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Hard Love
Since his parents' divorce, John's mother hasn't touched him, her new fiancé wants them to move away, and his father would rather be anywhere than at Friday night dinner with his son. It's no wonder John writes articles like "Interview with the Stepfather" and "Memoirs from Hell." The only release he finds is in homemade zines like the amazing Escape Velocity by Marisol, a self-proclaimed "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Lesbian." Haning around the Boston Tower Records for the new issue of Escape Velocity, John meets Marisol and a hard love is born.
While at first their friendship is based on zines, dysfunctional families, and dreams of escape, soon both John and Marisol begin to shed their protective shells. Unfortunately, John mistakes this growing intimacy for love, and a disastrous date to his junior prom leaves that friendship in ruins. Desperately hoping to fix things, John convinces Marisol to come with him to a zine conference on Cape Cod. On the sandy beaches by the Bluefish Wharf Inn, John realizes just how hard love can be.
With keen insight into teenage life, Ellen Wittlinger delivers a story of adolescence that is fierce and funny — and ultimately transforming — even as it explores the pain of growing up.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
70 people are currently reading
8247 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Wittlinger
34 books270 followersEllen Wittlinger is the critically acclaimed author of 15 young adult novels including Parrotfish, Heart on My Sleeve, Love & Lies: Marisol's Story, Razzle, What's in a Name, and Hard Love (an American Library Association Michael L. Printz Honor Book, a Lambda Literary Award winner, and a Booklist Editors' Choice). She has a bachelor's degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop. A former children's librarian, she lives with her husband in western Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 496 reviews
July 2, 2021
so - more damaged kids attracting each other like magnets, filling in the places left by distant, absent, or overinvolved adults. a strange choice for LGBTQPR3Z week. sure, it is about a friendless boy whose home life is emotionally barren and a firecracker of a lesbian, but it isn't really about sexuality - that part is used more as window dressing than spotlit, and only serves as an obstacle to keep the characters from kissing. she's cool, he's not, and yet they form a relationship based on zines and teen angst until john/gio douches out and the ending happens.
i don't really understand what marisol gets out of the relationship - why she keeps coming back. he is clearly not as smart, talented, or interesting as she is, which is why he is forced to lie so frequently. what does some independent lesbian want out of a relationship with an emotionally underdeveloped boy, especially once it becomes clear he has a crush on her and asks her to the prom for goodness' sake?? teen girls do not typically have this kind of patience with starry-eyed stalker losers, especially if even a drunken pity-hookup is so far out of the question.
it is such a glaringly one-sided relationship. the only compelling thing about him is his passivity in allowing his parents to treat him so shittily and his lack of interest in being present in his own life. perhaps he is fascinating to marisol the way an overturned beetle is fascinating to a young child: the struggle and the persistence of nature etc. etc.
dunno - the real question is "will i ever get caught up on all my silly little book reviews, or will there forever be these sad blank spots effing up my bookpages...?" i am totally in class right now, by the way.
NAUGHTY!!
come to my blog!
i don't really understand what marisol gets out of the relationship - why she keeps coming back. he is clearly not as smart, talented, or interesting as she is, which is why he is forced to lie so frequently. what does some independent lesbian want out of a relationship with an emotionally underdeveloped boy, especially once it becomes clear he has a crush on her and asks her to the prom for goodness' sake?? teen girls do not typically have this kind of patience with starry-eyed stalker losers, especially if even a drunken pity-hookup is so far out of the question.
it is such a glaringly one-sided relationship. the only compelling thing about him is his passivity in allowing his parents to treat him so shittily and his lack of interest in being present in his own life. perhaps he is fascinating to marisol the way an overturned beetle is fascinating to a young child: the struggle and the persistence of nature etc. etc.
dunno - the real question is "will i ever get caught up on all my silly little book reviews, or will there forever be these sad blank spots effing up my bookpages...?" i am totally in class right now, by the way.
NAUGHTY!!
come to my blog!
October 16, 2018
"I am immune to emotion. I have been ever since I can remember. Which is helpful when people appeal to my sympathy. I don't seem to have any."
Oh my GODDDDD, a young adult book about someone SO TERRIBLY DAMAGED that they are IMMUNE TO EMOTION. How new and exciting. NOT. This is teen angst at its worst. Especially since the main character, John, is totally not immune to emotion. He spends the entire book whining about how hurt he is by his parents who got divorced when John was ten and then became too wrapped up in their own adult angst to remember that they had a son.
John is just so dull. He has no friends, no interests, no life. He basically just exists. There's even this ridiculous moment where he considers the fact that he could be gay BUT IS NOT INTERESTED ENOUGH IN HIMSELF TO FIND OUT. He does have one hobby, which is writing his whiny thoughts down in a "zine." Hello 90s. Through writing zines he meets an equally annoying character called Marisol, the self proclaimed "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Lesbian."
So John and Marisol set off on this weird platonic journey. They go to prom. Then John tries to kiss Marisol and she freaks out. Then they go to a conference full of lesbians and Marisol is in her element and John keeps pathetically throwing the word "love" around even though it's clearly just a crush. Their relationship is waaaaay too underdeveloped for it to be possible for him to be in love with her. Then there's other plot points like his terrible relationship with his parents. And it's all just very, very dull.
Oh my GODDDDD, a young adult book about someone SO TERRIBLY DAMAGED that they are IMMUNE TO EMOTION. How new and exciting. NOT. This is teen angst at its worst. Especially since the main character, John, is totally not immune to emotion. He spends the entire book whining about how hurt he is by his parents who got divorced when John was ten and then became too wrapped up in their own adult angst to remember that they had a son.
John is just so dull. He has no friends, no interests, no life. He basically just exists. There's even this ridiculous moment where he considers the fact that he could be gay BUT IS NOT INTERESTED ENOUGH IN HIMSELF TO FIND OUT. He does have one hobby, which is writing his whiny thoughts down in a "zine." Hello 90s. Through writing zines he meets an equally annoying character called Marisol, the self proclaimed "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Lesbian."
So John and Marisol set off on this weird platonic journey. They go to prom. Then John tries to kiss Marisol and she freaks out. Then they go to a conference full of lesbians and Marisol is in her element and John keeps pathetically throwing the word "love" around even though it's clearly just a crush. Their relationship is waaaaay too underdeveloped for it to be possible for him to be in love with her. Then there's other plot points like his terrible relationship with his parents. And it's all just very, very dull.
March 13, 2013
this is my absolutely favorite book. i have read it for the first time 7 years ago and since then have been re-reading it so many times.
this is powerful story about boy who is all by himself becouse he doesn't get enough love from his parents and he refuses to have any feelings, but when he finally allows himself to feel love it turns to be hard love becouse he falls in love with his best friend lesbian. so sad story.
i confess, i still cry in some parts of the book.
this is powerful story about boy who is all by himself becouse he doesn't get enough love from his parents and he refuses to have any feelings, but when he finally allows himself to feel love it turns to be hard love becouse he falls in love with his best friend lesbian. so sad story.
i confess, i still cry in some parts of the book.
October 13, 2011
Karen is waiting patiently for this review, or sort of patiently, or waiting because she has no choice. I guess the biggest thing here is a finished this a bit ago so this won't be the best review ever, percolating makes me fuzzy not more thoughtful like other people.
Reading this book I was like THIS BOOK IS THE STRANGER. it's like what would happen if camus wanted the stranger to have a happy ending, or you know the stranger has a happy ending but I mean a like traditional happy ending. or not a traditional happy ending but a moment of meaning I guess maybe not so much at the end though.
Karen doesn't understand why marisol likes john, that's because karen is all about the cool factor I mean look at her best friend he simply oozes cool. For serious, the fact is John is cool, yeah he's a poser, but honestly so is she, she is like a super poser, I actually am the anti karen and I thought she was pretty pathetic, I mean she wants so bad to be alternative, but it's like one of those I'm alternative cause I know you wouldn't accept me anyway so I'm just rejecting you first kinds of alternative, whereas john presents with a clear background of I've been rejected so I've become a nihilist. Why are these two characters important? because they came to the same conclusion for completely different reasons. Why are the characters attracted to each other? because even if you've made yourself completely alone you still wish that someone could understand you.
marisol likes john because john is someone who has the reasons to feel the way she feels whereas she may not actually have the right to feel that way after all her life is perfect isn't it?
this is really a book about identity, it's about how we know who we are and how we know who we can be.
Reading this book I was like THIS BOOK IS THE STRANGER. it's like what would happen if camus wanted the stranger to have a happy ending, or you know the stranger has a happy ending but I mean a like traditional happy ending. or not a traditional happy ending but a moment of meaning I guess maybe not so much at the end though.
Karen doesn't understand why marisol likes john, that's because karen is all about the cool factor I mean look at her best friend he simply oozes cool. For serious, the fact is John is cool, yeah he's a poser, but honestly so is she, she is like a super poser, I actually am the anti karen and I thought she was pretty pathetic, I mean she wants so bad to be alternative, but it's like one of those I'm alternative cause I know you wouldn't accept me anyway so I'm just rejecting you first kinds of alternative, whereas john presents with a clear background of I've been rejected so I've become a nihilist. Why are these two characters important? because they came to the same conclusion for completely different reasons. Why are the characters attracted to each other? because even if you've made yourself completely alone you still wish that someone could understand you.
marisol likes john because john is someone who has the reasons to feel the way she feels whereas she may not actually have the right to feel that way after all her life is perfect isn't it?
this is really a book about identity, it's about how we know who we are and how we know who we can be.
April 22, 2008
Do you remember your first love/crush? Do you remember wanting to tell him/her but squirm at the thought of doing so? Do you remember thinking it was hopeless and futile?
Then this is the book for you. Meet John Galardi, a loner and a teenager with divorced parents, trying to express himself through his zine, Bananafish. His inspiration, Marisol Guzman, creator of the zine Escape Velocity and a self proclaimed "rich spoiled lesbian private-school gifted-and-talented writer virgin."
The two would meet through their interest in zines, and an instant friendship strikes between the outspoken lesbian and the loner still naive to matters of love. He knows she's gay, but as their friendship grows, he finds himself falling in love with her, something neither can deal with.
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This is one of my favorite books, just for the fact that Whittleinger is a wonderful storyteller. Don't expect Marisol to suddenly change her mind about her sexuality, don't expect sweet words and kisses in the night, don't expect physically perfect heroes and heroines who argue their way into love. What makes this story so powerful is how human all the characters are.
Then this is the book for you. Meet John Galardi, a loner and a teenager with divorced parents, trying to express himself through his zine, Bananafish. His inspiration, Marisol Guzman, creator of the zine Escape Velocity and a self proclaimed "rich spoiled lesbian private-school gifted-and-talented writer virgin."
The two would meet through their interest in zines, and an instant friendship strikes between the outspoken lesbian and the loner still naive to matters of love. He knows she's gay, but as their friendship grows, he finds himself falling in love with her, something neither can deal with.
-----------------------------------------
This is one of my favorite books, just for the fact that Whittleinger is a wonderful storyteller. Don't expect Marisol to suddenly change her mind about her sexuality, don't expect sweet words and kisses in the night, don't expect physically perfect heroes and heroines who argue their way into love. What makes this story so powerful is how human all the characters are.
February 14, 2008
Holden Caulfield-esque loner John finds friendship in a lesbian girl, Marisol, whose zine he admires. I found myself interested for the first part of the book, or until the protagonist experiences unrequited love for said friend. While this serves as the turning point in the book, as well as the catalyst for John's growth and development as a character, it seems a bit tried-and-true...even a bit cliche? While I'm sure it makes for good teen angst, I found myself wondering if the book wouldn't have been more interesting and less predictable if the protagonist's change had been achieved through platonic love...or if John's non-platonic feelings for Marisol had been more nuanced. There were a few plot points--particularly the protagonist's relationships with his divorced parents--which seemed underdeveloped. But maybe I'm requesting too much of a Young Adult novel? Although, honestly, the bit with the song lyrics at the end made me cringe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2011
Ugg this book was a drag. Very emo and not in a good way. It's one of those. "Let's feel sorry about ourselves because daddy doesn't love me and the only girl I've ever loved is a Lesbian and I have no friends." Complete drain and bore!
June 8, 2016
Re-read of one of my favourite books as a pre-teen, and it's still so good. All I remember from it was Marisol's zine title, Escape Velocity, and that I loved it. Now I think I better appreciate the adolescent issues and I love how the author tries out so many different voices and they all feel so real to me, offering honest perspectives without contradicting or trying to contest one another. Amazing writing too.
December 21, 2008
The BEST book I've read so far. I have to say, Miss Wittlinger, you've ruined all books for me.
Before this, I have only limited myself to reading chicklit -- and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I wanted more. Something that goes beyond heroine gets the hero, or something like that. In this book, I've definitely ventured out of my own comfort zone. And I loved it! The witticisms of John, the design of the book -- it was a tad bit expensive, but damn! IT WAS HELL WORTH IT! I kept squealing for Marisol and John to get together, which is how most "romantic" books are supposed to go, right? Thankfully, it didn't end that way. It reminded me of the harsh reality of things. I certainly love the concept, and I love the voice. It's just so cut-throat and brutally honest, and also satirical and sarcastic. It makes up for a good read.
After reading this, I get bored with all the young adult/chicklit novels out there. I wanted to find a book matching John's voice. The sarcasm, and the way his character works. Sadly, I haven't found too much of that lying around, which is a shame really.
Anyways, this is going to be my favorite book of all time. I could read it over and over, and I cannot get bored.
Before this, I have only limited myself to reading chicklit -- and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I wanted more. Something that goes beyond heroine gets the hero, or something like that. In this book, I've definitely ventured out of my own comfort zone. And I loved it! The witticisms of John, the design of the book -- it was a tad bit expensive, but damn! IT WAS HELL WORTH IT! I kept squealing for Marisol and John to get together, which is how most "romantic" books are supposed to go, right? Thankfully, it didn't end that way. It reminded me of the harsh reality of things. I certainly love the concept, and I love the voice. It's just so cut-throat and brutally honest, and also satirical and sarcastic. It makes up for a good read.
After reading this, I get bored with all the young adult/chicklit novels out there. I wanted to find a book matching John's voice. The sarcasm, and the way his character works. Sadly, I haven't found too much of that lying around, which is a shame really.
Anyways, this is going to be my favorite book of all time. I could read it over and over, and I cannot get bored.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2007
For the first 3/4 of this book, I didn't like it at all. Something (homework avoidance?) kept me plodding along until the ending, which I liked a lot better than the rest.
John Galardi, high school junior and zine writer, comes from a broken Boston-area home. During the week he lives with his depressed mother, who refuses to touch him, and on weekends he visits his cold selfish father and distributes copies of his zine at the nearby Tower Records. (yeah, the concept of a print zine is kind of dated- if the book were written today it'd probably be a blog). It is in this Tower Records that he meets the brilliant and beautiful Marisol, a fellow zine writer whose work he admires. She writes honestly about her experiences as a Puerto Rican adoptee and a lesbian. They become friends in a wobbly sort of way, exploring writing, music, and becoming honest with each other.
John's parents seemed like parodies of parents and a lot of the gay characters in the book were written like parodies of gay characters. But I still want to read Wittlinger's new book, Parrotfish.
John Galardi, high school junior and zine writer, comes from a broken Boston-area home. During the week he lives with his depressed mother, who refuses to touch him, and on weekends he visits his cold selfish father and distributes copies of his zine at the nearby Tower Records. (yeah, the concept of a print zine is kind of dated- if the book were written today it'd probably be a blog). It is in this Tower Records that he meets the brilliant and beautiful Marisol, a fellow zine writer whose work he admires. She writes honestly about her experiences as a Puerto Rican adoptee and a lesbian. They become friends in a wobbly sort of way, exploring writing, music, and becoming honest with each other.
John's parents seemed like parodies of parents and a lot of the gay characters in the book were written like parodies of gay characters. But I still want to read Wittlinger's new book, Parrotfish.
October 7, 2013
It's a bad sign when you prefer a book's dedication page to the actual book. Read this one in high school and liked it a whole lot better then. At least the late-90s references to Ani and the zine scene made sense a decade ago. Gio is hilarious, his narration is withering and spot-on, there's a tinge of Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You in his observations. That said: I wish Marisol weren't the most obnoxious character ever. "Don't lie to me, Gio." "I'm a dyke, Gio." "You've really fucked up this time, Gio." She gets pissy over the most asinine things, she has stupid rules about how she requires people around her to behave, and she does her absolute best to put Gio in a compromising position in the final showdown at the zine conference. I could take or leave the actual poetry/articles, I lurved the description of his father, his mother and classmates just seemed like caricatures, nevermind Birdie. The obsession, Marisol's and the book's, with sexual orientation as identity really bothered me, probably because I'm no longer a queer-questioning teenager and it's hard to muster up the reserves to give a shit. I still wish I could reach back in time and shake myself: "No one cares how you identify, dude. Really. Not. A. Fucking. Soul." God, Marisol, what a brat. Just about everything stereotypically wrong with teenage lesbians. I guess when a character falls in love with another character I want to fall in love with that character too. I didn't this time. Not by a long shot.
February 9, 2009
Hard Love is a beautiful, heartbreaking, thought-provoking love story between two teenagers. The biggest catch though, is that one of them is gay. John knows Marisol is gay because of the zines (self-produced magazines) she writes. Her zines are full of wit, sarcasm, and brutal honestly. John waits for Marisol at a local comic book shop, hoping to meet his favorite zine writer. What he got was an unexpected friend. From the beginning, they’re friendship is an unexpected one. Marisol tries to teach John that the truth is the most important, while he falls steadfast in love with her. Eventually, his love with push her away.
I loved this book. Marisol’s biting sarcasm, and John’s trail of thought leaps off the page. You’ll be turning the page, faster and faster just hoping to find out what happens next. Ellen Wittlinger, the author, gives a variety of views to the story. Through zines, and other character’s words, you watch an interesting story weave itself. It won’t go the way you expected, definitely.
I would recommend this to basically everyone. It’s a beautiful story, beautifully written. If you like surprises, then it’s definitely for you.
I loved this book. Marisol’s biting sarcasm, and John’s trail of thought leaps off the page. You’ll be turning the page, faster and faster just hoping to find out what happens next. Ellen Wittlinger, the author, gives a variety of views to the story. Through zines, and other character’s words, you watch an interesting story weave itself. It won’t go the way you expected, definitely.
I would recommend this to basically everyone. It’s a beautiful story, beautifully written. If you like surprises, then it’s definitely for you.
April 5, 2023
This book is about two teens, John and Marisol, who meet through their mutual love of zines. John writes about the lack of love that he receives at home and Marisol writes about being an adoptee and lesbian. I like that it features portions of their zines and parts of other zines mentioned in the book.
I liked learning more about both of these characters and their lives, watching them figure out who they are and where they fit into the world.
I liked learning more about both of these characters and their lives, watching them figure out who they are and where they fit into the world.
January 9, 2021
“Yes it’s hard love, but it’s love all the same,
Not the stuff of fantasy but more than just a game.
And the only kind of miracle that’s worthy of the name,
For the love that heals our lives is mostly hard love.”
Not the stuff of fantasy but more than just a game.
And the only kind of miracle that’s worthy of the name,
For the love that heals our lives is mostly hard love.”
December 13, 2008
This book grew on me and although I wouldn't say it's a literary masterpiece it makes for a decent YA novel. The premise is kind of interesting -- straight guy meets gay girl and falls in love. I think the voice is really well developed by the writer so the characters are full of life and you start to feel like you actually know them. Johnny and Marisol both write zines so even though Johnny's the narrator, we do get insight into both of the character's thoughts/feelings/ideas/emotions.
Still, the novel kind of oversimplifies a lot of things. Johnny's parents are both "bad" at the beginning of the book and then, miraculously, everyone sees the light and everything is "okay" by the end. Johnny's feelings for Marisol also seem too strong and unbalanced and I didn't feel like there was enough there to justify his blind love. Plus, his insecurity coupled with his arrogance (especially towards Brian) annoyed me. And Marisol is too much of a stereotype at times. Also, I hated Johnny's patronizing descriptions of Brian. As a reader, I kept flip-flopping between wishing he wasn't a character at all and wishing HE was the narrator instead of Johnny.
So, interesting idea, pretty good writing, but not the best YA novel I've ever read...
Still, the novel kind of oversimplifies a lot of things. Johnny's parents are both "bad" at the beginning of the book and then, miraculously, everyone sees the light and everything is "okay" by the end. Johnny's feelings for Marisol also seem too strong and unbalanced and I didn't feel like there was enough there to justify his blind love. Plus, his insecurity coupled with his arrogance (especially towards Brian) annoyed me. And Marisol is too much of a stereotype at times. Also, I hated Johnny's patronizing descriptions of Brian. As a reader, I kept flip-flopping between wishing he wasn't a character at all and wishing HE was the narrator instead of Johnny.
So, interesting idea, pretty good writing, but not the best YA novel I've ever read...
August 24, 2007
I love Wittlinger's books for their realistic endings; no happy ever after for her, but real teenage problems and real teenage angst. She also writes reasonably well about questioning your sexuality, though I'm curious if I'll still feel that way after I read her newest, Parrotfish.
Regardless -- this is a story about John, who falls in love with his lesbian best friend Marisol, and how they manage to navigate their own problems and the problems between them and come out feeling if not whole at least satisfied with what they're doing. Some neat passages, and Wittlinger's care with her characters' love for music always makes me happy.
Four stars is maybe a little much for this one, which has its flaws, but it's near and dear to my heart for a variety of reasons. YMMV.
Regardless -- this is a story about John, who falls in love with his lesbian best friend Marisol, and how they manage to navigate their own problems and the problems between them and come out feeling if not whole at least satisfied with what they're doing. Some neat passages, and Wittlinger's care with her characters' love for music always makes me happy.
Four stars is maybe a little much for this one, which has its flaws, but it's near and dear to my heart for a variety of reasons. YMMV.
September 21, 2014
Excellent YA lit. The characters break out of the mold of boring, conformist high school character and succeed in being fascinating, original, believable characters who fully exist outside their high schools' social structures. I really enjoyed the author's mix of John's friendship with Marisol with his relationships with his parents. A mother who ceased to touch him at all after her divorce and a father who considers Friday-night dinners fulfillment of his paternal duties added to the complexity of John's character. Without being either dull or overwrought with drama, "Hard Love" manages to elicit honest emotion in a world of convincing, interesting characters. And it's even funny too.
May 27, 2009
Meh. I wanted to like this, with the zines and the lesbians and the angst, but the deep apathy of the main character combined with a thin plot was more than I could bear.
June 15, 2017
I read this in middle school.
It changed my life.
It saved my life.
Ellen Wittlinger, if you ever see this- thank you.
It changed my life.
It saved my life.
Ellen Wittlinger, if you ever see this- thank you.
August 16, 2019
I want to say this is an easy read but it wouldn’t do the experience justice. Insightful and heart-tugging.
January 9, 2023
⭐⭐️.5/ 5 Stars
✨Genre(s): YA Contemporary
➡️ LGBTQ storyline/characters
➡️ Zines!
➡️ Mixed-media narrative
Hard Love is the story of a boy, John, who falls in love with a lesbian despite her repeatedly telling him that she’s gay and just wants to be friends.
John is a high school boy who is not quite sure who he is. He’s not a great friend, he’s struggling with his relationship with both of his divorced parents, and he’s not quite sure if he’s gay or straight. But he does enjoy expressing himself through creating zines, which leads him to a new friend: Marisol. Marisol is smart, cool, queer, and sure of herself, and John finds himself wanting to be close to her. However, their growing friendship is challenged by John’s budding feeling for Marisol, as she does not and will never return his affections.
Told from John’s point of view, this story includes excerpts from the various media shared between John and other characters, including letters, zine pages, school assignments, poems, and stories. John and Marisol meet through their zines and find their voices in their most challenging moments through the written word.
If this were written in 2023, John would be demisexual (he gives a lot of indicators of being on the Ace spectrum), the zines would be a social media account, and Marisol’s friends would have become a strong crew of found family for John.
So why did this win a Printz honor medal? Well, I imagine this book would have really resonated with teens in 1999 and the committee recognized that. You have to remember that the only other thing going on at this time is the very first Harry Potter book and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (well, and Speak and Monster, which also won that year). The voice is strong, the format is interesting/unique, and the discussions of nuances in sexuality and sexual orientation were innovative at the time. There are some moments in the story that don’t really hold up in 2023 and some dated references, but this was a book speaking to teens and meeting them at the messy, complex, HARD places they were at.
✨Genre(s): YA Contemporary
➡️ LGBTQ storyline/characters
➡️ Zines!
➡️ Mixed-media narrative
Hard Love is the story of a boy, John, who falls in love with a lesbian despite her repeatedly telling him that she’s gay and just wants to be friends.
John is a high school boy who is not quite sure who he is. He’s not a great friend, he’s struggling with his relationship with both of his divorced parents, and he’s not quite sure if he’s gay or straight. But he does enjoy expressing himself through creating zines, which leads him to a new friend: Marisol. Marisol is smart, cool, queer, and sure of herself, and John finds himself wanting to be close to her. However, their growing friendship is challenged by John’s budding feeling for Marisol, as she does not and will never return his affections.
Told from John’s point of view, this story includes excerpts from the various media shared between John and other characters, including letters, zine pages, school assignments, poems, and stories. John and Marisol meet through their zines and find their voices in their most challenging moments through the written word.
If this were written in 2023, John would be demisexual (he gives a lot of indicators of being on the Ace spectrum), the zines would be a social media account, and Marisol’s friends would have become a strong crew of found family for John.
So why did this win a Printz honor medal? Well, I imagine this book would have really resonated with teens in 1999 and the committee recognized that. You have to remember that the only other thing going on at this time is the very first Harry Potter book and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (well, and Speak and Monster, which also won that year). The voice is strong, the format is interesting/unique, and the discussions of nuances in sexuality and sexual orientation were innovative at the time. There are some moments in the story that don’t really hold up in 2023 and some dated references, but this was a book speaking to teens and meeting them at the messy, complex, HARD places they were at.
July 21, 2021
Kitap Porto Rikolu - Kübalı Yanki bir lezbiyenle queer (?) bir erkeğin derin arkadaşlığını ele alıyor. Benim jenerasyonum için biraz eksik kalsa da early 2000s için büyük bir hit sayılabilir sanırım o zamanki lgbtq eser azınlığını düşünürsek... Genel olarak fanzin yazan insanların birbirleriyle etkileşimi üzerinden ilerliyor, o zamanlar fanzincilerde günümüzdeki fandomlar gibi bir gruplaşma var ya da rock müzik hayranları vs gibi düşünebilirsiniz. Keşke 2000lerde ergen olup onlardan biri olabilseydim dedim. Çünkü bugünlerde insanlarla ilişki kurmak çıkar olmadan gerçekten zor. Aynı zamanda aklıma bu sene çıkan Amy Poehler'ın Moxie filmini getirdi. Sanırım 90s-00s youth fanzin gençliğini diriltmek için çabalamaya başladı. Umarım sonuç bulur. Ayrıca beni Ani DiFranco ile tanıştırdığı için yazara teşekkür ederim.
October 14, 2017
I read it at a very young age and it kind of stayed with me always.
October 28, 2019
A cute story about how we can not control who we fall in love after building walls to protect our feelings
October 25, 2024
I read this as a kid/teen and just now remembered it. I thought it was really good back then so I'm giving it 5 stars. If you liked About a Boy by Nick Hornby you will probably like this one too.
September 25, 2014
Printz Honor 2000
This book, for me, shows some of the pitfalls in the way that Printz books appear to be chosen. There are always a couple, usually among the honors books, that seem to be awarded for their edginess and/or inclusion of an Important Topic than for being all-around outstanding literature. Hard Love is well-written, for sure, and it's an engaging read. And I'm sure it was very cutting edge in 2000, but 15 years later, that edge is seriously dulled. What makes this story stand out from the paperback mass market ya romance/after school special is the a)zine storyline, b) lesbian storyline, and c) John's parents. The zine storyline is such a dated little niche in time: people wrote out or typed thoughts/stories/poems and decorated them by hand, then photocopied a stack of them and left them at record stores for people to pick up. I don't know how long this lasted before the internet took off and people wrote blogs instead, but it couldn't have been long -- I was only 20 when these characters were 16 and 17, and it was barely a blip of time in my recollection. Somehow, that seems more dating to the overall novel than the novels that reference pop culture frequently. Maybe because the characters are so sure that *this* is THE fresh and fantastic way to share their thoughts with the world when they can't with their friends and families? And then our main character falls in love with a girl he has always known is a lesbian. So much less shocking and original when shelved among all the books written in the last 15 years than it was when this was originally written. The idea that she was completely unattainable was important to the overall story; her search to figure herself out in a way that was separate from her parents was important to the overall story. Otherwise, this seemed to me more of a gimmick than an authentic piece of the story.
John's parents, though, were drawn really well. His father is still pretty unbelievably selfish, but I suppose some people really are like that. I'm not sure how much of this was intentional, but showing the similarities between him and Marisol in their needs to escape to figure out their own way, and the pain left behind, whether it's an escape that is socially acceptable or not, was really interesting and the best part of this novel to me.
This book, for me, shows some of the pitfalls in the way that Printz books appear to be chosen. There are always a couple, usually among the honors books, that seem to be awarded for their edginess and/or inclusion of an Important Topic than for being all-around outstanding literature. Hard Love is well-written, for sure, and it's an engaging read. And I'm sure it was very cutting edge in 2000, but 15 years later, that edge is seriously dulled. What makes this story stand out from the paperback mass market ya romance/after school special is the a)zine storyline, b) lesbian storyline, and c) John's parents. The zine storyline is such a dated little niche in time: people wrote out or typed thoughts/stories/poems and decorated them by hand, then photocopied a stack of them and left them at record stores for people to pick up. I don't know how long this lasted before the internet took off and people wrote blogs instead, but it couldn't have been long -- I was only 20 when these characters were 16 and 17, and it was barely a blip of time in my recollection. Somehow, that seems more dating to the overall novel than the novels that reference pop culture frequently. Maybe because the characters are so sure that *this* is THE fresh and fantastic way to share their thoughts with the world when they can't with their friends and families? And then our main character falls in love with a girl he has always known is a lesbian. So much less shocking and original when shelved among all the books written in the last 15 years than it was when this was originally written. The idea that she was completely unattainable was important to the overall story; her search to figure herself out in a way that was separate from her parents was important to the overall story. Otherwise, this seemed to me more of a gimmick than an authentic piece of the story.
John's parents, though, were drawn really well. His father is still pretty unbelievably selfish, but I suppose some people really are like that. I'm not sure how much of this was intentional, but showing the similarities between him and Marisol in their needs to escape to figure out their own way, and the pain left behind, whether it's an escape that is socially acceptable or not, was really interesting and the best part of this novel to me.
December 8, 2010
This story seemed pretty typical to me, although when it was published it was probably less-of-the-norm. You have the cold hearted guy and the eccentric girl who draws him out of his shell and forces him to care. There's nothing really unpredictable about this book, for all of John's complaining, I would complain that he's fairly predictable. At least Marisol managed to surprise me every once in a while. I also didn't care for the ending as it left one relationship hanging in the balance, I would like to know if that relationship has been ended or if there is some hope to rekindling it. Also the actions of the parents are never fully explained, which is frustrating (and John should have been frustrated too).
Hard Love is an average read that introduces two characters with potential, but neither is particularly interesting. The story was too predictable from the little love 'triangle' (if it can even be called that) to the reactions of the parents to certain events to the falling out the main characters have. No secondary characters are fully developed, they appear sporadically when John and Marisol need someone their own age to vent to, but not with. I liked the overall design of the book and part of its charm lies in some dated aspects of it. For some reason, it read like a book published in the '90s to me (especially when a car phone! was mentioned). I do have hope that the sequel, told from Marisol's point of view will be more interesting. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for this story. For some reason, I just wasn't feeling it. Rather, it left me a lot like John, devoid of any emotion.
Hard Love is an average read that introduces two characters with potential, but neither is particularly interesting. The story was too predictable from the little love 'triangle' (if it can even be called that) to the reactions of the parents to certain events to the falling out the main characters have. No secondary characters are fully developed, they appear sporadically when John and Marisol need someone their own age to vent to, but not with. I liked the overall design of the book and part of its charm lies in some dated aspects of it. For some reason, it read like a book published in the '90s to me (especially when a car phone! was mentioned). I do have hope that the sequel, told from Marisol's point of view will be more interesting. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for this story. For some reason, I just wasn't feeling it. Rather, it left me a lot like John, devoid of any emotion.
May 11, 2013
Hard Love led me to contemplate issues that I hadn't put much thought into previously, and the depth to which they were explored in this book was so powerful. With a difficult home life, the protagonist, John, has already received his fair share of hard love. When he meets Marisol, however, he discovers he hasn't experienced half of it.
Marisol's character is so interesting to me. Clearly she's been through a lot, and a series of events has led her to become an individual who has an extremely difficult time trusting others. She's very careful to avoid having to lie, and her passion to avoid misinterpretations is reflected in her advice to John in regards to his writings. She helps him to be more sincere, and by allowing himself to write what he truly wants to, he finds himself.
Unfortunately for Marisol, the biggest of misinterpretation of all is, in fact, made, and it puts John and Marisol's friendship to the test.
I loved the song that was included in the book, and the way that it was intertwined with the story. Marisol's final words to John - rather, Gio - almost redeem the void that John must have held within him for so long. It's comforting to think that, beyond the ending, the two will still keep in touch, even if it will not happen in the same way that triggered John's epiphany in the first place.
Hard Love was powerful and insightful, and it made me feel appreciative of what I have. Because, although it may be that hard love is the love that heals our lives the most, it is, indeed, still hard love.
Marisol's character is so interesting to me. Clearly she's been through a lot, and a series of events has led her to become an individual who has an extremely difficult time trusting others. She's very careful to avoid having to lie, and her passion to avoid misinterpretations is reflected in her advice to John in regards to his writings. She helps him to be more sincere, and by allowing himself to write what he truly wants to, he finds himself.
Unfortunately for Marisol, the biggest of misinterpretation of all is, in fact, made, and it puts John and Marisol's friendship to the test.
I loved the song that was included in the book, and the way that it was intertwined with the story. Marisol's final words to John - rather, Gio - almost redeem the void that John must have held within him for so long. It's comforting to think that, beyond the ending, the two will still keep in touch, even if it will not happen in the same way that triggered John's epiphany in the first place.
Hard Love was powerful and insightful, and it made me feel appreciative of what I have. Because, although it may be that hard love is the love that heals our lives the most, it is, indeed, still hard love.
March 25, 2008
Hard Love
Ellen Wittlinger
Walking passed that person- that girl or guy you just can’t stop thinking of-gives you a bag of butterflies fluttering around in your stomach. You find your mind wondering off. How wonderful life wou- then you come back to earth realizing that no matter what he/she will never love you back. This is the slice of a bigger heart in the book Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger.
In the book Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger, a boy named John “Giovanni” meets a girl named Marisol simply for helping him writing zine books. From business purposes the two teens later then develop feelings which for John become strong and intense but for Marisol become confusing and urging her to what she really wants in life and who she really is…trying to find her true identity.
These mutually and most natural feelings and the tensions are what drive the conflict in the story making it both interesting and before you know it, it brings you into the life of the book making you the teenager in school just watching all of this happening. Hard Love is a book that you won’t be able to put down until it’s done. Drama, love, pain, are definitely crystal clear leaving your eyes wanting more to read without any stop signs. Pick up Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger, off that shelf, read it and you WON’T regret it!!
-Samantha Lai
903D
Ellen Wittlinger
Walking passed that person- that girl or guy you just can’t stop thinking of-gives you a bag of butterflies fluttering around in your stomach. You find your mind wondering off. How wonderful life wou- then you come back to earth realizing that no matter what he/she will never love you back. This is the slice of a bigger heart in the book Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger.
In the book Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger, a boy named John “Giovanni” meets a girl named Marisol simply for helping him writing zine books. From business purposes the two teens later then develop feelings which for John become strong and intense but for Marisol become confusing and urging her to what she really wants in life and who she really is…trying to find her true identity.
These mutually and most natural feelings and the tensions are what drive the conflict in the story making it both interesting and before you know it, it brings you into the life of the book making you the teenager in school just watching all of this happening. Hard Love is a book that you won’t be able to put down until it’s done. Drama, love, pain, are definitely crystal clear leaving your eyes wanting more to read without any stop signs. Pick up Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger, off that shelf, read it and you WON’T regret it!!
-Samantha Lai
903D
May 27, 2008
This is the best book that I've read in a long while. I loved it. It's about a high school boy named John-Gio who reads a few zines and starts one himself. Through this he meets this girl named Marisol. Their friendship changes his life. It's like, when you've been shut down for so long and someone comes along and makes you feel for the first time. I'm also a sucker for people who express themselves in writing. I feel you get to know a lot about yourself and as a reader, possibly, you get to see into the writer's heart. That's the way it is for the zine writer's in this book. Marisol is a young lesbian who feels a connection with Gio but doesn't return his feelings. It's a bit heart breaking to see him fall for her and discount that she's a lesbian. She was honest from the beginning. I love Gio and at the same time he angered me a bit. You can't help who you fall in love with but you should respect your friends/the people you say you love. This book made me look at my life and I realize that I don't have many straight male friends, unless you count male relatives :) I guess I find it hard. Like the title, Hard Love, and I just want to steer clear of potentially messy emotional encounters. Anyway, I can't recommend this book enough.
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