Two Boys Kissing
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • STONEWALL HONOR BOOK • LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD WINNER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST
"You have to read this.” —Rainbow Rowell, bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Carry On
From the New York Times bestselling author of Every Day, this love story of shared humanity and history Hypable calls "an interconnecting web that will leave you emotionally exhausted and absolutely thrilled to have read something so beautiful and unique."
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.
"You have to read this.” —Rainbow Rowell, bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Carry On
From the New York Times bestselling author of Every Day, this love story of shared humanity and history Hypable calls "an interconnecting web that will leave you emotionally exhausted and absolutely thrilled to have read something so beautiful and unique."
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.
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Community Reviews
For some reason, a while back, I got it into my head that I didn't enjoy David Levithan as an author. I think I started reading one of his books (maybe Boy Meets boy) and I didn't enjoy it; then also I enjoyed his section less in Will Grayson, Will Grayson, so I got it in my head that I didn't enjoy him as an author. I picked this one up because it was a short audiobook and I decided to give him another chance.
I am so glad I did.
This book was heart-rendingly beautiful and tragic and uplifting and hopeful and somber. The thing that really did it for me wasn't necessarily the different stories interwoven throughout the narrative, although those were excellent, it was the narration by the men lost to the AIDS epidemic that really did it for me. That narration was a gorgeous, lyrical elegy that left me heartbroken and brimming with tears so often during the course of this novel. It hurts so much to think about all those lives lost because of very stupid reasons and it makes me angry, angry that someone else's moral viewpoint on your love can impact your life to such an extreme that you lose it, all so they don't have to feel momentarily uncomfortable.
The cherry on this sundae, though, was the fact that it was read by the author on the audiobook. That is pure magic. Plus, David Levithan was actually good at reading out loud. I always want to listen to the author reading it because they know how it should sound, but at the same time not everyone is meant to narrate a book. It can be kind of rough. It's amazing how many people they choose for audiobook narration who are actually terrible. Whodathunk. But David Levithan was an outstanding narrator and I want to read everything he narrates.
100% recommend. Such a good book, such an important book. Beautiful.
I am so glad I did.
This book was heart-rendingly beautiful and tragic and uplifting and hopeful and somber. The thing that really did it for me wasn't necessarily the different stories interwoven throughout the narrative, although those were excellent, it was the narration by the men lost to the AIDS epidemic that really did it for me. That narration was a gorgeous, lyrical elegy that left me heartbroken and brimming with tears so often during the course of this novel. It hurts so much to think about all those lives lost because of very stupid reasons and it makes me angry, angry that someone else's moral viewpoint on your love can impact your life to such an extreme that you lose it, all so they don't have to feel momentarily uncomfortable.
The cherry on this sundae, though, was the fact that it was read by the author on the audiobook. That is pure magic. Plus, David Levithan was actually good at reading out loud. I always want to listen to the author reading it because they know how it should sound, but at the same time not everyone is meant to narrate a book. It can be kind of rough. It's amazing how many people they choose for audiobook narration who are actually terrible. Whodathunk. But David Levithan was an outstanding narrator and I want to read everything he narrates.
100% recommend. Such a good book, such an important book. Beautiful.
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