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My Side of the Story
So what if your parents hate each other and want you to have therapy? So what if your holier-than-thou sister (aka The Nun) and her posse have decided you're going to hell? So what if the school tyrant and his goons are hunting you down, or if your best friend has just outed you to a neo-Nazi? Jaz isn't planning to lose any sleep over it - at least until he meets the guy of his dreams at the local gay bar. Suddenly things are a lot more complicated.
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First published March 19, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
September 30, 2010
It's really hard for me to write a review about this book. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I did enjoy reading it, I finished it in one afternoon. I found myself identifying with the main character a lot. I liked the story. The writing style was part of the reason for my reduction. No quotation marks and a lot of. "So I was like, and then she was like, and then I go." Kind of annoying after awhile. Plus the sequence of events was annoying. One minute he would be talking about something, and then BAM, he takes you back to a month ago before it even happened. Also, he was SOOOoooo whiny!! Earth to narrator, there are other people on earth!!! Aside from that though, the book was really funny. I laughed out loud a lot while reading it and that would make me enjoy any book. My favorie line, "So did your neck like throw up or what?" Haha. I'm not sure who I would recommend this book to. There were some graphic gay sex scenes, drugs, and of course lots of cussing. If you have an open mind and want to laugh, then you should read this book :)
August 13, 2011
Sono fatti così, i ragazzi. A dire il vero sono tutti così. Si copiano gli uni con gli altri. Non è che fanno quello che gli dicono di fare, perché non c'è bisogno che glielo dicano, fanno semplicemente quello che tutti gli altri, secondo loro, pensano che dovrebbero fare.
Ennesimo romanzo di formazione che mi ritrovo tra le mani, dai soliti ingredienti e con un ovvio richiamo all'Holden di Salinger, ma in fondo molto godibile e non facilmente dimenticabile.
Jaz ha sedici anni, odia il suo nome e il mondo intero: la madre ossessiva, il padre passivo, la sorella perfetta religiosa integralista, i bulli della scuola, l'incoerenza dei professori e l'incoerenza di tutti gli uomini che incontra nei locali gay, che in fondo è un po' la stessa. I presupposti sembrano scontati, ma l'autore, al suo primo romanzo, pur tradendo sin da subito la derivazione salingeriana del suo stile, riesce a restituire un prodotto abbastanza originale, genuino. La narrazione è molto diretta e fluida, prima persona e tempo presente, l'ideale per il racconto scanzonato e denso di allegro cinismo (molto a la Holden). Davis usa un linguaggio semplice, riducendo al minimo indispensabile il ricorso al gergo giovanile, ed è abbastanza per comporre il ritratto autentico dell'adolescente Jaz.
Ciò che ho apprezzato di più è l'ambientazione inglese, e quanto ne consegue naturalmente: Jaz è gay e la scuola è il suo principale mondo, ma anziché confinare la narrazione lungo l'anno scolastico, scandendo tappe ben precise, com'è tipico del bildungsroman statunitense, segue un percorso più tortuoso, con salti temporali, flashback e flashforward; anche la tematica gay risulta annacquata, risulta esser solo uno dei tanti problemi che caratterizzano l'adolescenza di Jaz, senza finire con l'occuparne totalmente lo spazio, come accade in tanti altri romanzi troppo di genere.
Nel complesso, sincero ed intrigante come pochi romanzi, oggi, in questo campo, sanno essere.
Ennesimo romanzo di formazione che mi ritrovo tra le mani, dai soliti ingredienti e con un ovvio richiamo all'Holden di Salinger, ma in fondo molto godibile e non facilmente dimenticabile.
Jaz ha sedici anni, odia il suo nome e il mondo intero: la madre ossessiva, il padre passivo, la sorella perfetta religiosa integralista, i bulli della scuola, l'incoerenza dei professori e l'incoerenza di tutti gli uomini che incontra nei locali gay, che in fondo è un po' la stessa. I presupposti sembrano scontati, ma l'autore, al suo primo romanzo, pur tradendo sin da subito la derivazione salingeriana del suo stile, riesce a restituire un prodotto abbastanza originale, genuino. La narrazione è molto diretta e fluida, prima persona e tempo presente, l'ideale per il racconto scanzonato e denso di allegro cinismo (molto a la Holden). Davis usa un linguaggio semplice, riducendo al minimo indispensabile il ricorso al gergo giovanile, ed è abbastanza per comporre il ritratto autentico dell'adolescente Jaz.
Ciò che ho apprezzato di più è l'ambientazione inglese, e quanto ne consegue naturalmente: Jaz è gay e la scuola è il suo principale mondo, ma anziché confinare la narrazione lungo l'anno scolastico, scandendo tappe ben precise, com'è tipico del bildungsroman statunitense, segue un percorso più tortuoso, con salti temporali, flashback e flashforward; anche la tematica gay risulta annacquata, risulta esser solo uno dei tanti problemi che caratterizzano l'adolescenza di Jaz, senza finire con l'occuparne totalmente lo spazio, come accade in tanti altri romanzi troppo di genere.
Nel complesso, sincero ed intrigante come pochi romanzi, oggi, in questo campo, sanno essere.
September 29, 2010
I only made it about halfway through this one before giving up. Perhaps the fact that it was advertised as being like 'Catcher in the Rye' should have clued me in, because I hated that book. This one (as far as I read it) was acres of angsty, irritating teen inner monologue, and when I found my attention drifting every paragraph or so, I just gave up. The main character wasn't very likeable, I had no idea where the story was going (if anywhere), and I just didn't really care. I did glance at the last few pages, and the very last words in it were an abbreviation of "Like I could give a [word that rhymes with bit]." My feelings precisely.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2007
boring! this book should have totally been in the teen section of the library rather than LGBT fiction.
coming out stories get so tired. the only think that kept me reading was the well-done cover art and my obsessive anglo-philia (it was a good peek into a part of working/middle class London life), but other than that, avoid this book.
coming out stories get so tired. the only think that kept me reading was the well-done cover art and my obsessive anglo-philia (it was a good peek into a part of working/middle class London life), but other than that, avoid this book.
never-finished
January 23, 2008The prose gave me a migraine. It was like reading a disorganized essay written by someone only partially literate.
August 19, 2019
At the end it wasn't that bad I guess, but still the worst book I've ever read, I believe. But that's of course just my personal opinion
January 25, 2016
I did not like this book. The characters were really unlikable, ridiculously immature and the language pretty annoying. I'm a youth worker and I really do not agree with such a negative and weird view of young people... or is there something about British teens I do not get? All this complete lack of empathy & depth and careless attitude about drugs, sex and everything? This reminded me of the British teen shows like "Skins" but with no feel-good vibe at all. I guess the main character/author warned in the first page that this would not be a very special story and how right he was. It's not very special at all so go read something better instead!
September 5, 2013
Un po’ commedia un po’ racconto adolescenziale. Non sarà un capolavoro della letteratura, ma io me lo sono proprio goduto questo libro.
Due soli appunti.
Uno. Il tormentone “o cosa” sarebbe stato tale anche ripetendolo la metà delle volte.
Due. Non capisco la decisione di omettere la punteggiatura nei discorsi diretti. Forse è una cosa intellettuale, ma per me non aggiunge nulla.
A parte questo, è stata una bella sorpresa. Aggiungo una mezza stella abbondante.
Due soli appunti.
Uno. Il tormentone “o cosa” sarebbe stato tale anche ripetendolo la metà delle volte.
Due. Non capisco la decisione di omettere la punteggiatura nei discorsi diretti. Forse è una cosa intellettuale, ma per me non aggiunge nulla.
A parte questo, è stata una bella sorpresa. Aggiungo una mezza stella abbondante.
October 28, 2013
This was an interesting read. The story wasn't half bad, but the main character was kind of a douche, and he didn't really care. Any attempt to show any actual emotion seemed fake, so I couldn't really connect with him. Style of writing was really cool... just wish I'd been able make more of an emotional connection.
July 18, 2011
Not sure where to place this one:
# The language is too coarse to be aimed at a teenage audience.
# It's too "whiny teenager" to be an adult book.
# It's certainly not as incredibly funny as some people seem to think.
70 pages in, I couldn't bear it any longer.
# The language is too coarse to be aimed at a teenage audience.
# It's too "whiny teenager" to be an adult book.
# It's certainly not as incredibly funny as some people seem to think.
70 pages in, I couldn't bear it any longer.
July 1, 2009
Am I the only person who HATED this book?
I read about half of it, and couldn't stand it anymore. It left me depressed beyond belief, and I don't know why other people think it's so amazing.
I read about half of it, and couldn't stand it anymore. It left me depressed beyond belief, and I don't know why other people think it's so amazing.
February 12, 2013
Great fun read - needed a good editor to check spelling and grammar
May 17, 2023
I have certainly read this novel twice, not because it is great literature but because it was the only book to hand at one point, and I didn't mind having to do so. I thought it was quite funny, I also thought it was quite a good portrait of a teenage boy particularly in his blind self absorption in his own problems, feelings and difficulties and total inability to relate/understand/empathize with his best friend or anyone else. Under the circumstances I liked that he was gay and it was tale not of overcoming prejudice or bullying, but of a very immature young man who used and abused so many others, mostly emotionally, in the pursuit of his own pleasure. Gays are not saints and teenage life is not all soppy love songs and stories, it is raging hormones, a quest for sex (even at the same time there is a great fear of it), new experiences, new places and learning from mistakes. It is as true or untrue as any story of adolescence because all of us have our own adolescent experiences and they take place at different ages and in different ways.
One thing I would insist is that this is a perfect book for teenagers, though it can be read by adults. A great many Goodreads reviewers think that the language, the sex sex scenes, the 'mention of 'gay' itself makes the book unsuitable for 'children' though I don't think the right word to describe teenagers (except in the sense that all of us are 'children' of somebody). There is an obsession, from what I hear and read, in the USA over not allowing teenagers to read books which have 'bad' language or deal in any detailed or realistic way with sex, in some cases just admitting that people have sex seems to be enough to get hackles up, but there is nothing in this novel that any teenager would not know, there is nothing they would have thought of, and certainly no swear words that they do not already use. There doesn't seem to be the same fear, nor the active scar mongering groups with a religious bent, in the UK or Ireland that you see in the USA. I am glad of that and hope it always remains so, though also hope that readers in the USA would grow up - by this stage of the 21st century you should be glad your teenagers are reading anything - do you honestly think that they don't know how to swear or as much if not more then you about sex by the time they are 14?
This is not a great novel, but a very good one and I've given it four stars because so many sour individuals were scared by it.
One thing I would insist is that this is a perfect book for teenagers, though it can be read by adults. A great many Goodreads reviewers think that the language, the sex sex scenes, the 'mention of 'gay' itself makes the book unsuitable for 'children' though I don't think the right word to describe teenagers (except in the sense that all of us are 'children' of somebody). There is an obsession, from what I hear and read, in the USA over not allowing teenagers to read books which have 'bad' language or deal in any detailed or realistic way with sex, in some cases just admitting that people have sex seems to be enough to get hackles up, but there is nothing in this novel that any teenager would not know, there is nothing they would have thought of, and certainly no swear words that they do not already use. There doesn't seem to be the same fear, nor the active scar mongering groups with a religious bent, in the UK or Ireland that you see in the USA. I am glad of that and hope it always remains so, though also hope that readers in the USA would grow up - by this stage of the 21st century you should be glad your teenagers are reading anything - do you honestly think that they don't know how to swear or as much if not more then you about sex by the time they are 14?
This is not a great novel, but a very good one and I've given it four stars because so many sour individuals were scared by it.
April 22, 2020
Jarold "Jaz" lives in London in a middle class family, he is gay and he is witty. But that's not his problem. He is also sixteen and THAT is his problem. Selfish, entitled, arrogant and unsympathetic, he feels the world owes him something, For starters, his family is not up to his expectations (feed and clothe him but leave him alone and never, ever involve him in any family activities). His mother is a high-strung lawyer, his father a passive chef -lucky for his fridge- and his sister a religious nutcase. In school the landscape doesn't improve. He has two bullies after his ass, both pretty deranged. menacing and damaged creatures . The teachers are sitting ducks, especially when they try to show how 'with it' they are, how available to the concerns of the young monsters in their care. And his only friend Alice, an Asian girl, is beholden to her parents expectations. To top it all off, Granma lives at home and is slowly loosing her will to live. Then, a mysterious and -oh so old (22) surfer appears in the local gay disco and Jaz unmoors from reality. This is when the book takes off as Jaz really starts kicking the limits of the acceptable and necessary graces of societal survival.
This book was fun to read even though the characters are quite unlikable. I did not particularly enjoy how the main character addresses himself to the reader just to constantly berate and tell him/her he doesn't give a shit about his/her opinion. I guess it gives the book that sense of a 'typical' teenage personal diary and includes the reader in the herd about whom Jaz could not give a hoot.
I hesitate to say this is a book for young adults because of the subject matter. There are some really rough scenes and somehow the logical consequences of Jaz's action, the ones that would really occur in real life, do not materialize as the author prefers to rescue his creature from every possible dilemma. I prefer to see the book as a window into the delusion of the adolescent undeveloped mind inhabiting a wealthy part of the world. It is true that towards the end, a glimmer of evolution starts to appear, an improved more sensitive Jaz but, like the character himself admits, it is a bit too soap-opera and forced to be any source of pride.
This book was fun to read even though the characters are quite unlikable. I did not particularly enjoy how the main character addresses himself to the reader just to constantly berate and tell him/her he doesn't give a shit about his/her opinion. I guess it gives the book that sense of a 'typical' teenage personal diary and includes the reader in the herd about whom Jaz could not give a hoot.
I hesitate to say this is a book for young adults because of the subject matter. There are some really rough scenes and somehow the logical consequences of Jaz's action, the ones that would really occur in real life, do not materialize as the author prefers to rescue his creature from every possible dilemma. I prefer to see the book as a window into the delusion of the adolescent undeveloped mind inhabiting a wealthy part of the world. It is true that towards the end, a glimmer of evolution starts to appear, an improved more sensitive Jaz but, like the character himself admits, it is a bit too soap-opera and forced to be any source of pride.
July 20, 2019
Good evening everyone, so here I am, writing a review for MY SIDE THE STORY. Or something.
At a whole, another quick and cute novel about a gay teen who is coming of age, surrounded by a bunch of extremely challenged people, including his sensitive Asian best friend, his distanced parents, his martyr young sister and his bullies in school. It had a nice humor in it and mostly I had a liking to the writing style.
However, I did have some issues, even though they are not much of importance. Firstly, while the writing style was pretty extraordinary, it was also very exhausting for me. It was pretty hard to read it all without a pause or anything. It was very intense.
Secondly, no love story. The sexual experience Jaz is going thrםugh is pretty dull and disappointed. I would be happier if he end up with someone, because it gets kinda lonely at the end - his best friend is far away and dating someone, his other friend killed himself, and he is alone.
Thirdly, I may think it is lack of logic. It does not make any sense his parents are all of the sudden in love again, his teacher and therapy are both gay and dating, and his bully is suddenly decides to become a good person. I also did not get how does not anyone talked about the suicide event! It was so out of the blue and harsh.
To bring it all together, it was okay and everything, nothing special about it: just a quick and nice story about a boy who is going through some series events during his sexual identity struggling. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something light, humorist, fixed on an every-day routing and standard.
At a whole, another quick and cute novel about a gay teen who is coming of age, surrounded by a bunch of extremely challenged people, including his sensitive Asian best friend, his distanced parents, his martyr young sister and his bullies in school. It had a nice humor in it and mostly I had a liking to the writing style.
However, I did have some issues, even though they are not much of importance. Firstly, while the writing style was pretty extraordinary, it was also very exhausting for me. It was pretty hard to read it all without a pause or anything. It was very intense.
Secondly, no love story. The sexual experience Jaz is going thrםugh is pretty dull and disappointed. I would be happier if he end up with someone, because it gets kinda lonely at the end - his best friend is far away and dating someone, his other friend killed himself, and he is alone.
Thirdly, I may think it is lack of logic. It does not make any sense his parents are all of the sudden in love again, his teacher and therapy are both gay and dating, and his bully is suddenly decides to become a good person. I also did not get how does not anyone talked about the suicide event! It was so out of the blue and harsh.
To bring it all together, it was okay and everything, nothing special about it: just a quick and nice story about a boy who is going through some series events during his sexual identity struggling. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something light, humorist, fixed on an every-day routing and standard.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2024
The story is pretty bland, even with Jarold running away. Jarold relies on others and is constantly loved by people. The characters don’t have a fleshed out personality and are structured around boring tropes like “I am religious”, “I am a bitch”, “I am quiet”, “I am the best friend”, “I am the bully”, it’s annoying and hard to really feel sorry for the guy who commits suicide. I enjoyed the twist in the story of the shrink dating the teacher. I love the irony there but it’s still pretty boring.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2019
I wanted to like this book more than I did. Perhaps if I'd read it before Love, Simon came along, I might have. While I can empathise with the young narrator's plight to a large extent, I find I just don't like him very much. Some funny lines and insights, but true-to-life though it may or may not be, I don't like his attitude.
April 13, 2020
In My Side of the Story, you find out how a troubled teenager goes through life while coping with the struggles of being “different.” This book is very laid back but mixed with a little bit of humor. -Carley Underwood
February 9, 2019
half read, was getting annoying
Read
April 5, 2020De 16-jarige Jaz is homoseksueel. Geen probleem, vindt hij. Maar zijn ouders, zijn brave zusje en zijn klasgenoten denken daar anders over.
May 1, 2022
I read this in middle school. My 7th grade middle school teacher gifted it to me. It was a good read then lol
December 29, 2023
Surprisingly enjoyed this book. Bought in error but decided to keep and read it. Was difficult to fully follow in the beginning but did get better. It was a good read.
December 5, 2024
This is an unsuccessful attempt at an updated Catcher in the Rye. The characters are unlikable, the dialogue is petty, and the story goes nowhere. It was difficult to finish the book.
April 25, 2025
loved this book and its writing style
June 19, 2023
*to be read in a way, like, completely, like, stereotypical blonde*
Like, omg! I like, soo can't believe how the writer, like, wrote this book! It's like, totally! I, like, cannot believe this book! *end stereotypical whatever here*
I've honestly never picked up a book where there was little to no punctuation whatsoever. Periods and commas, that's it. It was almost impossible to decipher when something someone was saying began and ended. You know the types of people who talk like this: And i'm just like; And then he goes; etc, instead of saying: And then he says or and then I reply with (even that would have been more preferable). This entire book is written as if you the reader are the therapist and the main character is ranting to you. I'm serious! The whole bloody book is the main character banging on.
The story line wasn't completely horrible, but if I were a publisher, I wouldn't dream of publishing a book where there's little to no punctuation. One could argue that this is a new form of literature, but as I stated, it was slightly difficult to decipher when something someone said began and ended and when he continues on with his rant. I realize that since it's a rant, there won't be complete sentences, but when I read a book, it's desired that there be punctuation.
As far as the story line goes, from what I could make of it, it wasn't a horrible story. Jarold (Jaz) is a gay teenager who's parents are originally introduced as deliriously happy. As you read on, you find out they are having marital woes. Jaz isn't helping with things either. His hormones are going crazy, or something, and he's being very rebellious. Skipping school, going to another part of town to sneak into a gay bar, making out with an adult, and then bringing his 'faghag' (hate that word 🙄) into the scheme of things. Her parents are none too fond when she opens up and tells them openly that Jaz is gay. They start treating him as if he is the plague.
That's another part of this story that I couldn't understand/stand. His faghag (🙄 Gosh, I hate that word) is a complete airhead. She can't seem to grasp why it should be Jaz's decision to come out of the closet and his alone. She keeps pushing him at parts of the story to neglect his feelings of insecurity and just jump ahead to being 100% comfortable with himself. I got news for ya honey, that's not how it works.
Jaz's rebellion takes him to extremes as he gets it into his head that he's owed the chance to do things the law does not allow for minors. Which isn't one of things I object to in this book, because what self-respecting teenager doesn't feel at one time or another that they hate the way their elders tell them they can't do certain things?
What does seem outta place is the random parts about the grandmother who lives there. She had no relevant place in the plot, and how he inexplicably is allowed into the gay bar even though he admits himself that he doesn't even look 13 was also odd. Either that or this is a nod to bars in England where they are pretty lax in the age requirement. Though it becomes more unrealistic when he is is able to order himself alcoholic beverages.
Yet another thing that bugged me was that Jaz has dubbed those younger than him with the title, 'molestables.' Eh......1 out of 5 stars.
My Notes:
April 29, 2012:
Pg 141, 55.08% "i find myself thinking, 'vlod gimme the determination to finish this book,' because frankly it's horrible. it seems to be just random stuff. There's a story line but it's not that fascinating. And i'm none too fond with how the writer wrote this. In 'rant' form. there's no punctuation whatsoever aside from commas and periods."
Like, omg! I like, soo can't believe how the writer, like, wrote this book! It's like, totally! I, like, cannot believe this book! *end stereotypical whatever here*
I've honestly never picked up a book where there was little to no punctuation whatsoever. Periods and commas, that's it. It was almost impossible to decipher when something someone was saying began and ended. You know the types of people who talk like this: And i'm just like; And then he goes; etc, instead of saying: And then he says or and then I reply with (even that would have been more preferable). This entire book is written as if you the reader are the therapist and the main character is ranting to you. I'm serious! The whole bloody book is the main character banging on.
The story line wasn't completely horrible, but if I were a publisher, I wouldn't dream of publishing a book where there's little to no punctuation. One could argue that this is a new form of literature, but as I stated, it was slightly difficult to decipher when something someone said began and ended and when he continues on with his rant. I realize that since it's a rant, there won't be complete sentences, but when I read a book, it's desired that there be punctuation.
As far as the story line goes, from what I could make of it, it wasn't a horrible story. Jarold (Jaz) is a gay teenager who's parents are originally introduced as deliriously happy. As you read on, you find out they are having marital woes. Jaz isn't helping with things either. His hormones are going crazy, or something, and he's being very rebellious. Skipping school, going to another part of town to sneak into a gay bar, making out with an adult, and then bringing his 'faghag' (hate that word 🙄) into the scheme of things. Her parents are none too fond when she opens up and tells them openly that Jaz is gay. They start treating him as if he is the plague.
That's another part of this story that I couldn't understand/stand. His faghag (🙄 Gosh, I hate that word) is a complete airhead. She can't seem to grasp why it should be Jaz's decision to come out of the closet and his alone. She keeps pushing him at parts of the story to neglect his feelings of insecurity and just jump ahead to being 100% comfortable with himself. I got news for ya honey, that's not how it works.
Jaz's rebellion takes him to extremes as he gets it into his head that he's owed the chance to do things the law does not allow for minors. Which isn't one of things I object to in this book, because what self-respecting teenager doesn't feel at one time or another that they hate the way their elders tell them they can't do certain things?
What does seem outta place is the random parts about the grandmother who lives there. She had no relevant place in the plot, and how he inexplicably is allowed into the gay bar even though he admits himself that he doesn't even look 13 was also odd. Either that or this is a nod to bars in England where they are pretty lax in the age requirement. Though it becomes more unrealistic when he is is able to order himself alcoholic beverages.
Yet another thing that bugged me was that Jaz has dubbed those younger than him with the title, 'molestables.' Eh......1 out of 5 stars.
My Notes:
April 29, 2012:
Pg 141, 55.08% "i find myself thinking, 'vlod gimme the determination to finish this book,' because frankly it's horrible. it seems to be just random stuff. There's a story line but it's not that fascinating. And i'm none too fond with how the writer wrote this. In 'rant' form. there's no punctuation whatsoever aside from commas and periods."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2017
Review to be posted on two editions on this, as I've read both a paperback and a hardcover copy of this book
This book was one of the first LGBTQ+ slice of life books that I read when I was thirteen. I found this on a list of LGBTQ+ literature that everyone should read. Honestly? I didn't know what to expect from it. I thought the cover was pretty cool and I found it in my library immediately, but it took me a while to come around and give this a read. I wasn't sure about whether I wanted to read it or not. I was just discovering that I was LGBTQ+ myself, and I had heard horror stories about how most fiction was heavily homophobic and disgustingly wrong. I was scared to start reading it, thinking about how this may negatively impact on my life.
I was so pleasantly suprised
We follow the story of sixteen year old (just!) Jaz, otherwise known as Jarold, but no one calls him Jarold anymore. Jaz is so much cooler (I'm sure we can all agree). He's gay and his parents are making him go to therapy so that he's not gay anymore. With his best friend, he starts heading to gay clubs and then one night he meets The Guy.
This book was really pivotal to my life and the way I viewed myself and others. I was raised very much like Jaz's parents are, I was raised to be homophobic and the such, so I had a lot of internalised homophobia and transphobia to myself. Reading this helped me to break free of that. This introduced me to what it was (almost) really like to be a gay teenager with parents that don't agree with your "lifestyle choice".
We follow Jaz as he struggles through (some sort of over dramatic - but I suppose at least one person out there has had the exact same thing as Jaz happen in their life) events as he progresses through the homophobia of his family, trying to be best friends with the friend whose parents absolutely hate him, and navigating around The Guy.
This book made me proud to be who I am, and I've had a copy of it since 2015. I haven't read it for goodness knows how long, but I will definitely be re-reading it this year (2017) and giving a better review when I have reread it.
This book was one of the first LGBTQ+ slice of life books that I read when I was thirteen. I found this on a list of LGBTQ+ literature that everyone should read. Honestly? I didn't know what to expect from it. I thought the cover was pretty cool and I found it in my library immediately, but it took me a while to come around and give this a read. I wasn't sure about whether I wanted to read it or not. I was just discovering that I was LGBTQ+ myself, and I had heard horror stories about how most fiction was heavily homophobic and disgustingly wrong. I was scared to start reading it, thinking about how this may negatively impact on my life.
I was so pleasantly suprised
We follow the story of sixteen year old (just!) Jaz, otherwise known as Jarold, but no one calls him Jarold anymore. Jaz is so much cooler (I'm sure we can all agree). He's gay and his parents are making him go to therapy so that he's not gay anymore. With his best friend, he starts heading to gay clubs and then one night he meets The Guy.
This book was really pivotal to my life and the way I viewed myself and others. I was raised very much like Jaz's parents are, I was raised to be homophobic and the such, so I had a lot of internalised homophobia and transphobia to myself. Reading this helped me to break free of that. This introduced me to what it was (almost) really like to be a gay teenager with parents that don't agree with your "lifestyle choice".
We follow Jaz as he struggles through (some sort of over dramatic - but I suppose at least one person out there has had the exact same thing as Jaz happen in their life) events as he progresses through the homophobia of his family, trying to be best friends with the friend whose parents absolutely hate him, and navigating around The Guy.
This book made me proud to be who I am, and I've had a copy of it since 2015. I haven't read it for goodness knows how long, but I will definitely be re-reading it this year (2017) and giving a better review when I have reread it.
May 4, 2017
Review to be posted on two editions on this, as I've read both a paperback and a hardcover copy of this book
This book was one of the first LGBTQ+ slice of life books that I read when I was thirteen. I found this on a list of LGBTQ+ literature that everyone should read. Honestly? I didn't know what to expect from it. I thought the cover was pretty cool and I found it in my library immediately, but it took me a while to come around and give this a read. I wasn't sure about whether I wanted to read it or not. I was just discovering that I was LGBTQ+ myself, and I had heard horror stories about how most fiction was heavily homophobic and disgustingly wrong. I was scared to start reading it, thinking about how this may negatively impact on my life.
I was so pleasantly suprised
We follow the story of sixteen year old (just!) Jaz, otherwise known as Jarold, but no one calls him Jarold anymore. Jaz is so much cooler (I'm sure we can all agree). He's gay and his parents are making him go to therapy so that he's not gay anymore. With his best friend, he starts heading to gay clubs and then one night he meets The Guy.
This book was really pivotal to my life and the way I viewed myself and others. I was raised very much like Jaz's parents are, I was raised to be homophobic and the such, so I had a lot of internalised homophobia and transphobia to myself. Reading this helped me to break free of that. This introduced me to what it was (almost) really like to be a gay teenager with parents that don't agree with your "lifestyle choice".
We follow Jaz as he struggles through (some sort of over dramatic - but I suppose at least one person out there has had the exact same thing as Jaz happen in their life) events as he progresses through the homophobia of his family, trying to be best friends with the friend whose parents absolutely hate him, and navigating around The Guy.
This book made me proud to be who I am, and I've had a copy of it since 2015. I haven't read it for goodness knows how long, but I will definitely be re-reading it this year (2017) and giving a better review when I have reread it.
This book was one of the first LGBTQ+ slice of life books that I read when I was thirteen. I found this on a list of LGBTQ+ literature that everyone should read. Honestly? I didn't know what to expect from it. I thought the cover was pretty cool and I found it in my library immediately, but it took me a while to come around and give this a read. I wasn't sure about whether I wanted to read it or not. I was just discovering that I was LGBTQ+ myself, and I had heard horror stories about how most fiction was heavily homophobic and disgustingly wrong. I was scared to start reading it, thinking about how this may negatively impact on my life.
I was so pleasantly suprised
We follow the story of sixteen year old (just!) Jaz, otherwise known as Jarold, but no one calls him Jarold anymore. Jaz is so much cooler (I'm sure we can all agree). He's gay and his parents are making him go to therapy so that he's not gay anymore. With his best friend, he starts heading to gay clubs and then one night he meets The Guy.
This book was really pivotal to my life and the way I viewed myself and others. I was raised very much like Jaz's parents are, I was raised to be homophobic and the such, so I had a lot of internalised homophobia and transphobia to myself. Reading this helped me to break free of that. This introduced me to what it was (almost) really like to be a gay teenager with parents that don't agree with your "lifestyle choice".
We follow Jaz as he struggles through (some sort of over dramatic - but I suppose at least one person out there has had the exact same thing as Jaz happen in their life) events as he progresses through the homophobia of his family, trying to be best friends with the friend whose parents absolutely hate him, and navigating around The Guy.
This book made me proud to be who I am, and I've had a copy of it since 2015. I haven't read it for goodness knows how long, but I will definitely be re-reading it this year (2017) and giving a better review when I have reread it.
August 27, 2011
Ennesimo romanzo di formazione che mi ritrovo tra le mani, dai soliti ingredienti e con un ovvio richiamo all'Holden di Salinger, ma in fondo molto godibile e non facilmente dimenticabile.
Jaz ha sedici anni, odia il suo nome e il mondo intero: la madre ossessiva, il padre passivo, la sorella perfetta religiosa integralista, i bulli della scuola, l'incoerenza dei professori e l'incoerenza di tutti gli uomini che incontra nei locali gay, che in fondo è un po' la stessa. I presupposti sembrano scontati, ma l'autore, al suo primo romanzo, pur tradendo sin da subito la derivazione salingeriana del suo stile, riesce a restituire un prodotto abbastanza originale, genuino. La narrazione è molto diretta e fluida, prima persona e tempo presente, l'ideale per il racconto scanzonato e denso di allegro cinismo (molto a la Holden). Davis usa un linguaggio semplice, riducendo al minimo indispensabile il ricorso al gergo giovanile, ed è abbastanza per comporre il ritratto autentico dell'adolescente Jaz.
Continua su
http://www.lastambergadeilettori.com/...
Jaz ha sedici anni, odia il suo nome e il mondo intero: la madre ossessiva, il padre passivo, la sorella perfetta religiosa integralista, i bulli della scuola, l'incoerenza dei professori e l'incoerenza di tutti gli uomini che incontra nei locali gay, che in fondo è un po' la stessa. I presupposti sembrano scontati, ma l'autore, al suo primo romanzo, pur tradendo sin da subito la derivazione salingeriana del suo stile, riesce a restituire un prodotto abbastanza originale, genuino. La narrazione è molto diretta e fluida, prima persona e tempo presente, l'ideale per il racconto scanzonato e denso di allegro cinismo (molto a la Holden). Davis usa un linguaggio semplice, riducendo al minimo indispensabile il ricorso al gergo giovanile, ed è abbastanza per comporre il ritratto autentico dell'adolescente Jaz.
Continua su
http://www.lastambergadeilettori.com/...
September 2, 2011
I wouldnt call this the "The Catcher in the Rye" of my generation. But it is pretty close.
Story is about a kid (Jarold aka Jaz) figuring himself out, not just his sexuality (he has that established) but about life. He has parents that he loves and respects very much, but he just feel like a total screw up in their eyes, especially compared to his perfect sister. He looks at his grandma who is waiting to die, and he becomes more and more comfortable with death, but not in a suicidal way. He has one very good friend and he learns pretty early on what friendship really is and isn't.
Although it is a pretty easy read and funny, this book made me cry. This book does something that "Catcher in the Rye" doesn't, it explains in better detail how screwed up your feelings are when you are a teenager. and as much times as Holden uses the word "phony", Jarold uses the word "like" every other phrase he uses, which makes it the most relevant book I have ever read about young people.
Story is about a kid (Jarold aka Jaz) figuring himself out, not just his sexuality (he has that established) but about life. He has parents that he loves and respects very much, but he just feel like a total screw up in their eyes, especially compared to his perfect sister. He looks at his grandma who is waiting to die, and he becomes more and more comfortable with death, but not in a suicidal way. He has one very good friend and he learns pretty early on what friendship really is and isn't.
Although it is a pretty easy read and funny, this book made me cry. This book does something that "Catcher in the Rye" doesn't, it explains in better detail how screwed up your feelings are when you are a teenager. and as much times as Holden uses the word "phony", Jarold uses the word "like" every other phrase he uses, which makes it the most relevant book I have ever read about young people.
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