Customer Reviews

The Boys and the Bees

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"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.

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.

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+)

My fifth book of this year was Joe Babcock's "The Boys and the Bees" a charming short book about coming of age. It took me right to my old school pictures. You know the ones with all your classmates together? I could see the boys and girls who gave me trouble in school, but didn't remember their names. I did however remember my Mark; named Craig and my James; named Leroy. I only remembered them because I loved them like Andy loved James and Mark. I enjoyed this book and liked the way it ended because it could lead to another book. - Joe - TX

Publisher's Weekly made a good observation, one that I'll borrow and expand on. This "account of adolescent same-sex stirrings" is unlike many entries in the same genre because it focuses on exactly what's going on in kid's heads: sex. For some kids (especially boys), that's all they think about at this age. They're lucky to leave the house with their underwear on straight most days.

So many other stories that tell "account[s] of adolescent same-sex stirrings" center around an often over-manufactured melodrama, forget about the hormones, and focus on a romance, or a bland friendship, and by doing so, leave a huge void for teenaged readers who are still asking if it's normal for them to have to walk around with their Trapper Keepers in front of them all day. And, by the way, is it normal - or OK - for me to have sleepovers with my friends? (Add some weight to the word sleepover, and realize that they're not about watching movies and eating popcorn until the wee hours of the morning.)

I can imagine someone, say, my age reading this and thinking, "Wouldn't it have been GREAT if there was a book like this around when I was 11 or 12?" I would imagine that the answer would be yes. Or perhaps YES! And the reason isn't just the subject matter; it's how perfectly the author captures the mind of an eleven year old, with all of the expected frustrations and elations intact. One moment James is Andy's (the narrator) best friend, and the next he is a "f**got". Andy goes back and forth with this through the book, and one can't help but feel immense sympathy for the softer, feminine James who receives such rough treatment at the hands of someone whose friendship he is never confused about. But at the same time, Andy himself is a sympathetic figure because we see that these are confused actions, not real, and hurting James isn't anything he's proud of, or happy to do. And never, at any time, does he waver from his a significant part of his core identity: a boy who is attracted to other boys, and who is currently obsessing over Mark, the star basketball player.

It should be understood that this is *not* a book with hormones bursting out of the pages. (The cover is a little misleading in that department.) The hormones that do exist receive an artistic, tasteful rendering. The characters are freshly drawn. Indeed, I feel like I could sit down right now and have a conversation with Andy or James, so vivid are their characterizations, and the reality of their expressed emotions. I have tremendous respect for the author for addressing such potentially inflammatory issues, and for the publisher for the same reasons.

One note: basketball players don't "check" each other. That's a hockey term. Although, since this book references the first season of Beverly Hills 90210, I assume the year is 1990 (when the author himself would have been 11), and flagrant fouls didn't exist yet in basketball terms. Still, it's "unnecessary contact". Also - the cover of the book depicts a boy dressed in today's traditional baggy jeans with boxers protruding. Because this was set in 1990, that image doesn't really fit the time of the story, but that's of little concern.

I finally read this book just because I thought it was daring. To write about a boy awakening to his sexuality in sixth-grade still somehow startles me, and I wanted to see how this author did it. But he succeeded brilliantly.

Andy is in a Catholic School and secretly admires Mark, the captain of the school's basketball team. He is at the age where he not completely sure of his interest in certain other guys, but knows it's different than most of the other guys his age feel about girls. Conversely, his friend James--who has feminine characteristics and has already been labeled "fag" at school--is a challenge. Andy thinks he should rebuke James but doesn't fully have that rejection in his heart.

I was concerned there would be overt sex among these sixth-graders, which seemed like a creepy possibility. But this book is in good taste, only dealing with the flirtations and desires of these boys, and never getting graphic.

This novel has realistic scenes, honest dialogue, and funny twists. For instance, Andy decides he wants to go to Mass so he can see Mark, and has to convince his parents. "Who has to beg their parents to go to church?" he asks, incredulous. There are also many mini-earthquakes of the emotional sort, often demonstrated in short phone calls. It all rings so true--those moments where "I like you" turns to "I hate you" in a few seconds. We've all been that age and have been there!

As Andy begins to realize who he is, and deals with the outcome, the story reaches an even higher level of storytelling. Witty, well-crafted and wise, this book is a good read for middle schoolers or anyone interested in queer lit.

Reading this book was like eating vanilla ice-cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top. A very light and easy read with small chapters and simple language, this book is written in the story telling style of an 11 year-old with the frequent and twisted jokes of an adult. (I read this book while listening to the light music of Mozart, so it added a zest of pleasantry and anticipation to it.) Basically the novel is an adventure type story of a coming-of-age gay boy, who discovers he is gay as he pacing his way into the six grade, fascinating him self with true lust and love. This book contains some graphic episodes, which makes this book even more interesting to read. One thing that left my itch unscratched, is whether or not main character got what he was dreaming of...and whether or not his original relationship continued. but that was an extra info, regardless of which the novel was a complete and rare masterpiece. A must read. P.S. How come the cover shows black boy?

cute and charming, and anybody who's lived in minnesota will know the places mentioned. it's a very nice little book to read.

yes, this is a super cute book. love the characters and their mini dramas. i'm so glad to see that young gays of today have literature that they can relate to and be informed from and grow from. if you are looking for a light, fun, entertaining read with characters that you cherish get this one. you'll smile as you finish its last words.

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