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Don't Call Me Ishmael
A finalist for the 16th Annual National Indie Excellence Award for LGBT literature, Don't Call Me Ishmael is told through the intimate journal entries of 14-year-old Kieran Northrup has just moved from Pacific Palisades, California, to the wealthy suburbs of Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2006. Immediately upon moving into their new home, Kieran's older brother and best friend, Justin, quickly begins growing distant from him as he is initiated into a group of popular jocks who terrorize Kieran. To make matters worse, a sudden and tragic accident changes Kieran's life forever, pushing him into an even deeper and lonely sadness.
To help Kieran cope with his grief and loss, his high school counselor enrolls him in a program that pairs him with an upperclassman to be his guide. The boy who is assigned to him, 16-year-old Izzy Muraro, is everything that Kieran has ever wanted in a friend, so much so that at first he doesn't believe it's possible he's found such a perfect companion. Izzy is loving, kind, happy-go-lucky, and impossibly beautiful. He takes Kieran under his wing and introduces him to a world of love, sex, alternative music, and angst throughout his freshman year of high school, and as the friendship between Kieran and Izzy grows, so does the undeniable love they have for each other that is tested through the trials and tribulations of being young and gay in 2000s American suburbia.
This book contains graphic depictions of sexuality, bullying, violence, drinking, smoking, and drug-use all involving teenagers. This book is not for children and may be considered disturbing to some readers.
This book was previously published under a different title and author name that the original author wishes to keep anonymous.
To help Kieran cope with his grief and loss, his high school counselor enrolls him in a program that pairs him with an upperclassman to be his guide. The boy who is assigned to him, 16-year-old Izzy Muraro, is everything that Kieran has ever wanted in a friend, so much so that at first he doesn't believe it's possible he's found such a perfect companion. Izzy is loving, kind, happy-go-lucky, and impossibly beautiful. He takes Kieran under his wing and introduces him to a world of love, sex, alternative music, and angst throughout his freshman year of high school, and as the friendship between Kieran and Izzy grows, so does the undeniable love they have for each other that is tested through the trials and tribulations of being young and gay in 2000s American suburbia.
This book contains graphic depictions of sexuality, bullying, violence, drinking, smoking, and drug-use all involving teenagers. This book is not for children and may be considered disturbing to some readers.
This book was previously published under a different title and author name that the original author wishes to keep anonymous.
365 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 4, 2024
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 17, 2024
I went into this book with zero knowledge of what I was about to read (the best way to start a book I think). I found myself pulled into the world of Kieran - main character - right away. I could relate a lot to the world around him and his challenges as well.
The story takes place in a small town in Pennsylvania. We meet Kieran right out the gate as he begins his journal. He is a young man who is secretly gay and dealing with all of those things that comes from being a teenager - hormones, popularity, music, school life, bullying, etc. What I like about this story is the characters are well-defined and different from each other with clear voices. Each of them compliments the other and mesh well together.
After a tragic event unfolds - Kieran's life is turned upside down. Enter Izzy (or Ishmael as is his full first name). The connection between the two is magnetic and that energy jumps off the page. I loved reading about these two and how their relationship evolves over the course of the book. Author Katz delivers a heart-warming, tear jerker that does a great job of portraying what it was like coming up in the late nineties/early 2000's.
I hope there will be a sequel! I am eager to hear what is next for Izzy and Kieran. A must-read for lovers of coming of age and MM romance. I haven't read a book like this in a long time - one where I can't put it down and have a strong emotional response. Five stars.
The story takes place in a small town in Pennsylvania. We meet Kieran right out the gate as he begins his journal. He is a young man who is secretly gay and dealing with all of those things that comes from being a teenager - hormones, popularity, music, school life, bullying, etc. What I like about this story is the characters are well-defined and different from each other with clear voices. Each of them compliments the other and mesh well together.
After a tragic event unfolds - Kieran's life is turned upside down. Enter Izzy (or Ishmael as is his full first name). The connection between the two is magnetic and that energy jumps off the page. I loved reading about these two and how their relationship evolves over the course of the book. Author Katz delivers a heart-warming, tear jerker that does a great job of portraying what it was like coming up in the late nineties/early 2000's.
I hope there will be a sequel! I am eager to hear what is next for Izzy and Kieran. A must-read for lovers of coming of age and MM romance. I haven't read a book like this in a long time - one where I can't put it down and have a strong emotional response. Five stars.
August 13, 2024
Ok so, somtimes you just read a book and really come to enjoy it. I got this book off of a recommendation from a friend and gave it a whirl. It's coming of age story with a darker twist than a lot of the LGBTQ books. Don’t Call Me Ishmael is on the surface your standard flair, but it gets dark, it gets open, it refreshingly stays mostly away from the tropes of this genre. It doesn't bog down and has a nice flow from start to finish.
Not knowing Julian Katz going into this book I was curious how he would write the characters. I enjoyed the journalism style of the main character, and many times forgot he was writing out what had happened to him. You might be able to relate to the growth of the characters and the struggles they encounter along the way. Well done and highly recommend giving this book a read.
Not knowing Julian Katz going into this book I was curious how he would write the characters. I enjoyed the journalism style of the main character, and many times forgot he was writing out what had happened to him. You might be able to relate to the growth of the characters and the struggles they encounter along the way. Well done and highly recommend giving this book a read.
February 15, 2024
A coming of age story set in the early 2000’s, Don’t Call Me Ishmael is at times both beautiful and brutal, unafraid to show the struggles, the joy, and the confusion of being a teenager when you don’t feel like you fit in with anybody. Eye-opening and visceral, Julian Katz had a way with his characters that will have you loving, hating, crying, bleeding, and cheering right alongside them as they figure out how they fit into their own lives and the lives of those around them.
March 23, 2025
This book was so good!! I was able to really fall in love with the characters. I was so invested in the book and struggled to put it down. Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews