Boy Meets Boy

By: David Levithan

Narrated by: Nicholas Robideau, the Full Cast Family

Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

What if you went to a school where it was actually all right to be who you really are? That's the enchanting place David Levithan has created in his highly acclaimed first novel. But even if the gay kids and the straight kids all get along just fine, even if it's all right for the quarterback to be a cross dresser named Infinite Darlene and the cheerleaders to ride Harleys into the pep rally, the road to true love is still a strange and winding path, as Paul discovers when he meets the boy of his dreams. Charming, funny, delightful, and utterly heartwarming, this YA novel speaks with clarity and depth about our need to love and be loved.

©2003 David Levithan (P)2005 Full Cast Audio

Critic reviews

"In its blithe acceptance and celebration of human differences, this is arguably the most important gay novel since Nancy Garden's Annie on My Mind." (Booklist)
"Levithan's prophecy of a hate-free world in which everyone loves without persecution makes this a provocative and important read for all young adults, gay or straight." (School Library Journal)

World for Gays

Growing up as a homosexual in high school, I know how difficult it can be being openly gay around people who just don't understand. In Boy Meets Boy, David Levithan creates a world that all homosexuals dream about in high school. A place where we can be open about our feelings and honest with each other. A world that everyone accepts everyone else regardless of that persons feelings or decisions. Plus, we all think about finding our true love and David creates that world where that dream can come true; regardless if you are looking for a man or a woman. We realize that our dreams can come true if we just go after them. Boy Meets Boy was a really awsome book that allowed me to think back to my high school days and dream that they were different than what they were. But if they had been, I probably wouldn't be the person that I am today.

Tame and wonderful.

I fantastic book brilliently performed. I enyoyed this so much. Its so often we get books on gay subject matter which are depressing but this is an uplifting story which gives you a feel of Hollywood happiness that doesn't make you feel like you are being programmed into a Christian life style.
Chris from Hong Kong, China.

Great coming of age in high school book

If you like the stereotypical coming of age story lines then this is your book. I liked it all the story was great and the performances were the best. I wish I could have grown up in a town like this one. I myself was more like Tony with the very religious family and trying to live a double life. Although I wish my story of coming out to them was as loving and awkward as his was. As soon as I came out I was told I had a week to get out of the house, my mom blamed herself, my little sister was cool about it and my little brother didn't really know what was going on at the time. Anyway it wasn't fun and I never thought that they would say they loved me in the same sentence that they say I'm no longer welcome in their house, my own parents! I couldn't understand. Nor was I able to cope with living in my own at 16. But this book makes it a wonderful thing and I just loved listening.

A very good listen

It was a very well written story. Not predictable and not written using the same "formula" most romances seem to use. I felt like I was reading a real biography of someone's life. It was lighthearted with serious moments and moments that made you want to cry, and moments that made you mad. All in all, it was a very good listen!

Music is distracting

I love David Levithan. the story was great, but the music was louder than the speakers which made it awkward. Plus I'm listening on my phone, and kept thinking it was ringing.

Good Listen

I like the full cast. Very relatable, and can relate empathetically. Only thing I didn't like is that it started off slow and boring and there are still questions unanswered at the end.

good

i actually didn't likr the music between breaks but story was good. i listened with a faster pace and it was just right.

Wow

I’ve read this book before but this audio is AMAZING! Completely recommend. Love the Author (also has to be said)

Literate and loving it

Can we agree that no one can review a book if they can't correctly spell the word "its"?

Teen angst in an It Gets Better world

Any additional comments?

I think every generation of LGBT individuals who are discovering themselves find something -- a movie, a book, an event, etc. -- that defines the journey they have started. I think for many young people who are coming to terms with their sexuality today, this book might very well be that touchstone. "The Front Runner" by Patricia Nell Warren was that story for me, clearly from a very different generation. Still, it is oddly satisfying that so many of the themes remain: the desire for honesty, strong relationships, and love that occurs without any costs to others.

Given my age - I'm sadly entering what is clearly turning out to be a "grumpy old man" stage of life - the events and situations in the story aren't entirely relatable to me anymore, but I do believe they will strike a chord with others, for which I am grateful. A very strong lead narrator definitely elevates the book, although I could have done without some of the more histrionic production affects (Charlie Brown-esque musical interludes, character thoughts voiced in a tunnel-like effect, multiple actors voicing comments in unison).

As for the story, in which the broad spectrum of sexuality and gender seems common-place, I was uneasy with what could easily be interpreted as LGBT fantasy hopped up on Skittles. It seemed a bit dismissive of the very real struggles so many youth continue to have, despite the great gains that have been made over the past few decades. Then again, perhaps we all need that dreamlike paradise to which we can escape the brutal realities we might be facing. I do know that I was left hoping that such a place and time will exist someday, in which teen angst and amped-up drama continue, but sexuality and gender are only side notes.