Rating: Summary: Funny, irreverent, lovable and real Review: Geography Club is funny (I actually laughed out loud), smart, and engaging. The characters are believably human--naturally imperfect, but also sometimes noble. I'll admit that high school was a long time ago for me. Still, I could so relate to Russel's (our protagonist's) struggle to figure out how to be honest (or how honest to be) and how to do the right thing in an unpredictable, sometimes unfriendly world. Along the way, he experiences the power that friends have to make life worth living, even when everything seems to be going wrong. Hartinger also presents straight folks (like myself) an opportunity to relive our awkward teenage moments from a gay perspective. Having to be naked (or half naked) in public (ie: the locker room) was horrific for me as a chubby & nerdy kid. . . but just how much worse it could have been! Imagine if one (or a few) of those other naked people were also extremely arousing. . . . .embarrasing, excruciating. . . and, the way Hartinger tells it, also extremely funny. His gay teenagers are not angst filled, intense & depressed, as in so much other gay fiction. They are funny, irreverent, lovable and real. Geography Club is a fun read (I've already read it twice) even for a grown-up, but it is definitely also a good book to share with kids. Hopefully, it will inspire them to keep true to themselves, and to keep laughing and loving.
Rating: Summary: The story of my generation Review: Geography Club was a daring book to write. I applaud Hartinger for treating the lives of gay youths, typically such a political hot potato, with the dignity and complexity of which they are so routinely deprived. This will be a landmark book for a generation of young readers. I would recommend this book to all people, but especially to high school students, parents, and teachers.
Rating: Summary: Covers New Territory Review: Geography Club was a great and enjoyable read (I devoured it in a sitting) that I would recommend to everyone, especially people who need to become more accepting of homosexuality. It would be educational for many teens who have encountered only intolerance and might realize Russel isn't really any different from them. Although I liked this book a lot, I felt that some elements of the story were a bit simplistic and certain things vaguely annoyed me. Why were his parents only passingly mentioned? And other things I can't quite put my finger on. All the characters seemed to be black and white, good and bad. Kimberly was evil. Most of the jocks were evil. Sometimes it felt a bit stereotypical. But all in all, I think this was a good book.
Rating: Summary: Mark The Map Review: GEOGRAPHY CLUB, Brent Hartinger's debut novel, is a realistic coming-of-age story. It deals with a high school boy named Russel who realizes he isn't the only one at school questioning his sexuality. He along with a few others want to talk more about it, but are scared to speak openly or to create an Alliance that everyone would know about. Instead, they form the Geography Club, thinking that no one will want to join something that boring and that their secrets will be safe. This very quick read takes an honest look at one young man coming to terms with who he is. The protagonist is not infalliable; the story is not preachy. You want to hug Russel once second and slap him the next as he goes through the ups and downs of high school. At times, he caves in to peer pressure; at others, he stands up for the truth. Ultimately, this book is not about being gay or straight, being a boy or a girl, but about being who you are. We've all felt alienated at one point or another, and we've all felt alone when surrounded by people. This book should be an eye-opener for students and adults alike.
Rating: Summary: Worth your time Review: I found this book to be a very quick and good read. I really enjoyed the story, and how it was realistic. I particularlly like how not everyone lives happily every after. The story is a great story about finding yourself, and reaching out to others. It delt with the issues of peer pressure, and alienation, which as we can all remember was a major thing in High School. I was particularly moved by the side story of Brian Bund. While, I found it a little hard to believe what he does in the end, it is still a great side story. If you like this book as much as I did I would also recomed Alex Sanchez's books Rainbow Boys and Rainbow High.
Rating: Summary: Great Book for Teens and Adults! Review: I loved this book!! It has a heart, and a serious point, but it's also laugh-out-loud funny. It's also a real page-turner! Russel Middlebrook is the most appealing main character I've read in years--and his friends are pretty interesting too. Definitely not just for teens.
Rating: Summary: Excellent book! Review: I ordered this a few weeks ago and when I got it yesterday it took me only a few hours to finish, it really was that good and I could not seem to put it down. Though things -do- settle a little too well at the end of the book, the ending is great. I love the characters in the story, they are very well done, and the book really does portray gay teen life as it is. This is an excellent book and I really hope you enjoy it like I did!
Rating: Summary: Cute, Light novel Review: I probably should have guessed by the size of the book (it'll almost fit in your pocket) and the title that the subject matter was geared primarily at teens.. That said, it was a very light read (I finished it in just over an hour and a half) but a cute story. My only major gripe was that the "I'm gay, everyone's gay!" approach to the main characters was a bit too easy.. and the initial meeting of the main character and the jock in a chat room was rather implausible, (if you're a terribly closeted jock, why would you go meet someone who goes to your own high school 5 minutes into a chatroom conversation?) but nonetheless it was a cute, light, easy-to-read story. Also recommend Bart Yates' "Leave Myself Behind" ..
Rating: Summary: Visceral! Review: I read the entirety of Geography Club in one four-hour sitting (and I rarely read a book from cover to cover without taking a break). It is structurally and technically sound. It has a strong narrator and enough realistic conflict to make its pages turn themselves (certainly necessary to succeed with its target audience) but, more than that, it is visceral--it touches the emotional centers of the brain (the heart)--and that is what sets great writing apart from good. Thank you, Brent, for touching my heart. I hope someday that Geography Club will be required in middle/high schools throughout the world (in translation, where necessary). It has the potential to give many people hope.
Rating: Summary: A great book! Review: I read this book in one day after reading so many great reviews! It's the funny, sad, and all-too-real flashback to high school. This is a great book for anyone, and not just young adults.
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