Hartinger, Brent (2004). Geography Club. New York, New York: Harper Teen. ISBN: 9780060012236
240 pages
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 15-19
Stars: 5 stars
Subjects: High School, Sexuality, Popularity, Outcast, Relationships
Reader's Annotation
Russel is convinced he's the only gay student at GoodKind High until he discovers others who are in the closet, and together they found the Geography Club- but will this be the answer to their problems, or the cause of new ones?
Summary
16-year-old Russel Middlebrook is a typical high school sophomore plagued by insecurity and self-doubt, but with a huge secret: he's gay. He doesn't want to be an outcast so he hides this aspect of himself. Then he learns that his online chat buddy is also a student at his school, but is in the closet so the members of his baseball team will not treat him any differently. Russel joins the baseball team, too, to be closer to him, and over the course of the year, they discover other students who, like them, are different but afraid of being known as such. Together, they form a Geography Club where they discuss their problems and issues, but rather than make everything better, this brings up new problems altogether.
Notes
This is a brilliant novel that sheds some light on what it means to be gay and in high school. Fear of others, fear of being outed, and fear of not being accepted all come together in this novel that is more than just about a group of gay students- it's about the high school experience as a whole. This novel explores the ins and outs of the high school world, and although sexuality is the key to the fears of this group, it could just as easily be about any number of other marks of "otherness". This is a book about what it means to be on the outside and it explores why one group of teens don't want to acknowledge any difference between themselves and their peers.
Awards
Book Sense 76 Pick
Banned Books Book Sense Top Ten Pick
USA Today "Great High School Book"
Children's Book Award "Notable Book"
2003 Lambda Literary Award Finalist
IRA "Notable Book"
ALA "Popular Paperback"
New York Public Library "Book for the Teen Age"
Booklist "Top Ten Best First YA Novel"
Author Information
