Geography Club by Brent Hartinger

Hartinger, Brent.
Geography Club.
HarperCollins:
New York, 2003.

Russell operates under the belief that he is the only gay teenager at his entire high school. Until he finds out in an online chat room that one of the best looking jocks on the baseball team is too. Then, he learns that his best friend is bisexual and dating a soccer team lesbian who’s friends with the gay liberal activist. Bonding around their feelings of emotional rejection from their “normal” peers, they form the Geography Club, because no one else will join such a nerdy school group and that way, they don’t have to call it the Gay/Straight Alliance, outing themselves to the rest of the school. But just when things get comfortable, someone really does what to have fun with geography and rumors start flying about which boys like other boys and which players are batting for the “other team.”

Though Hartinger’s story plays hardball with social rejection and the emotional turmoil of adolescent sexuality, it feels like a “When are they gonna kiss already?” saga from the beginning. The sarcastic wit of the first person narrative makes the difficult subject matter easy to read and enjoyable, but the teenage logic follows a stereotypically predictable pattern. The average kid goes for the jock that rejects the nerd that yearns to sit with the popular kids that bully the loser that somehow saves the day. However, even with its formulaic plot, it’s a welcome addition to a common set of themes, but with a healthy gay twist. A great young adult read about how “normal” a gay teenager can be.

This review was originally written as coursework for a class on Young Adult literature.