Queereaders discussion

Questions, thoughts and opinions here.

May contain spoilers, so proceed with caution!

Thanks for starting up the discussion and the great review, Mike. I liked your impressions of the story and the detail you provided without revealing any spoilers.

Mine is brief and not nearly as eloquent, but I also tried not to include spoilers.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I am a little bewildered at the lack of parental involvement in Grady's life after the attack, other than providing for his basic needs. When I think about my 16-year-old self and my relationship with my parents then, it was perfectly realistic. Kids at that age want little to do with their parents, particularly when they are suffering emotional pain.

Grady's sexual violation happened at a time in his life when he's hardly had a chance to discover himself, so I can understand why he's confused and ambiguous about his orientation. This is compounded by his belief that "rape only happens to women", a belief that is apparently shared by those in law enforcement and the media.

Jess was a very frustrating character. He was racist and homophobic, yet he cared enough about Grady to keep hacking away at his shell. I had mixed feelings about him, and often felt his own pain was not enough to justify his bad behavior. Yet, he was instrumental in organizing the "reunion" and gaining the trust of Grady's parents.

I wanted Ted to be more "in your face" like Jess. He was one of Grady's closest friends, but did not persist in finding out what was wrong with him. Still, I was moved by the friends' reunion and shed many tears.

Another part of the story that got me all emotional and wanting to hug Jess:

Fred studied Grady, his eyes intense with something Grady didn't understand. "Look," he said, "even if she does talk - so what? If you start to get okay with yourself, with what happened, you'll survive. Hell, everybody's been talking about me for years." He half-laughed. Then he shrugged, a bitter smile returning to his lips. "Well, you'll survive if you've got backup."

"Hey, I'm backup." Jess's eyes blazed. (168)

The last statement erased any doubts I had about Jess.

I hated Gwendolyn with a passion, but I didn't see her as a person somehow. To me, she represents everything that's wrong with humanity. She is the bully in our youth, the co-worker who spreads malicious gossip, and all the people in and out of our lives who trample on our feelings and treat us as if we have no worth.

Ted represented passivity, the people who are unable or unwilling to make waves. People who are basically good, but fail to be there when things get tough. Ted was a difficult character to like or hate.

I loved Jess for his strength and persistence. He was the ax that broke through Grady's shell, while Pearl offered comfort, shelter and security. When Grady finally tells his story, I believe that Pearl will be the first to hear it.

Mike wrote: "I’m not sure what else he could have done to get at or to Grady short of storming his house..."

If that's what it had taken, then that's what he should have done. Good friends are there for each other, no matter what. Maybe my expectations are too high and that's why I don't have many. LOL!

Parents are a different story. I don't expect that they will always be able to understand, help and support their children when they are troubled. Sometimes the best they can do is provide a bowl of soup. Honestly, I can't imagine my parents would have reacted much differently, especially since I know I would have clammed up just like Grady did.

Thanks for the literary criticism links, Mike. I'll check them out when I get home.

Matt, I think I've now found a use for my feather collection. Muahahahaha!

Pshaw! I wish this book would come, so I can read it and participate. I have not been reading the discussion yet arggh

LOL (really I did). I did just get Dowell's book - looks like a fast read. I'm gointa scan the cover image!

I'm more interested in hearing the results of the tickling and feathers research, myself...

This sounds like a book (Target) I might enjoy. I'm going to pick it up at the library and give it a shot for this weekend. Interesting discussion! I like discussions that generate the kind of passion, intensity and interest as this one.

And you guys, Matt and Brad, are also fun to read about!!!!

Michael wrote: "This sounds like a book (Target) I might enjoy. I'm going to pick it up at the library and give it a shot for this weekend. Interesting discussion! I like discussions that generate the kind of pass..."

Looking forward to your thoughts when you're done. It's a quick read that left me in a puddle of tears by the end.

Brad wrote: "I was a little puzzled at first about Grady's tendency to always be running his fingers over various objects that were close by. It seemed everytime he got anxious he reached for a button on his shirt or his desktop or a book. It seemed very calming when he could make some kind of contact with a physical object..."

I think you're right, Brad. Touching physical objects or gestures such as constantly touching hair, hands, or face can be soothing and help focus an individual's attention inward rather than on outside events that cause pain. Some rape victims use more self-destructive methods of alleviating emotional pain such as cutting.

Brad wrote: "Another thing I liked about how this book was written was how the author wrote about these high school students. I've read plenty of books and stories about teenagers and many times it's obvious the author has no clue about how teens talk, think or relate to each other and adults."

I agree, Brad. I think the author really captures what I remember it being like at age 16.

On the dust cover of the edition I'm reading, the author says:

"I like the young adult voice. At that age, you're just beginning to perceive the complexities of adult life, yet you haven't been squasked by the adult foot of life, shall we say. You're beginning to grow and change, and possibility is still alive."

Hi Brad, I read a little while back and thought it was really well done. From a purely literary standpoint, I thought his use of the shark dreams and imagery was masterful. It reminded me is some ways of the bird imagery in Target.

Hi all, I just read this book (Target) over the past few days. Man, was it a heavy read. The description of what Grady endured during the sexual asault on him was devastating. Man, it was almost too hard to read. I felt so stunned by how he was treated in the van, and then just discarded out the back just like he was household garbage.

Then to witness him afterwards was just about as hard to read. I kept thinking about the word "courage" as he was trying to figure things out. I mean, he could have gone catatonic (which is probably what might have happened to me). I kept reading on to see if he would totally withdraw into himself, and I think that was the struggle he was trying not to do.

I don't know, maybe his parente were doing the best they could. I didn't like them very much. I mean, it seemed like they were hoping Grady would just snap out of it on his own or something. I wish they had at least tried to get some infomation on how they might have helped him. Were they ashamed of him? Were they terrified to talk to him directly, thinking he might actually open up to them and then they would be clueless about what to say? I sorta went back and forth feeling sympathy and then anger toward them.

I really think his friends, especially the ones at his new school (especially Jess), deserve a lot or credit for not giving up on him and trying the best they could to reach him. At first I had mixed feelings about Jess. He reminded me of this one kid in high school I knew who was very humorous, but also very annoying a lot of the time. He was always drawing a lot of attention to himself and sometimes you just wanted to say, "Dude, shut the f--- up!" But as you got to know him better, you realized he was somewhat insecure and was trying to make everybody like him. But I also think it was just part of his personality. I mean, he was a total extrovert and it was just part of his personality makeup. Anyway, I think he was a good match for Grady and I'm glad he was there for him.

I read the opinions above about Ted and he did finally come through for Grady. I have to say that I was cheering him on when he was yelling at Grady's father for lying to him about Grady.

Overall, this was a very powerful book about the human spirit fighting to endure, and the value and importance of friends.

~Troy