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A review by librarybonanza
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan, John Green
5.0
Age: Sophomore HS+
Style: Two separate first-person POVs
Award: Stonewall Honor 2011
Double the authors. Double the Will Graysons. Double the sarcasm. Double the teen boy identity crises.
When two suburban Will Graysons meet up in a Chicago porn shop, their lives twist together yet begin to fall apart. One Will Grayson has a delightful, begrudging sense of humor who only wishes to remain a faceless body in the crowd. Life's easier that way, so he thinks. Yet his nearest and dearest friend Tiny Cooper thinks that life is better spent flitting from boyfriend to boyfriend while remaining a positively driven force of gloriousness.
Many reviews express difficulty reading the other Will Grayson. This is not because he's poorly written but because he's the harsh reality of a malcontent teenage boy that some reader's relate with a little too strongly.
There are a few reasons why I gave this novel five stars:
-The humor is fresh and thoughtful.
-It is a complex novel. There are layers of meaning that need to be thought about and discussed, complex characters that a reader may reject at first. This novel doesn't underestimate the ability of young adults to decipher literature and critically think about characterization, transformation, gray situations (vs. black and white).
-Relevant and realistic. There are a spectrum of characters with complex and individual identities. There is a grouchy, straight boy who begins to challenge his alienation techniques, a flamboyant, overweight boy whose main mission is to produce his life musical at school, a depressed, disjointed gay boy who finally begins to accept his identity and begins to strive towards what he wants in life, and an indie music fiend that seeks the attention of one Will Grayson.
Style: Two separate first-person POVs
Award: Stonewall Honor 2011
Double the authors. Double the Will Graysons. Double the sarcasm. Double the teen boy identity crises.
When two suburban Will Graysons meet up in a Chicago porn shop, their lives twist together yet begin to fall apart. One Will Grayson has a delightful, begrudging sense of humor who only wishes to remain a faceless body in the crowd. Life's easier that way, so he thinks. Yet his nearest and dearest friend Tiny Cooper thinks that life is better spent flitting from boyfriend to boyfriend while remaining a positively driven force of gloriousness.
Many reviews express difficulty reading the other Will Grayson. This is not because he's poorly written but because he's the harsh reality of a malcontent teenage boy that some reader's relate with a little too strongly.
There are a few reasons why I gave this novel five stars:
-The humor is fresh and thoughtful.
-It is a complex novel. There are layers of meaning that need to be thought about and discussed, complex characters that a reader may reject at first. This novel doesn't underestimate the ability of young adults to decipher literature and critically think about characterization, transformation, gray situations (vs. black and white).
-Relevant and realistic. There are a spectrum of characters with complex and individual identities. There is a grouchy, straight boy who begins to challenge his alienation techniques, a flamboyant, overweight boy whose main mission is to produce his life musical at school, a depressed, disjointed gay boy who finally begins to accept his identity and begins to strive towards what he wants in life, and an indie music fiend that seeks the attention of one Will Grayson.