Pre Reading
REVIEW: This was a really fast and easy read. It reminded me of a gay Mean Girls. I could see this done as a movie with voice overs and fantasy sequences. And it is happening! I hope they keep it to the early 2000s and don't make it modern. I want some music from a decade back! I will definitely watch this in theaters. There are also sequels that I will have to read!
I liked the progression of this book. I thought the main character of Russell went through some interesting changes and they were gradual and believable. I thought the high school environment was believable, although I don't think such bullying went on at my high school, at least not among my friends. I was a freshmen in high school when this book came out. I wish there would have been more pop culture references, but this book could have happened any time in the past 30 years, except any later than the early 2000s and cell phones would have been more prominent.
My favorite aspect of this book was Russ's inner dialogue. I loved being able to see why he did something. there were many actions he went though that wouldn't have had the same impact had I not have known his thought process. I also liked the way he would playfully refer to earlier in the book. I like when books casually break that fourth wall. It was like Russ was sitting there telling a story of his life to me.
This book is full of many characters, representing people of all different kinds. I really enjoyed how the Brian Bund storyline played out.
I give this novel a 4/5. It is a very easy, fast read. If you like coming-of-age high school stories involving the less than popular students, you will enjoy this book.
-PAUL
Title: Geography Club
Author: Brent Hartinger
Year Published: 2003
Amazon | Goodreads
Synopsis: Russel Middlebrook is convinced he's the only gay kid at Goodkind High School.
Then his online gay chat buddy turns out to be none other than Kevin, the popular but closeted star of the school's baseball team. Soon Russel meets other gay students, too. There's his best friend Min, who reveals that she is bisexual, and her soccer-playing girlfriend Terese. Then there's Terese's politically active friend, Ike.
But how can kids this diverse get together without drawing attention to themselves?
"We just choose a club that's so boring, nobody in their right mind would ever in a million years join it. We could call it Geography Club!"
Brent Hartinger's debut novel is a fast-paced, funny, and trenchant portrait of contemporary teenagers who may not learn any actual geography in their latest club, but who learn plenty about the treacherous social terrain of high school and the even more dangerous landscape of the human heart.
Why?: I have heard good things about this book. For it's time, I don't think there were many other coming-of-age gay stories out. I don't read a lot of contemporary YA, but I think I will enjoy this one because of the gay twist.
Expectations: I'm expecting a story about outcasts coming together to find a place they can feel safe. I'm sure the idea of being closeted and putting up a front will be a big part of this book. I hope it is a believable portrayal of high school.
Judging a book by its cover: The cover shows a boy behind a classroom door with the club's sign outside. Maybe this is showing how the members of the club hide behind this fake front. I like the cover.
-PAUL
