One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, Will Grayson crosses paths with . . . Will Grayson. Two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, and culminating in epic turns-of-heart and the most fabulous musical ever to grace the high school stage. Told in alternating voices from two YA superstars, this collaborative novel features a double helping of the heart and humor that have won them both legions of fans.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best Books of the Month, April 2010: What's in a name? A pretty fantastic book idea, for starters. At heart, Will Grayson, Will Grayson is about a couple of kids figuring out how to be themselves. Two of those kids happen to have the same name, and not much in common outside of that, but their serendipitous friendship sets the stage for a much larger, braver, and more candid story than the simplicity of the plot might suggest. The relevance for teens here is clear--high school is the only time in your life when you have the undivided opportunity to obsess over your every move, sentence, and outfit change--but the part about understanding who you are doesn't stop when you graduate. That's what makes Will Grayson, Will Grayson as interesting a pick for adults as it is for teens: the questions don't get simpler, but looking at them through the eyes of a 16-year-old brings a welcome sense of honesty and humor to this thing called life. No one's ever too old to enjoy that. --Anne Bartholomew
Amazon Exclusive: David Levithan and John Green Talk About Names
Will Grayson, Will Grayson is about two teenage boys with the same name, whose lives intersect in unexpected ways. The book originated with the thought of giving two different boys the same name, and to give that name some meaning. It also comes from David's own experience. So to give you an inside peek at the making of the book, we figured it would be fun to give you insight into our own names, as well as Will Grayson’s.
David Levithan
To my knowledge, there are only two other David Levithans in the world – my dad’s cousin, and a lawyer in South Africa who, as far as we can tell, isn’t family. The last name Levithan is actually the invention of an immigration official – when my great-grandfather came to America from Russia, it should have translated to Levitan. But somehow the h got in there. Now, whenever I meet another Levithan (which is rare), odds are good that he or she is related to me.
That said, the story of Will Grayson, Will Grayson came from someone whose name is close to mine, but not identical. David Leventhal went to Brown at the same time I did, and people would confuse us often.
This ended up being something of a joke, because David was an extraordinary dancer, while I was…not an extraordinary dancer. So people would exclaim, “We had no idea someone as clumsy as you could be so graceful on stage!” and I’d have to say, “Well, un, that wasn’t me.” Finally, right before graduation, I contacted David and we met up. We became instant friends, and when we both moved to New York after college, we were always in each other’s company. The similarity of our names often threw people for a loop… and I thought, well, that might make an interesting story.
Amusingly, David Leventhal’s college roommate’s name was . . . Jon Green.
John Green
I was named after my great-grandfather, John Michael Crosby, an itinerant minor-league baseball manager and occasional catcher. I like my name, but being a John Green can certainly be inconvenient, because there are a lot of us. Among many others, there is John Green the realtor in Mississippi (who owns johngreen.com, much to my chagrin), John Green the Australian botanist, and of course John Green the world-renowned Bigfoot scholar. This last John Green, who is so revered in the field of Bigfoot research that he is often called “one of the four horseman of Sasquatchery,” is kind of my mortal enemy. I once wrote a magazine article in which I passingly noted that Bigfoot is, you know, fictional, and John Green replied with a letter arguing that my anti-Bigfoot stance was besmirching the good name of John Greens everywhere.
Such is the curse of being a John Green. Or a Will Grayson, for that matter.
Will
We decided that I (David) would choose our character’s first name, and John would choose his last name. I liked the name Will because of its different, sometimes contradictory, meanings. As a noun, it can be so strong – where there’s a will, there’s a way, and whatnot. But as a verb, it’s split. Sometimes it’s just as definite (It will be done!), but that definiteness is underscored by an uncertainty – you say it will be done, but it hadn’t been done yet, has it? And put it at the start of a question (“Will you still love me tomorrow?”) and it becomes the entrance for all kinds of vulnerability. That seemed right for the characters.
Grayson
I liked Grayson because whenever I would hear that name, it always sounded to me like “grace in,” which always struck me as a richly ambiguous phrase – is “grace in” the beginning of a clause or the end of it? Are we being asked to find grace in something, or to let grace in? Those questions seemed like interesting ones for the guy I wanted to write about. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Amazon Exclusive: David Levithan and John Green Talk About Names
Will Grayson, Will Grayson is about two teenage boys with the same name, whose lives intersect in unexpected ways. The book originated with the thought of giving two different boys the same name, and to give that name some meaning. It also comes from David's own experience. So to give you an inside peek at the making of the book, we figured it would be fun to give you insight into our own names, as well as Will Grayson’s.
David Levithan To my knowledge, there are only two other David Levithans in the world – my dad’s cousin, and a lawyer in South Africa who, as far as we can tell, isn’t family. The last name Levithan is actually the invention of an immigration official – when my great-grandfather came to America from Russia, it should have translated to Levitan. But somehow the h got in there. Now, whenever I meet another Levithan (which is rare), odds are good that he or she is related to me.
That said, the story of Will Grayson, Will Grayson came from someone whose name is close to mine, but not identical. David Leventhal went to Brown at the same time I did, and people would confuse us often.
This ended up being something of a joke, because David was an extraordinary dancer, while I was…not an extraordinary dancer. So people would exclaim, “We had no idea someone as clumsy as you could be so graceful on stage!” and I’d have to say, “Well, un, that wasn’t me.” Finally, right before graduation, I contacted David and we met up. We became instant friends, and when we both moved to New York after college, we were always in each other’s company. The similarity of our names often threw people for a loop… and I thought, well, that might make an interesting story.
Amusingly, David Leventhal’s college roommate’s name was . . . Jon Green.
John Green
I was named after my great-grandfather, John Michael Crosby, an itinerant minor-league baseball manager and occasional catcher. I like my name, but being a John Green can certainly be inconvenient, because there are a lot of us. Among many others, there is John Green the realtor in Mississippi (who owns johngreen.com, much to my chagrin), John Green the Australian botanist, and of course John Green the world-renowned Bigfoot scholar. This last John Green, who is so revered in the field of Bigfoot research that he is often called “one of the four horseman of Sasquatchery,” is kind of my mortal enemy. I once wrote a magazine article in which I passingly noted that Bigfoot is, you know, fictional, and John Green replied with a letter arguing that my anti-Bigfoot stance was besmirching the good name of John Greens everywhere.
Such is the curse of being a John Green. Or a Will Grayson, for that matter.
Will
We decided that I (David) would choose our character’s first name, and John would choose his last name. I liked the name Will because of its different, sometimes contradictory, meanings. As a noun, it can be so strong – where there’s a will, there’s a way, and whatnot. But as a verb, it’s split. Sometimes it’s just as definite (It will be done!), but that definiteness is underscored by an uncertainty – you say it will be done, but it hadn’t been done yet, has it? And put it at the start of a question (“Will you still love me tomorrow?”) and it becomes the entrance for all kinds of vulnerability. That seemed right for the characters.
Grayson
I liked Grayson because whenever I would hear that name, it always sounded to me like “grace in,” which always struck me as a richly ambiguous phrase – is “grace in” the beginning of a clause or the end of it? Are we being asked to find grace in something, or to let grace in? Those questions seemed like interesting ones for the guy I wanted to write about. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up–Told in alternating chapters, with alternating narrators, John Green and David Levithan's brilliant story is beautifully rendered in audiobook format. When Will Grayson, an awkward teen who is unsure of how to connect with others without getting hurt, and will grayson, an angry, gay teen, both living in the suburbs of Chicago, meet by chance, their lives are forever changed…and connected. Will Grayson's gay best friend, Tiny Cooper, suddenly becomes will grayson's new boyfriend. The relationship doesn't last, though, and the aftereffects almost shatter Will and Tiny's friendship. Delving deep into the relationships in each teen's life, the authors address friendship, self-identity and acceptance, true love, family, and prejudice in a novel sure to touch the hearts of listeners. MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl give wholly believable and heart-rending performances. The narrators also provide wonderful singing performances when snippets from Tiny's musical, “Tiny Dancer,” appear in the text. This title contains some strong language and adult themes, but is an excellent addition to high school collections.Jessica Miller, New Britain Public Library, CT
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
53 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I've been waiting for this book to come out since it was announced. Some background on my reading history: I love all of John Green's books and I love what I've read of David Levithan. So, naturally, I had high hopes for this awesome collision of genius.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson is the story of two guys named Will Grayson: they are not related, they have close to nothing in common, and neither, in fact, knows that the other one exists. That is, until their volatile meeting in the middle of this book. In a porn store. In life-crumbling circumstances.
As usual with these two authors, the characters are realistically crafted and easy to relate to. There were times throughout the story that I felt myself nodding in sympathy or feeling vindictive hatred for the unfortunately dead-on portrayal of selfishness and angst that's common in most high school teenagers. What I love about these characters is that they are decidedly fluid individuals who learn life lessons and cry and hope and dissect situations to ridiculous extremes and hold grudges and appreciate love and friendship. This is the kind of book that reminds you what a coming of age tale is supposed to be.
My favorite character was Tiny Cooper. If I had to choose my favorite Will Grayson, I would choose Tiny Cooper. He was just that awesome. Tiny is the very large, very gay, and very fabulous best friend of John Green's Will Grayson. He has received funding from the student council in order to put on a musical he wrote himself called Tiny Dancer--which is, of course, all about Tiny Cooper. He is the show stealer of the book.
On the opposite end of the character spectrum, I never felt much of a connection with Jane, the love interest of John Green's Will Grayson. This is probably because I've come to expect much of John Green's girls. I was infatuated with Alaska Young and Margo was a fantastic multi-dimensional character. I had the same sort of problem with Jane as I did with the heroine of An Abundance of Katherines--I just never fell in love with her.
As for Levithan, I'm still pondering why he chose to write his portion using no capitals. I like to think that it's because his Will Grayson is just too apathetic to care about using a shift key. Authors trying to be innovative with the stylizing their narrative is usually a hit or miss for me. In Levithan's case, the innovation wasn't so over the top that it became pretentious, which--and I'm not naming any names--tends to happen.
For what's it worth, I have absolutely no regrets for paying the twenty dollar price for this book. John Green and David Levithan are a witty powerhouse of a team and I hope that they decide to do more work together in the future. I recommend Will Grayson, Will Grayson to all fans of humorous, romantic, intelligent coming of age tales.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson is the story of two guys named Will Grayson: they are not related, they have close to nothing in common, and neither, in fact, knows that the other one exists. That is, until their volatile meeting in the middle of this book. In a porn store. In life-crumbling circumstances.
As usual with these two authors, the characters are realistically crafted and easy to relate to. There were times throughout the story that I felt myself nodding in sympathy or feeling vindictive hatred for the unfortunately dead-on portrayal of selfishness and angst that's common in most high school teenagers. What I love about these characters is that they are decidedly fluid individuals who learn life lessons and cry and hope and dissect situations to ridiculous extremes and hold grudges and appreciate love and friendship. This is the kind of book that reminds you what a coming of age tale is supposed to be.
My favorite character was Tiny Cooper. If I had to choose my favorite Will Grayson, I would choose Tiny Cooper. He was just that awesome. Tiny is the very large, very gay, and very fabulous best friend of John Green's Will Grayson. He has received funding from the student council in order to put on a musical he wrote himself called Tiny Dancer--which is, of course, all about Tiny Cooper. He is the show stealer of the book.
On the opposite end of the character spectrum, I never felt much of a connection with Jane, the love interest of John Green's Will Grayson. This is probably because I've come to expect much of John Green's girls. I was infatuated with Alaska Young and Margo was a fantastic multi-dimensional character. I had the same sort of problem with Jane as I did with the heroine of An Abundance of Katherines--I just never fell in love with her.
As for Levithan, I'm still pondering why he chose to write his portion using no capitals. I like to think that it's because his Will Grayson is just too apathetic to care about using a shift key. Authors trying to be innovative with the stylizing their narrative is usually a hit or miss for me. In Levithan's case, the innovation wasn't so over the top that it became pretentious, which--and I'm not naming any names--tends to happen.
For what's it worth, I have absolutely no regrets for paying the twenty dollar price for this book. John Green and David Levithan are a witty powerhouse of a team and I hope that they decide to do more work together in the future. I recommend Will Grayson, Will Grayson to all fans of humorous, romantic, intelligent coming of age tales.
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'm usually not one for sweeping statements (at least when Joss Whedon isn't the subject of conversation), but here's where I have to give in to the sweepiness: John Green is the best YA writer there is.
Now that that's out of the way, let's get into the book. "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" is a book about two teenagers named Will Grayson. John Green wrote the odd numbered chapters, which feature Will Grayson #1, a guy who keeps to himself in order to keep from getting hurt. He's surrounded by a supporting cast of characters who simply radiate awesome; most of all, Tiny Cooper. David Levithan wrote the even numbered chapters, which feature the depressed and lower-case using Will Grayson #2.
So let me just stress again how fantastic John Green is, so the following sentence has the appropriate amount of weight. After reading Levithan's first chapter, I almost gave up on the book. Yes, that's after reading Green's first wonderful chapter. Yes, that's with the knowledge that I had nine more chapters of Greenery to come. But Levithan's first (and second) chapters are literally the most sterotypical emo stuff I've ever read, to the point where it almost reads like parody. Basically, your essential "I hate my life to the point where I'm mean to my awesome mother AND ALSO I AM SO DEPRESSED THAT I NEVER EAT CEREAL" bull. Every cliche "emo kid" idea you could come up with is thrown in there. It was very grating to read those chapters, hence the almost-giving-up.
But then.
I kept reading, mostly because I trust John Green as a writer and reader. On Levithan's third chapter, there is a clear shift. His Will Grayson suddenly has depth. He's suddenly witty. Suddenly readable. Suddenly nice to his mom. Suddenly, although he is still depressed, Levithan's take on depression becomes well written, instead of the annoying cliched take in his first two chapters. At the sake of narrative consistency, Levithan changed his character and thus made the book readable.
And from that point on, the book is excellent. John Green is insightful, funny, and pretty much what his fans have come to expect from his writing. Levithan, after the horrid beginning, is very readable and has touches of excellence. Overall, the book, the characters, and the reading experience was, as Tiny Cooper would say, fabulous.
8/10
Now that that's out of the way, let's get into the book. "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" is a book about two teenagers named Will Grayson. John Green wrote the odd numbered chapters, which feature Will Grayson #1, a guy who keeps to himself in order to keep from getting hurt. He's surrounded by a supporting cast of characters who simply radiate awesome; most of all, Tiny Cooper. David Levithan wrote the even numbered chapters, which feature the depressed and lower-case using Will Grayson #2.
So let me just stress again how fantastic John Green is, so the following sentence has the appropriate amount of weight. After reading Levithan's first chapter, I almost gave up on the book. Yes, that's after reading Green's first wonderful chapter. Yes, that's with the knowledge that I had nine more chapters of Greenery to come. But Levithan's first (and second) chapters are literally the most sterotypical emo stuff I've ever read, to the point where it almost reads like parody. Basically, your essential "I hate my life to the point where I'm mean to my awesome mother AND ALSO I AM SO DEPRESSED THAT I NEVER EAT CEREAL" bull. Every cliche "emo kid" idea you could come up with is thrown in there. It was very grating to read those chapters, hence the almost-giving-up.
But then.
I kept reading, mostly because I trust John Green as a writer and reader. On Levithan's third chapter, there is a clear shift. His Will Grayson suddenly has depth. He's suddenly witty. Suddenly readable. Suddenly nice to his mom. Suddenly, although he is still depressed, Levithan's take on depression becomes well written, instead of the annoying cliched take in his first two chapters. At the sake of narrative consistency, Levithan changed his character and thus made the book readable.
And from that point on, the book is excellent. John Green is insightful, funny, and pretty much what his fans have come to expect from his writing. Levithan, after the horrid beginning, is very readable and has touches of excellence. Overall, the book, the characters, and the reading experience was, as Tiny Cooper would say, fabulous.
8/10
22 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Will Grayson has been Tiny Cooper's best friend since elementary school. Tiny is, according to Will, "the world's largest person who is really, really gay" and constantly falling in and out of love--and dragging Will with him everywhere. When his latest attempt to hook Will up with a girl fails, Will meets Will Grayson, another teen who is depressed and discouraged. Both Wills make an effort not to feel too much in life, but are changed after meeting, and continue to change as Tiny puts on his extravagant and fabulous autobiographical musical, "Tiny Dancer", culminating in an unforgettable and powerful night.
John Green and David Levithan have created a very unique, surprising, and downright hilarious novel. The book is told in alternating chapters, and it's very easy to distinguish which point of view each author is writing from. Their characters are so different, but at the same time the book is very cohesive and engaging. Green's Will is a lot like some of his previous characters: funny, self-deprecating, and a bit nerdy and self conscious, but he is a terrific friend and an honest person. Levithan's Will is a bit darker. He is lonely and depressed, and it's evident throughout most of the book that he is hurting and doesn't know how to be himself, or even be happy. Each Will possesses his own authentic voice, and the chapters flow seamless together, playing off each other well with Tiny as a good (albeit a little self-centered) central character.
The plot is complex, and the change in each Will may be gradual as each one sorts out their own myriad of problems and issues, but the journey is funny, rough, and best of all, smart (for example, Schrondinger's cat is used as an extended metaphor throughout much of the book). Will Grayson, Will Grayson is brilliant and intelligent read about love, appreciation, and feeling with an unflinching and bold style that many teens will appreciate.
Cover Comments: I really like this cover! It is very fitting that since there is a musical in the book there is a spotlight on the cover, and the perspective is different. The font is also pretty cool--I like how some of the letters of the title run into each other. This is just a really excellent cover!
John Green and David Levithan have created a very unique, surprising, and downright hilarious novel. The book is told in alternating chapters, and it's very easy to distinguish which point of view each author is writing from. Their characters are so different, but at the same time the book is very cohesive and engaging. Green's Will is a lot like some of his previous characters: funny, self-deprecating, and a bit nerdy and self conscious, but he is a terrific friend and an honest person. Levithan's Will is a bit darker. He is lonely and depressed, and it's evident throughout most of the book that he is hurting and doesn't know how to be himself, or even be happy. Each Will possesses his own authentic voice, and the chapters flow seamless together, playing off each other well with Tiny as a good (albeit a little self-centered) central character.
The plot is complex, and the change in each Will may be gradual as each one sorts out their own myriad of problems and issues, but the journey is funny, rough, and best of all, smart (for example, Schrondinger's cat is used as an extended metaphor throughout much of the book). Will Grayson, Will Grayson is brilliant and intelligent read about love, appreciation, and feeling with an unflinching and bold style that many teens will appreciate.
Cover Comments: I really like this cover! It is very fitting that since there is a musical in the book there is a spotlight on the cover, and the perspective is different. The font is also pretty cool--I like how some of the letters of the title run into each other. This is just a really excellent cover!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
not confusing one bit
will Grayson will Grayson is so well written by two amazing authors that you can hardly tell, and yet are thankful that each author added this entirely new layer to their character... Read more
Published 4 days ago by shannon
5.0 out of 5 stars
OUTSANDING
I love the message that was conveyed in this book. It's all about acceptance, and love, and I just loved it!
Published 9 days ago by Walter Ryan Gay
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
This is one of my favorite books. I love the story and the way it is written. The characters are great and funny. Read more
This is one of my favorite books. I love the story and the way it is written. The characters are great and funny. Read more
Published 13 days ago by Ashy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty Good
Pretty good, but the ending had me feeling incomplete. I wish the Grayson's were more profound. But it was a real enjoyment.
Published 14 days ago by LaTrevian Cherry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Two Will Graysons....
I have been wanting to read this novel for quite some time now and happened upon it for a really great price and I couldn't pass it up. Read more
Published 15 days ago by S. McCullough
5.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZING!!
This book was truly beautiful! The end was surprising, and it tied the whole story together. I highly recommend this story to anyone who is considering reading this.
Published 18 days ago by Jess Ansley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing
Took me a while to get interested but by the end I absolutely loved it very original the characters are hilarious !
Published 20 days ago by marsha
5.0 out of 5 stars
Two heads are better than One
Both of these authors are amazing in their own right. But to have the two collaborate together on one book is incredible
Published 23 days ago by Mark Cadden
5.0 out of 5 stars
Will Grayson Will Grayson
A lovely book that absolutely embraces the feeling of teens everywhere. What does it take to be a friend? What does it take to fall in love and stay that way? Read more
Published 24 days ago by Suarez
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is a great book.
I really loved how Green and Levithan used their own, very distinct voices, to create a story where there are two main characters- well, three really, because you have to count... Read more
Published 25 days ago by kelly
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
So You'd Like to...
|
|
