Two Boys Kissing
First edition cover
AuthorDavid Levithan
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult fiction
Published2013
PublisherAlfred A. Knopf
Pages224
ISBN9780307931900

Two Boys Kissing is a 2013 young adult novel written by American author David Levithan. Inspired by true events, the book follows two 17-year-old boys who set out to break a Guinness World Record by kissing for 32 hours. The book includes a "Greek chorus" of the generation of gay men who died of AIDS. Throughout the narrative, the book discusses topics such as relationships, coming out, gender identity, and hook-up culture.

Two Boys Kissing was named a 2014 Stonewall Honor Book for Children's and Young Adult books,[1] and landed on the 2013 National Book Award Longlist for Young People's Literature.[2]

Reception

Awards

In 2013, Two Boys Kissing received the following awards and accolades:

  • Lambda Literary awarded it a Lammy in Children/Young Adult Literature.[3] This is awarded based on a book's literary merit and content related to LGBT+ lives.[4]
  • The National Book Foundation placed it on the 2013 National Book Award Longlist for Young People's Literature.[2] Judges bestow this honor upon books they deem "the best literature in America" and which "have a prominent place in American culture."[5]
  • Readers nominated it for a Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction.[6] Goodreads Choice Awards are the only awards chosen by readers.

In 2014, Two Boys Kissing received the following awards and accolades:

  • The American Library Associated named it a 2014 Stonewall Honor Book for Children's and Young Adult books.[1] This award is given to "English-language works of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience."[1]
  • State Library Victoria nominated it for the Silver Inky Award.[7]
  • The Milwaukee County Federated Library System Young Adult Services Committee (MCFLS YASC) nominated it for the Milwaukee County Teen Book Award.[8] This award is provided to quality books published for teen readers.
  • The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) named it a 2014 NAIBA Young Adult Book of the Year.[9] This award recognizes an author who lived in the New Atlantic or a book that takes place in the region. Booksellers nominate and vote upon titles and award one book the Book of the Year Award in five categories (fiction, nonfiction, young adult, middle grade, and picture).

Challenges

Two Boys Kissing has frequently been challenged. According to the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom, Two Boys Kissing was the 18th-most banned and challenged book in the United States between 2010 and 2019.[10] Additionally, it topped the organization's top ten list three times: 2015, 2016, and 2018 because of homosexual and sexually-explicit content, as well as because it condones public displays of affection.[11]

In 2014, a parent of a child at Fauquier County High School appealed for Two Boys Kissing to be removed from the school district's libraries because of the cover artwork, which shows two boys kissing, which violates the school's rules against public displays of affection,[12] as well as because the book has 117 references to words like "sex" and "kiss."[13] A public hearing with the Fauquier County School Board led to a committee unanimously deciding that the book would remain on the shelves.[13][14]

On October 19, 2018, religious activist Robert Dorr borrowed four LGBT+ books from the Orange City Public Library in Orange City, Iowa (including Levithan's Two Boys Kissing) and proceeded to burn the books while streaming the video on social media.[15] Dorr claimed he was "exercis[ing] his freedom of speech and the freedom of [his] Biblical faith."[16] In 2019, Dorr was convicted of fifth-degree Criminal Mischief.[15]

In 2022, Two Boys Kissing was listed among 52 books banned by the Alpine School District following the implementation of Utah law H.B. 374, “Sensitive Materials In Schools,"[17] 42% of which “feature LBGTQ+ characters and or themes.”[18][19] Many of the books were removed because they were considered to contain pornographic material according to the new law, which defines porn using the following criteria:

  • "The average person" would find that the material, on the whole, "appeals to prurient interest in sex"[20]
  • The material "is patently offensive in the description or depiction of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, sadomasochistic abuse, or excretion"[20]
  • The material, on the whole, "does not have serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value."[20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Amundsen, John L. (2014-01-28). "2014 Stonewall Book Awards announced". American Library Association News. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  2. 1 2 "National Book Awards 2013". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  3. ↑ "Previous Winners". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  4. ↑ "Submission Guidelines - Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  5. ↑ "National Book Foundation - How the Awards Work". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  6. ↑ "Goodreads Choice Award Winners". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  7. ↑ "Subjects 2014 Inky Awards - Inside a Dog". insideadog.com.au. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  8. ↑ Milwaukee County Teen Book Award. "Nominees". Tumblr. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  9. ↑ "NAIBA Book of the Year Awards". New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  10. ↑ "Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. 2020-09-09. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  11. ↑ American Library Association (2013-03-26). "Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  12. ↑ Pekoll, Kristin (2017-04-13). "Spotlight on Censorship: 'Two Boys Kissing'". Intellectual Freedom Blog. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  13. 1 2 Chung, Sandy. "Request to Ban 'Two Boys Kissing' from Virginia High School Library Denied". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  14. ↑ Emerson, Lawrence (2014-04-24). ""Two Boys Kissing" remains in Fauquier High library". Fauquier Now. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  15. 1 2 Tom (2019-08-06). "UPDATE: (with comments from Dorr)- Dorr Found Guilty, Fined For Burning Library Books". KIWA Radio. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  16. ↑ Aviles, Gwen (2019-08-07). "Religious activist convicted for burning LGBTQ library books". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  17. ↑ "Ban on 52 Books in Largest Utah School District is a Worrisome Escalation of Censorship". PEN America. 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  18. ↑ "School District Removes 52 Books From Libraries". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  19. ↑ "Ban on 52 Books in Largest Utah School District is a Worrisome Escalation of Censorship". PEN America. 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  20. 1 2 3 Mullahy, Brian (2022-07-28). "Alpine School District pulls dozens of books from school library shelves". KUTV. Retrieved 2022-08-05.

See also

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