I was so intrigued by Boy Meets Boy and all the different elements it contained that I wanted to learn more about the author. I explored through David Levithan's website http://www.davidlevithan.com/ to learn about who he was and the reason(s) for him creating this piece of diverse literature. He created Boy Meets Boy as a way to get out a different message about gays, not just the common gay teen norms that all other books go for (i.e. it has to be about a gay uncle, or a teen who gets beaten up for being gay, or about outcasts who come out and find they're still outcasts, etc.). He wrote this piece as a way to give a new outlook through a gay teens life and what it could be like. He is often asked if the book is a work of fantasy or a work of reality, and he believe it is a little of both. As David Levithan states, "it's about where we're going, and where we should be". The book is about love, friendship tolerance, and taking a stand for what you believe in (thus making it a relatable text for all, not just the gay community). As a straight female I was able to relate to the underlying themes of relationships between friends and families and the issue of having a significant other and the elements that go along with that. David Levithan created this piece as a way to show the direction our society should be going in the notion of acceptance for one another and the way we choose to live our lives. On his webpage he also had reviews of all of his books and I believe this review fits Boy Meets Boy perfectly; "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 and straight." School Library Journal, starred review. Through exploring his webpage I was able to gain the sense of what kind of world David is trying to create, regardless of it being real or fantasy, he is trying to inform everyone of the world that we might one day have :)
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I was really excited that you shared your viewing of the site. I had not thought about researching that author to see what his goals were, I was simply holding to my own ideas about the text. I will definitely look into the site now that I know it is out there. I loved reading Boy Meets Boy because I thought David Levithan developed the characters with a lot of thought and consideration. Even though I did feel as if the community that Levithan established was unrealistic, I do respect that fact that it was to show what community acceptance could actually be like. I know from discussing the book with others that have read it some believe that the portrayal of the characters and their emotions was shocking. My question is why does the representation of GLBTQ individuals as happy, confident characters need to be shocking? I think that Boy Meets Boy helps to point out how absurd it is that we are shocked by people living their lives differently than the norm. The relationships that were established between the gay characters in the text is not depicited any differently than heterosexual relationships that are portrayed throughout much of adolesent literature. What I liked about the representation was that it showed how the GLBTQ relationships are similar as well as different from heterosexual relationships but it also pointed out the difference between different GLBTQ relationships. This emphasizes the fact that we cannot generalize and I really appreciate the incorporation of this concept by the author.
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