Lady Smits Reviews Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

David Levithan is an author who usually writes LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexal, transgendered)-friendly stories. Some of his more recognizable works includes Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist (with Rachel Cohn), Boy Meets Boy, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with the ever-popular John Green). This tale is no exception, as its main storyline follows a group of gay teenage boys. Harry and Craig are exes who have remained friends and have decided to break the world record for the longest kiss. Tariq is a friend of theirs who has recently been the victim of homophobic violence. Neil and Peter are a long-term couple who end up going to watch the final hours of “the kiss,” which is being broadcast on-line and covered by the local news. Ryan and Avery are experiencing the joys of new romance after meeting at a gay prom. Cooper runs away from home after his parents find him taking part in an on-line gay hookup website. The stories of these young men are watched over and narrated by the “shadow uncles” (pg. 3): men who died during the 80’s and early 90’s of the AIDS epidemic.

Their collective narrative, somewhat similar to the narration in The Virgin Suicides, offers insights to what it was like to be a gay man during that time, and they let readers know how different it is for young gay men today. Some of their proclamations are uplifting, reminding readers to appreciate life, while others are sad. They discuss the cultural implications of being gay in previous generations as well as (sometimes graphic) depictions of fighting a losing battle with AIDS.

“People say that being gay isn’t like skin color, isn’t anything physical. They tell us we always have the option of hiding. But if that’s true, why do they always find us?” (36)

“It killed us, to be picked on, to be ridiculed for being something we weren’t even allowed to be. So many of us first heard the word gay as an insult, an abomination. So many of us were called a faggot before we even knew what that meant. Not all of us – some of us hid so deep that no one could find our weakness.” (164)

Tariq Kyle, in a review from Hypable, states that the uncles’ sometimes seem “overly-preachy,” but also thinks that the story “will leave you emotionally exhausted and absolutely thrilled to have read something so beautiful and unique.” Similar sentiments are expressed by Kirkus: the narration sometimes “weighs down the narrative too much,” but that Levithan’s work is “inspiring” with “genuine moments of insight and wisdom.”

The book was published in the late summer of 2013, and by February of 2014, a parent had already requested it be removed from a school library bookshelf. The parent’s appeal did not seem to stem from the LBGT (also referred to as LBGTQ, the Q being queer or questioning) theme of the book, but rather the references to kissing or sexual acts, of which there are 117. She counted. The librarians of the school commented that they had chosen the book based upon the positive reviews they had read, and because they wished to offer students materials which would appeal to varied interests. Levithan’s book, whose title came from the Walt Whitman poem Two Boys Together Clinging, was named on the 2013 National Book Award Longlist and was also a Stonewall Honor Book in 2014. During April of 2014, when a hearing of whether or not the book would be removed from the Virginia’s Fauquier County Public Schools, Two Boys Kissing was listed among the top 100 fiction and literature for teens via Amazon.com. Those accolades also affected the librarians’ decision to include the book. During the hearing, which included a letter from the National Coalition Against Censorship, a letter from the author, and comments from the public, the school’s committee decided to keep the book (Chung).

While not a member of the LGBT(Q) community, I have loved ones who are. I have been witness to some of their efforts and been part of their personal stories, so this book really spoke to me. There were a few friends of whom I was reminded during reading this story, as they really struggled with their sexual identities and coming out. I wish I would have had this book to share with them. It is my opinion that any young man battling issues of identity in this manner should not have to do it alone, and that they should read this book. Kirkus suggests that Two Boys Kissing is appropriate for readers aged 14 and up, and I agree because it has been my understanding that at around age 14 is when teens really try to start answering the question “Who am I?” I could see this book being used with a group of students who are studying human rights, as gay marriage is a largely debated topic, as part of a human sexuality course, or even sociology. The work may also be compared and contrasted to similar real-life events, like hate crimes perpetuated against homosexuals, or the story of Matty Daley and Bobby Canciello who broke the real Guinness World Record for longest continual kiss in 2010 (Levithan, 197).

 

For More Information

David Levithan’s website: http://davidlevithan.com/

The Story of Matty and Bobby: http://mattyandbobbykiss.tripod.com/

Full story of the request to ban Two Boys Kissing from School Library Journal: http://www.slj.com/2014/04/censorship/request-to-ban-two-boys-kissing-from-virginia-high-school-library-denied/ AND
http://www.advocate.com/youth/2014/04/04/parent-wants-two-boys-kissing-book-banned-library

We Two Boys Together Clinging poem by Walt Whitman: http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/wwhitman/bl-ww-boyscling.htm

“We Two Boys Together Clinging” painting by David Hockney, also an inspiration for the book:
http://hyperallergic.tumblr.com/post/6747345198/david-hockney-we-two-boys-together-clinging

 

 

We Two Boys Together Clinging

by Walt Whitman
(1819-1892)

We two boys together clinging,
One the other never leaving,
Up and down the roads going, North and South excursions making,
Power enjoying, elbows stretching, fingers clutching,
Arm’d and fearless, eating, drinking, sleeping, loving.
No law less than ourselves owning, sailing, soldiering, thieving,
threatening,
Misers, menials, priests alarming, air breathing, water drinking, on
the turf or the sea-beach dancing,
Cities wrenching, ease scorning, statutes mocking, feebleness chasing,
Fulfilling our foray.

Resources

Chung, Sandy. “Request to Ban ‘Two Boys Kissing’ from Virginia High School Library Denied.” School
Library Journal. WordPress, 29 Apr. 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.slj.com/2014/04/
censorship/request-to-ban-two-boys-kissing-from-virginia-high-school-library-denied/>.

Kyle, Tariq. “Book Review: ‘Two Boys Kissing'” Hypable. Ed. Karen Rought. Hypable, 23 Aug. 2013. Web.
1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.hypable.com/2013/08/23/book-review-two-boys-kissing-will-educate-
entertain-and-move-you/>.

Levithan, David. Two Boys Kissing. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. Print.

“Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan.” Kirkus Reviews, 26 June 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2014. http://www.
kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-levithan/two-boys-kissing-levithan/>.

 

~ Lady Smits