"There's a formula for coming-out stories set in small-town high schools. The usual mix includes jocks that jeer and bully; teachers loathe to provide sympathy or support; straight friends who come through in the end; and the blush of first love, or at least first crush. The Geography Club is all of these, but first-time author Hartinger re-jiggers the basic recipe with a delicious, unaffected edginess. Russell is convinced he is the only gay kid around, until he meets "Gayteen" online - and the closet door cracks open. Russell learns his chat buddy is baseball hunk Kevin, already an object of after-gym desire; he fearfully tells best friend Min all, only to have her come out as bisexual, with a girlfriend. Soon the new coalescence of queer kids, not quite ready to form a gay-straight alliance, conceives of the most boring of after-hours groups - a geography club - so they can delight, covertly, in their openness. Tears, heartbreak, wisdom, hilarity, and essential truths ensue in this inventive, astute novel, an excellent fit for teens but suitable for grown-ups who have been there, done that." Richard Labonte -- "Books to Watch Out For"
Review
Russel Middlebrook is convinced he's the only gay kid at Goodkind High School. Then his online gay-chat buddy turns out to be none other than Kevin, the popular but closeted star of the school's baseball team. Soon Russel meets other gay students too. There's his best friend, Min, who reveals that she's bisexual, and her soccer-playing girlfriend, Terese. And there's Terese's politically active friend, Ike. But how can kids this diverse get together without drawing attention to themselves? "We just choose a club that's so boring, nobody in their right mind would ever in a million years join it. We could call it Geography Club!"
Brent Hartinger's debut novel is a fastpaced, funny, and trenchant portrait of contemporary teenagers who may not learn any actual geography in their latest school club, but who learn plenty about the treacherous social terrain of a typical American high school and the even more dangerous landscape of the human heart.
“Hartinger’s novel is geared toward young adults but should also speak volumes to youth allies.”
--Out Magazine
