Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Kon
Genres
Collection
Publication
Dutton Books for Young Readers (2008), 284 pages
Description
As Bobby Framingham, quarterback of his high school football team, finally acknowledges to himself that he is gay, events start to spin out of control when his sexual orientation is revealed in the student newspaper and then in the local press, and he learns that his father has cancer.
User reviews
LibraryThing member callmecayce
A surprisingly cute, engrossing story about a high school quarterback who must come to terms with being gay. Bobby's the star quarterback, entering his senior year. He's one of the boys, hanging out with his football buddies, but he knows he's different. Konigsberg's book is an intriguing look at
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what it's like to be gay in the small, often close minded, world of high school sports. When a friend betrays Bobby, his life gets turned upside down. Out of the Pocket was, at it's heart, a truly adorable book. But at the same time, Konigsberg managed to explore the fears and worries of a 17 year old boy struggling with his sexuality and his friends. At times as heartbreaking as it is adorable, Out of the Pocket is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the struggles of being a gay athlete. My biggest criticism is how neatly certain aspect of the book worked out and how easily Konigsberg wrapped it up. But those are common to many coming of age novels and doesn't take away from the main point of the book. I enjoyed the story and wish there were more books like it. Show Less
LibraryThing member CBJames
Out of the Pocket by Bill Konigsberg is the story of Bobby Framingham, star quarterback of his high school team and closeted gay teen. During his senior year he begins to come out, first to his best friend then to his coach. There are a few rough spots, but basically no one is all that bothered by
Mr. Konigsberg creates a believable and sympathetic cast of characters in Out of the Pocket. Bobby and his teammates, his parents and girlfriend, the coach, even the school reporter who betrays him are all portrayed sympathetically as they each come to terms with the revelation that Bobby is gay. Clearly Mr. Konigsberg, a sportswriter by profession, knows his football; the descriptions of the games Bobby plays, and mostly wins, are exciting and convincing. (I should state the my knowledge of football largely begins with Friday Night Lights, the book, the movie and the television series which are all wonderful and without gay teammates.) Bobby does begin a romance with a slightly older boy, but this does not go beyond a very chaste kiss so the novel remains safe for work.
It's easy to argue that there is at least some wish fulfillment going on in Out of the Pocket. To date, to my knowledge, no professional male athlete has come out as gay while still playing a professional team sport. Certainly, none has come up through the ranks while openly gay. But there are a growing number of them in fiction--Take Me Out, a hit play about baseball, The Dreyfus Affair, a novel also about baseball--but to date none in real life. Maybe some things have to happen in fiction first. We had several black presidents on television and in movies before we had one in real life. Maybe somewhere in America there is a high school football player secretly reading Out of the Pocket right now. Maybe he'll be the first one.
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it, certainly not enough to jeopardize Bobby's spot on the team which he hopes is his ticket to Stanford University. Things go well for Bobby until a duplicitous reporter for the school newspaper outs him in a front page story. Suddenly everyone knows--the team, Bobby's parents, his "girlfriend"--and the media is camped out in front of the school after every practice looking for the gay quarterback.Mr. Konigsberg creates a believable and sympathetic cast of characters in Out of the Pocket. Bobby and his teammates, his parents and girlfriend, the coach, even the school reporter who betrays him are all portrayed sympathetically as they each come to terms with the revelation that Bobby is gay. Clearly Mr. Konigsberg, a sportswriter by profession, knows his football; the descriptions of the games Bobby plays, and mostly wins, are exciting and convincing. (I should state the my knowledge of football largely begins with Friday Night Lights, the book, the movie and the television series which are all wonderful and without gay teammates.) Bobby does begin a romance with a slightly older boy, but this does not go beyond a very chaste kiss so the novel remains safe for work.
It's easy to argue that there is at least some wish fulfillment going on in Out of the Pocket. To date, to my knowledge, no professional male athlete has come out as gay while still playing a professional team sport. Certainly, none has come up through the ranks while openly gay. But there are a growing number of them in fiction--Take Me Out, a hit play about baseball, The Dreyfus Affair, a novel also about baseball--but to date none in real life. Maybe some things have to happen in fiction first. We had several black presidents on television and in movies before we had one in real life. Maybe somewhere in America there is a high school football player secretly reading Out of the Pocket right now. Maybe he'll be the first one.
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LibraryThing member robreadsbooks
A wonderful book filled with believable characters. The author draws you into the world of high school sports with Bobby at the forefront. The star quarterback hoping for a chance at college and professional football forced to be outed by an overly aggressive classmate in the school newspaper. From
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the start, you like Bobby and his cast of quirky, yet lovable friends. The kind of friends I wish I had when I was in high school. My only gripe is that the story got a little hokey towards the end, but despite this small issue, I was not disappointed overall and still highly recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member kayceel
Bobby Framingham is a star quarterback and is waiting to hear about scholarship opportunities (and searching for scouts at every game). But when a fellow student outs Bobby before he's ready - in a very public article - Bobby finds himself in the national spotlight, as others force him to become
This is an unusual novel - a first-person, male point-of-view from the perspective of an in-the-closet gay football player. As Bobby repeatedly mentions (
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the sort of 'role model' he's not quite ready to be.This is an unusual novel - a first-person, male point-of-view from the perspective of an in-the-closet gay football player. As Bobby repeatedly mentions (
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LibraryThing member 59Square
Kearsten says: Bobby Framingham is a star quarterback and is waiting to hear about scholarship opportunities (and searching for scouts at every game). But when a fellow student outs Bobby before he's ready - in a very public article - Bobby finds himself in the national spotlight, as others force
This is an unusual novel - a first-person, male point-of-view from the perspective of an in-the-closet gay football player. As Bobby repeatedly mentions (I get it, thanks!), there are no 'out' NFL players currently in the league, so Bobby's out status could very possibly limit his chances of a professional career. Bobby's emotional ups-and-downs are very realistic, as are his family's, friends' and teammates' reactions, but good and bad.
While this book did end up feeling a bit preachy, it's unusual viewpoint and positive message makes it worthwhile.
Recommended.
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him to become the sort of 'role model' he's not quite ready to be.This is an unusual novel - a first-person, male point-of-view from the perspective of an in-the-closet gay football player. As Bobby repeatedly mentions (I get it, thanks!), there are no 'out' NFL players currently in the league, so Bobby's out status could very possibly limit his chances of a professional career. Bobby's emotional ups-and-downs are very realistic, as are his family's, friends' and teammates' reactions, but good and bad.
While this book did end up feeling a bit preachy, it's unusual viewpoint and positive message makes it worthwhile.
Recommended.
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LibraryThing member benuathanasia
This is a wonderful book for boys questioning their sexuality. It explores a great deal of the psychology behind coming out, without delving too much into smut (why must people must automatically equate sexuality with sex? I'm heterosexual, but sex does not drive who I am; why do we automatically
My favorite part of this book is that it deals with a "typical" boy dealing with his sexuality; he's not the stereotypical "twink", nor is he an overcompensating jackass.
Another plus for this book? You can read it in public without anyone making assumptions since the cover is so misleading. A wonderful advantage for self-conscious teenagers. (Too many LGTB books advertise their subject matter making it awkward for questioning teens to make the grab for them).
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assume it is different with homosexuals?).My favorite part of this book is that it deals with a "typical" boy dealing with his sexuality; he's not the stereotypical "twink", nor is he an overcompensating jackass.
Another plus for this book? You can read it in public without anyone making assumptions since the cover is so misleading. A wonderful advantage for self-conscious teenagers. (Too many LGTB books advertise their subject matter making it awkward for questioning teens to make the grab for them).
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LibraryThing member Evalangui
Wow. As super readable as "Openly Straight", as a whole, it has an excess of football for my tastes and it´s not quite as tight as Konigsberg´s second novel. As a YA it´s original in its protagonist, a gay quarterback sounds quite "contradictory" to the general public (sports in general are so
BIT of a general SPOILER.
I would have appreciated a little more development in the romance, if it had to be there, since otherwise I would have kept it focused on Bobby and his existing relationships (it seemed a bit like a tacked-on happy ending).
Overall, a good coming out story.
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homophobic that this continues to be shocking.) BIT of a general SPOILER.
I would have appreciated a little more development in the romance, if it had to be there, since otherwise I would have kept it focused on Bobby and his existing relationships (it seemed a bit like a tacked-on happy ending).
Overall, a good coming out story.
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LibraryThing member BDartnall
"Star quarterback Bobby Framingham, one of the most talented high school football players in California, knows he's different from his teammates. They're like brothers, but they don't know one essential thing: Bobby is gay. Can he still be one of the guys and be honest about who he is? When he's
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outed against his will by a student reporter, Bobby must find a way to earn back his teammates' trust and accept that his path to success might be more public, and more difficult, than he'd hoped. An affecting novel about identity that also delivers great sportswriting."- Amazon/GoodReads review. My take: Well written, realistic teen dialogue, complex and varied characters, and even the developing "first boyfriend" relationship of Bobby's is presented without sex scenes or overheated dialogue, so tenative teens-never read a book about the coming out of a gay teen- should be able to empathize with the protagonist, from beginning to end. I find this title appropriate for most high school readers, but especially for those who love football: the play by play game descriptions are filled with authentic jargon, and Bobby's demanding role as quarterback of a league-leading team, and his chances for college recruitment, are given as much weight as his other personal concerns. 2008 book -winner of the Lambda Literary Award. Show Less
LibraryThing member SerenaYates
I loved this book. It's the story of Bobby, a 17-year old quarterback who realizes he's gay and has to make the decision whether or not to come out and be accepted for who he is in his senior high school year. Or whether to stay in hiding, "play it safe", and not "mess up" his chances of becoming a
The book brings out all the issues a highschool senior fights with in the context of him being gay as well. I recommend this book to anyone who has wondered what it's like to be gay, what it feels like to be different. How some people react to you differently when they find out something they didn't know before - and how some can stay the same. How others sometimes need time to adapt to those differences when they've known you for a long time.
This book says as much about the other people in Bobby's life as it does about Bobby himself.
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pro football player (as he sees no openly gay role models in any of the four major American sports).The book brings out all the issues a highschool senior fights with in the context of him being gay as well. I recommend this book to anyone who has wondered what it's like to be gay, what it feels like to be different. How some people react to you differently when they find out something they didn't know before - and how some can stay the same. How others sometimes need time to adapt to those differences when they've known you for a long time.
This book says as much about the other people in Bobby's life as it does about Bobby himself.
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Pages
284