- Paperback: 230 pages
- Publisher: Carroll & Graf (Dec 21 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0786716479
- ISBN-13: 978-0786716470
- Product Dimensions: 18.8 x 12.8 x 1.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 141 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #667,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
This wry account of adolescent same-sex stirrings avoids the flamboyant drag queens, messy crystal meth addiction and suicidal moments of its predecessor, The Tragedy of Miss Geneva Flowers (though it does share that story's optimistic ending), focusing instead on teen angst that's more hormonal than melodramatic. Eleven-year-old Andy, the novel's precocious narrator, enters sixth grade at his buttoned-down Catholic school in St. Paul, Minn., aching with bottled-up desire—specifically for star athlete Mark—even though the captain of the basketball team is apparently courting the prettiest girl in the school. At the same time, because he's still closeted, Andy is increasingly flustered by his friendship with school "faggot" James and tries to distance himself from his obvious but persistent best friend. Meanwhile, the sports stud whose handsome blondness Andy covets is struggling secretly with his own conflicted sexuality. Though this isn't being marketed as a YA title, Babcock's empathic rendering of his young characters' voices makes it more than suitable for readers the age of the three boys who form the novel's romantic tangle. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Joe Babcock effortlessly captures a voice rarely heard." - JT LeRoy (author of Sarah - Bloomsbury)"
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Boys and the Bees (Paperback)
Andy knows he is gay, but he cannot admit it, lest he condemn himself to life as a "faggot," making life at his Catholic school unbearable. "Please, God," he begs, "don't make me be a faggot. Fix me" (p. 20).Babcock follows the trials and tribulations of three young gay boys--Andy, James, and Mark--as seen through the eyes of Andy. The confusion that the boys feel, the pressure to conform, and the fear of being labeled a "faggot" for life, all of these extremely valid points of understanding are tackled by Babcock. And, as an added plus, the prejudice against homosexuals is confronted. When Andy is sent to the principal's office for calling James a "faggot," Mr. Preston informs him that "it's not a very nice word for homosexuals, and I refuse to tolerate it being used in this school. It's the same as using a racist slur" (p. 70). Later, when the kids are gathered for sex education and are allowed to pose questions anonymously, someone asks, "Is it a sin to be gay?" (p. 97). Mr. Preston is once again the voice of authority in the matter, answering, "It's not a sin to be gay. People are most likely born that way. They shouldn't be punished for it, even if we happen to disagree with their lifestyle" (p. 97). So, tolerance for diversity is preached. But Mr. Preston also illustrates the absurdity of many people's reasoning when he continues: "However, it is a sin to have sex with another man, because sex is a holy union permitted only within the confines of marriage between a man and a woman" (p. 97). Babcock confronts each of these important issues skillfully. The problem I encountered while reading this book was not in the content, but with the ages of the kids involved. When the story begins, Andy is an eleven-year-old--old enough, yes, to be curious and questioning, but the reader cannot help but ask: Is eleven old enough for sex? One minute, Babcock writes about the boys giving each other's genitals a "tongue twisty" (p. 39) and the next minute the kids are attending their first boy-girl party. Yes, of course, the author intends to illustrate the irony of the parents' naivete when James's mom and dad declare him too young for such parties, but the fact of the matter is, eleven years old is just too young for, "All I could see was Mark's white briefs as he straddled James" (p. 134) and "A good frame, raw talent--Mark was really turning me on" (p. 74). If the characters in this book were just a bit older--at least thirteen--I could have sank into the story and not questioned it a bit; everything would have came together seamlessly. But these characters are just beginning middle school, and are having all-out sexual experiences before they even receive their first kiss. The extreme youth of the characters, ultimately, detracts from Babcock's otherwise interesting and powerful message. Overall, Babcock makes an important statement with THE BOYS AND THE BEES, as far as ideas regarding homosexuality and the treatment of homosexuals within today's society are concerned and, for this reason, I have given the book four stars. However, I strongly suggest that this is a book for older readers; ironically, the sexual content of THE BOYS AND THE BEES is entirely too strong for kids Andy's age. Reviewed by: Mechele R. Dillard
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews) 24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Boys and the Bees,
By Bradley - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Boys and the Bees (Paperback)
"The Boys and the Bees" so beautifully captures that brief moment in time between Power Ranger pajamas and sex. Andy is a young boy who can't quite understand why he's infatuated with the basketball star and not the least bit interested in the beauty queen. This sounds like the set-up to a sappy, melodramatic "gay novel" for the younger set; however, Joe Babcock rises above the genre and produces a crisp and sparkling story that avoids all the usual pitfalls of gay lit.Andy's is a voice rarely heard - a twelve year old whose priorities change in the blink of an eye. Babcock refuses to speak down to his young audience, while being careful not to go too far in the opposite direction (think Dawson's Creek). He manages to maintain an accurate depiction of adolescence, overflowing with gentle comedy and moving sincerity. So whether you're gay or straight, young or old, male or female, each sentence is so rich with meaning that you'll instantly be hurled back into your childhood - a time when every obstacle seemed so utterly monumental, yet was so easily resolved by an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Wise, witty, bittersweet - never cheesy - "The Boys and the Bees" is a stellar coming of age story by virtue of not really being one. Rather, it's a beautiful snapshot of a young boy that Joe Babcock has brought to life for a hundred and some odd pages. We all should be so lucky to hand our photographs over to this author and have him spin a story far better than our memories. This is truly a remarkable piece of writing. 13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Light novel recommended for young gay teens,
By Bob Lind "camelwest" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Boys and the Bees (Paperback)
The author of the (somewhat dark but delightful) gay teen novel "The Tragedy of Miss Geneva Flowers" is back, this time with a much lighter story of an 11 year old boy in Catholic school, Andy, whose teenage angst is directed into a crush on the school's star basketball player, Mark. Trying to impress Mark and his friends, Andy distances himself from his best friend James, whose effeminate mannerisms have made him a favorite target of the older boys to taunt and ridicule. Andy also finds himself at odds with Anna, who is fond of Mark and is jealous of the time Mark spends with Andy, trying to help him make the school basketball team. At night, Andy retreats to his typewriter, where he buries his emotions into his "novel," a story of a shy country girl who has a secret crush on a handsome boy, not so coincidentally named Mark.Coming in at just 137 pages (the original listing on Amazon erroneously said 230 pages), the novel is a bit lightweight and predictable for adults, although it is recommended for young gay or questioning teens as a harmless gay-positive tale, without any explicit content, to make them feel better about themselves. In that latter context, I'd give the book four stars out of five. 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Suprisingly Realistic, Diappointingly Short,
By J. Uden "Jeder Mann hat eine Meinung um etwas" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Boys and the Bees (Paperback)
This book was surprisingly realistic in the way the characters reacted. There were many points where I myself could relate and honestly say that "I've been there and done that!"This is the story of a young boy, Andy, who enters junior high in the hopes that it will be his best year ever. He soon finds that it is possibly his worst year ever and he will soon find out where his loyalties lie. I thought that the book could have been longer, and more detailed. At times it felt like the author just wasn't giving enough details or information. Also at times it felt like you could tell it really was written by an adult,and although the author did a good job, I believe it is the hardest challenge for authors to portray teenagers in a story, especially in the given plot. Overall, 4 stars. Well written. Good for Readers in Junior High and up. (12+) |
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