Boy Meets Boy

In class on Monday, a lot of people brought up the fact that it seemed unrealistic to have this perfect community where everyone was accepted in the novel, Boy Meets Boy. To some extent, I do agree with this. However, I think that this was one of the most important parts of the book. The point that Levithan is trying to make is that when people are accepting of the gay community, it is much easier for them to function and be themselves. I think that he was trying to show how the world could be if people were just more accepting of others. Although it is very unlikely that a story like this would actually occur, I found myself liking the book more because it didn't focus on the sole fact that Paul was gay. I saw the novel as more of a love story where Paul faced the same issues as any other teenager would. This book was not your typical story about the problems and struggles that a gay teenager faces when coming out. I think that there needs to be more stories written about the gay community that show hope rather than struggle. This is a step in the right direction for diverse literature in the LGBTQ category and I think people who read this story, will not see it as unrealistic, but as hope for the future. We have come a long way in today's society compared to the past and hopefully, with more books like this, things will continue to get better.

Confessions of a Closet Catholic: Summary of Questioning the Text Paper

I really enjoyed reading this book and I feel that it is presented in a way that makes the reader understand how a child or young adult may view religion. It was interesting that Jussy wanted to convert to Catholicism because she associated that religion with the McAllister's and her want for the ideal family. It was not really the religion itself that sparked her attention. It was more seeing how the McAllister's interacted with one another, which was very different from her own family. In my opinion, this story is more about Jussy's confusion with her identity than her religion. She is hoping that converting to Catholicism will help her fit in more and help her overcome her insecurities. She has a misconstrued concept of religion in this sense. For example, religion does not make the McAllister's act the way they do. It is what they are taking from the religion that helps shape who their family is. We hold certain stereotypes of what religion should be like and how it should be practiced. For example, when Jussy goes to visit Rabbi Freeman she states, “That’s exactly it! I’m hoping that he’s finally going to solve the mystery of how I’m supposed to be Jewish but not too Jewish and yet still be true to the things that Bubbe’s family, all those great aunts, uncles, and cousins that I never knew, died for” (p. 179). The Rabbi tells her that there is no cut and dry way to be Jewish. You have to figure out how religion is important to you as an individual. People are taught the how’s but not the why’s when learning about religion and I think that this is why people can often become confused.