I liked the idea of this book, but I found it to be a little boring at times. However, I do think that it is great that a book like this can even be published without too much controversy. What I did not like originally is how unrealistic this high school is. Then I got to thinking. When kids go through high school they see everything as way more dramatic then it actually is. So maybe the fact that it is so out there will appeal to teenagers because of how much of a big deal they make out of a little thing.
When I started reading this book I didn't look at it as a story about homosexuals. I saw it as a love story which is what Levithan wanted readers to view it as, that gays and lesbians are not defying God, they are just looking for love just like everyone else. But this is why I would not teach this in high school. I feel like there is nothing in this novel to teach. It is a simple love story, not like Forever, where it was a story about love and sex. Sex should be taught in high school but why does homosexuality have to be? You do not teach about heterosexuals so why is it necessary to teach about the opposite? It is necessary to teach about precautions of sex, but not about who you can and can't love.
Just because I would not teach this in high school doesn't mean that I would not recommend it to teenagers. I feel as if they would enjoy this more so than I do, and any book that they want to read outside of school is just as essential to their education as novels that can be analyzed word by word.
Final Thoughts
14 years ago
I disagree that there is nothing to teach in this book. I do think it would be very difficult to teach, though, simply because the subject matter is controversial, and the red tape that would come along with teaching it (administrators, parents especially) might not be worth the hassle. But I think it teaches tolerance. Students who read this book might even forget that it is about two boys and just realize that everyone wants to be loved and accepted, no matter what their sexual orientation. It doesn't matter if boys love boys, girls love boys, or girls love girls. Love is love, and I think it would be an important lesson to teach kids at a time when they are still formulating their own opinions about sexuality (their own or someone else's), especially when up against parents of maybe a different generation or with a strong religious background. It gives them the option to maybe see it from another perspective than the one they may be getting from home. On the other hand, I realize I'm being highly optimistic thinking that most kids would get something out of it other than a few snickers (especially from the boys??)! So while I may think it COULD teach something, it doesn't mean it really would!
ReplyDeleteI think you are right on when it comes to novels that students read OUTSIDE of their curriculum. It's very important to encourage them to read anything they are interested in (and there is, of course, a market for homosexual novels, no matter the age group).
ReplyDeleteI can see a place for this both in and out of the classroom. I think it is valuable when teaching tolerance because I feel it teaches us more about accepting people than it does about why boys can fall in love with other boys.
ReplyDeleteI do feel that it would be a good recommended read for students in their own free time, or if they were going to present books individually to the rest of the class. The message in this is good, but maybe it's not as effective as teaching something like The Laramie Project if you are looking for a way to teach tolerance through literature. However, if you do allow the students to pick and choose whether or not to read this book, you could market it to a person who is already tolerant and doesn't need to read it, but someone who would benefit from its message might miss out. (It's hard to get a win/win situation here.)
How can you say that heterosexuality isn't taught in schools? Every book we read that examines any "straight" relationship is touching on heterosexuality. Of course we don't "have to" teach homosexuality in schools, but why wouldn't we? It's a relevent social issue. That's like saying why do we "have to" teach books that touch on racism or religion. You're really going to have your students miss out if you limit yourself to novels you agree with the idealogy of.
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