What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:
1. *The reader first meets JO (Jonathan Hopkirk) who is an underclassman in high school. He is gay and a fan of Walt Whitman.
2. *We then meet Kurl (Adam Kurlansky) who is a senior in high school, the football star, and full of scars.
3. *These two boys would never have crossed paths, except they ended up in the same English class where the teacher assigned them as "pen-pals".
4. *The boys begin writing letters to each other according to the guidelines of the teacher. After several letters have been exchanged, they begin to deviate from the assignment opening up to each other about themselves, their lives, and their secrets.
5. *Each boy is dealing with his own "stuff" and learns to depend and lean on his new friend for support, guidance, and maybe even acceptance.
What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
1. *WOW! I will say I was an emotional wreck last night when I finished the story. I pretty much read all 375 pages on a Sunday afternoon.
2. *The format of the book is told in letters from each of the boys. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this type of structure, but I ended up loving it and didn't even feel like I was reading a letter.
3. *The gradual development of JO and Kurl's friendship/relationship was told with ease, grace, and careful precision.
4. *The writing was superb and had me laughing on certain pages and tearing up on others. How writers are able to do that I'll never know.
5. *I appreciated on this wasn't just a story about each boy, but also about their families and what each family was dealing with. Young people have so much to deal with in life.
Who Should Read It: Being that I am giving this novel 5 STARS, I would recommend it to any and all young adult and adult reader. I know they will be taken in by the story just as much as I was. I absolutely loved it and am still thinking about these two characters. Happy Reading!
Rating: 5 STARS out of 5 Stars!
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