"Two Boys Kissing" by David Levithan

Image courtesy of Goodreads.com

Levithan, D. Two Boys Kissing. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. Print. ISBN: 9780307931900. Hardcover. $16.99.

Annotation: Craig and Harry decide to break the record for the world’s longest kiss on the front lawn of their school. Peter and Neil, Avery and Ryan, and Cooper, and all of their friends and family, are in the middle of their own stories – but they all intertwine to witness this momentous event.

Book Talk!

Harry and Craig decide to break the world record for the longest kiss. This means they have to hold the kiss for thirty-two hours. And they decide the perfect place for this is going to be on the front lawn of their school. Luckily, they've got a lot of support, because they have their friends, they have teachers that are backing them. But there are other variables in play, like the fact that not everyone in town is impressed by what they're doing, and that Craig's parents don't exactly know that he's gay. And that's not to mention that these two used to be a couple, and now they aren't, and one of them might kind of still wish that they were. In the meantime, we have the stories of other characters all circling around this event, like transgender Avery and the cute boy Ryan that he meets, the longtime couple Neil and Peter, and the angry, depressed, and very lost Cooper. All of their stories start out different places, but as they navigate their separate challenges, they all get wind of what's happening with Harry and Craig and all of these stories start to move together.

Gay or straight, bisexual, asexual, male, female, gender neutral, whatever you identify as, this book is such an important read. Part of the reason that its' so powerful is that it's not narrated by any of the characters, but by this group of gay men who lived in the past and died from AIDS. And these anonymous voices lived through similar hardships that these boys are going through today, but they've watched the progress through the years, and they want nothing more than to show encouragement. It's an amazingly real account of the struggles that gay and transgender teens face, but with a check to make sure that nobody forgets that there is still progress, there is still hope. No matter how hard it may be, you're never alone. Love is worth fighting for, and it all begins and ends here, with two boys kissing.  

Literary Awards:

• Named to the 2013 National Book Award Longlist
• A 2014 Stonewall Honor Book

Watch David Levithan read the beginning of his novel "Two Boys Kissing"!