the book. There was a public hearing to decide whether or not to ban the book, and David Levithan, the author, even wrote a letter to be read at the hearing. The end result was that the book was not banned.

https://www.slj.com/2014/04/censorship/request-to-ban-two-boys-kissing-from-virginia-high-school-library-denied/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

References

Bennett, S. (2014, Autumn). Levithan, David: Two boys kissing. School Librarian, 62(3), 189. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.uky.edu/apps/doc/A385801801/BRIP?u=uky_main&sid=BRIP&xid=7e4c745e (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Ember. (n.d.) Two boys kissing. Retrieved from https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/217499/two-boys-kissing#9780307931917 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

School Library Journal. (2014). Request to ban ‘two boys kissing’ from Virginia high school library denied.Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/2014/04/censorship/request-to-ban-two-boys-kissing-from-virginia-high-school-library-denied/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.