Status
Missing
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Kensington (2010), Edition: Original, 352 pages
Description
16-year-old Paul Landon's world collapses when his brother is killed in action in Vietnam. Chris had recently confessed to Paul that he was gay and begged him not to tell their parents. Paul sinks into delinquency as his parents mourn and praise their dead son and make Paul feel as though he does nothing right. Forced to spend the summer working in the family-owned pet shop, Paul must train the new kid, JJ O'Neil. JJ surprises Paul in two ways: he effortlessly calms and trains aggressive dogs; and he's gay. Through JJ, Paul soon begins to become the man he wants to be.
User reviews
LibraryThing member macsbrains
I see so many book labelled or tagged with "coming of age" that it almost doesn't have any meaning anymore, so, title aside, I found myself surprised to find it so clearly evident in the book. The teen protagonist, Paul, actually learns something about himself, and about life, and he learns it
I think the characterization was very well done. The grief was really palpable and Paul's grieving was one of the strongest aspects of the novel. I also thought the author's use of the dog training to describe relationships with people to be very interesting, but I am an animal-lover and I think that if I weren't I might have found all the exposition about dogs and dog behavior to be very tedious. (Luckily, I lapped it up.)
Overall, I think it was a solid novel that would be good teen discussion material for its focus on identity and becoming who you are rather than who other people think you are or want you to be, or even how you think you are when you're deluding yourself.
My one main problem with the novel is that although I sympathized with Paul's grief, and understood the frustraion of mixed signals from parents, I ultimately just didn't like him very much.
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realistically, through hard work and tough thought.I think the characterization was very well done. The grief was really palpable and Paul's grieving was one of the strongest aspects of the novel. I also thought the author's use of the dog training to describe relationships with people to be very interesting, but I am an animal-lover and I think that if I weren't I might have found all the exposition about dogs and dog behavior to be very tedious. (Luckily, I lapped it up.)
Overall, I think it was a solid novel that would be good teen discussion material for its focus on identity and becoming who you are rather than who other people think you are or want you to be, or even how you think you are when you're deluding yourself.
My one main problem with the novel is that although I sympathized with Paul's grief, and understood the frustraion of mixed signals from parents, I ultimately just didn't like him very much.
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LibraryThing member snat
**This was an Advance Reader's Copy provided by Library Thing**
This is a tough one, but I'm going to go with 2 1/2 stars. It's tough because I admire any young adult author who is willing to tackle the issue of homosexuality in a way that teaches the need for acceptance and understanding, but
The novel is set in 1972 and Paul Landon's brother, Chris, is serving in Vietnam. The novel opens as Chris, the family's golden child who voluntarily enlisted to serve, is home on leave before the Thanksgiving holiday. (In the interest of full disclosure, let me state that much of my disappointment stems from the fact that I thought this novel was going to have a lot more to do with the Vietnam War and with the experience of a gay soldier. If it hadn't been for the Vietnam reference, I would have never picked up the book.) Chris is there long enough to basically set up the time period: he tells some war stories, he throws around some Vietnam military jargon, and brings his brother a pair of Ho Chi Minh sandals. These obligatory Vietnam narrative motifs are basically all we get in the way of setting; if it hadn't been for this early scene, the rest of the book could have just as well taken place in the present day. The night before he leaves, Chris finds out that his boyfriend, Mason, was killed in Vietnam. Paul hears Chris crying in the room next door and when he goes to check on his brother, Chris reveals that he's gay, makes him promise not to tell mom and dad, and tells him that he's going back to Vietnam to die because he has nothing to live for. A few pages later, the family learns that Chris died a hero's death shortly after returning to Vietnam. Talk about a wham, bam, thank you m'am set up. It's not subtle and a bit too contrived for my tastes.
This moves us into the part of the novel with which I was impressed. The aftermath of Chris's death is handled well and with attention to emotional truth. Paul's mother walks around in a catatonic state, his father responds with stoic bravado and advises Paul to be a man and be strong for his mother, and Paul doesn't know what the hell that means. As if the transition between child and adult isn't hard enough, Paul's coming of age is compounded by the burden of carrying his brother's secret, being denied his own guilt and right to grieve by his father, and wanting to break away from Chris's shadow as it's impossible to live up to a brother who was idolized in life and is now revered in death. Paul also grapples with his own questions about homosexuality: can it be cured? does one "choose" to be gay? is it a sin? if not, why is it illegal? what exactly does being gay with another man mean? It's easy for adults to brush these aside as stupid questions, but they only remain stupid and a breeding ground for prejudice if they aren't answered, and I'm guessing in the 1970's there weren't many open and honest answers that a suburban teenager could expect. In typical teenage fashion, Paul internally deals with all of this and makes some poor choices along the way and, in typical parent-of-a-teenager fashion, his father always misinterprets Paul's intent and motivation.
As punishment for his sins (little Paul visited a prostitute and got caught. Stupid Paul. First rule of visiting a prostitute when you're a teenager: don't get caught because you sure as shit don't want your mom to know about that.), Paul loses all privileges and is forced to work in his dad's pet shop with J.J., a college student working there for the summer and--guess what?--J.J.'s gay. Now Paul has the opportunity to work through the anger and the disgust he feels toward his brother, as well as his grief, since J.J. can be a stand-in substitute for Chris and guide Paul through the labyrinthine questions, prejudices, and stereotypes he has built up in his mind. And it's the pet shop section where the novel lost it for me again. You see, J.J.'s the 1970's answer to the Dog Whisperer. He trains dogs who have been abused or neglected by their owners. And apparently every dog in the tri-state area has an issue because this part of the novel lapses into J.J. working his canine magic on dog, after dog, after dog, after dog. Believe it or not, this gets old after a while. By the time he made his 57th speech on dogs being pack animals, establishing his presence as an Alpha male in the dog's eyes, hitching some sort of little chain around the dog's head, I was ready to hang myself with a leash. And I get what Reardon was trying to do here; J.J.'s amazing calm and ability with dogs comes from learning how to deal with prejudice and bullies. I just think we could have gotten that message after 3 dog training sessions and shortened this sucker up by about 50 pages.
So, here's my beef with the novel: this is clearly a didactic novel for teens, so why is this set during the 1970's against the backdrop of Vietnam? This is Vietnam-Lite and I know Reardon didn't necessarily mean this to be a Vietnam novel, but it seems to date and undermine the novel's message. It's a bit like reading Uncle Tom's Cabin; it's relevant for a particular time and place, but the message that slavery is wrong isn't one I particularly need to hear as I knew that to be a truth before reading the novel. Living in the rural South, I know there are still some vehemently held prejudices out there. However, I don't know that reading a novel about a brother grappling with his brother's sexuality in the 1970's is particularly relevant to a contemporary teenager. I think this could have been more powerful and timelier if Paul had lost a brother to the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, allowing for more of a contemporary connection with the character. However, I respect and admire Reardon's message and handling of the subject matter in a way that acknowledges the complexity of the issues involved.
This is a tough one, but I'm going to go with 2 1/2 stars. It's tough because I admire any young adult author who is willing to tackle the issue of homosexuality in a way that teaches the need for acceptance and understanding, but
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doesn't do so in a way that fails to acknowledge the powerful social stigmas and gender stereotypes that still hold sway over pre-teens and teens grappling with what it means to be gay. However, in terms of plot and timeliness, the novel just didn't deliver for me. The novel is set in 1972 and Paul Landon's brother, Chris, is serving in Vietnam. The novel opens as Chris, the family's golden child who voluntarily enlisted to serve, is home on leave before the Thanksgiving holiday. (In the interest of full disclosure, let me state that much of my disappointment stems from the fact that I thought this novel was going to have a lot more to do with the Vietnam War and with the experience of a gay soldier. If it hadn't been for the Vietnam reference, I would have never picked up the book.) Chris is there long enough to basically set up the time period: he tells some war stories, he throws around some Vietnam military jargon, and brings his brother a pair of Ho Chi Minh sandals. These obligatory Vietnam narrative motifs are basically all we get in the way of setting; if it hadn't been for this early scene, the rest of the book could have just as well taken place in the present day. The night before he leaves, Chris finds out that his boyfriend, Mason, was killed in Vietnam. Paul hears Chris crying in the room next door and when he goes to check on his brother, Chris reveals that he's gay, makes him promise not to tell mom and dad, and tells him that he's going back to Vietnam to die because he has nothing to live for. A few pages later, the family learns that Chris died a hero's death shortly after returning to Vietnam. Talk about a wham, bam, thank you m'am set up. It's not subtle and a bit too contrived for my tastes.
This moves us into the part of the novel with which I was impressed. The aftermath of Chris's death is handled well and with attention to emotional truth. Paul's mother walks around in a catatonic state, his father responds with stoic bravado and advises Paul to be a man and be strong for his mother, and Paul doesn't know what the hell that means. As if the transition between child and adult isn't hard enough, Paul's coming of age is compounded by the burden of carrying his brother's secret, being denied his own guilt and right to grieve by his father, and wanting to break away from Chris's shadow as it's impossible to live up to a brother who was idolized in life and is now revered in death. Paul also grapples with his own questions about homosexuality: can it be cured? does one "choose" to be gay? is it a sin? if not, why is it illegal? what exactly does being gay with another man mean? It's easy for adults to brush these aside as stupid questions, but they only remain stupid and a breeding ground for prejudice if they aren't answered, and I'm guessing in the 1970's there weren't many open and honest answers that a suburban teenager could expect. In typical teenage fashion, Paul internally deals with all of this and makes some poor choices along the way and, in typical parent-of-a-teenager fashion, his father always misinterprets Paul's intent and motivation.
As punishment for his sins (little Paul visited a prostitute and got caught. Stupid Paul. First rule of visiting a prostitute when you're a teenager: don't get caught because you sure as shit don't want your mom to know about that.), Paul loses all privileges and is forced to work in his dad's pet shop with J.J., a college student working there for the summer and--guess what?--J.J.'s gay. Now Paul has the opportunity to work through the anger and the disgust he feels toward his brother, as well as his grief, since J.J. can be a stand-in substitute for Chris and guide Paul through the labyrinthine questions, prejudices, and stereotypes he has built up in his mind. And it's the pet shop section where the novel lost it for me again. You see, J.J.'s the 1970's answer to the Dog Whisperer. He trains dogs who have been abused or neglected by their owners. And apparently every dog in the tri-state area has an issue because this part of the novel lapses into J.J. working his canine magic on dog, after dog, after dog, after dog. Believe it or not, this gets old after a while. By the time he made his 57th speech on dogs being pack animals, establishing his presence as an Alpha male in the dog's eyes, hitching some sort of little chain around the dog's head, I was ready to hang myself with a leash. And I get what Reardon was trying to do here; J.J.'s amazing calm and ability with dogs comes from learning how to deal with prejudice and bullies. I just think we could have gotten that message after 3 dog training sessions and shortened this sucker up by about 50 pages.
So, here's my beef with the novel: this is clearly a didactic novel for teens, so why is this set during the 1970's against the backdrop of Vietnam? This is Vietnam-Lite and I know Reardon didn't necessarily mean this to be a Vietnam novel, but it seems to date and undermine the novel's message. It's a bit like reading Uncle Tom's Cabin; it's relevant for a particular time and place, but the message that slavery is wrong isn't one I particularly need to hear as I knew that to be a truth before reading the novel. Living in the rural South, I know there are still some vehemently held prejudices out there. However, I don't know that reading a novel about a brother grappling with his brother's sexuality in the 1970's is particularly relevant to a contemporary teenager. I think this could have been more powerful and timelier if Paul had lost a brother to the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, allowing for more of a contemporary connection with the character. However, I respect and admire Reardon's message and handling of the subject matter in a way that acknowledges the complexity of the issues involved.
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LibraryThing member mesmericrevelation
This book is amazing. There are times I loved it and other times when I wanted to toss it out the window because it was making me so angry. I have a feeling this book is going to stick with me for a really long time. I will be re-reading this one at some point. I may even re-read it a few times
This book is really hard for me to review. I just can't seem to express how incredible it is. This is one that everyone needs to read. So since it's coming out in a couple of days, the 21st, make sure to pick it up!
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because it is just that good.This book is really hard for me to review. I just can't seem to express how incredible it is. This is one that everyone needs to read. So since it's coming out in a couple of days, the 21st, make sure to pick it up!
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LibraryThing member kissmeimgone
This book was simply amazing I must say. Paul Landon is faced with internal conflict when his brother Chris dies in the Vietnam War and he's left to carry the burden of two secrets his brother told him before he went back to Vietnam during his leave. I recommend this book to everyone, espescially
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12+. A definite page turner and a new favorite of mine. Show Less
LibraryThing member ilbooklvr
This was truly a book I couldn't put down. In 1972, Paul's older brother is fighting in Vietnam. While home on leave, he tells Paul that he is gay. Shortly after returning his brother is killed. Reardon shows us the family's grieving process very realistically. The subplot of dog training and
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showing your confidence only added to the book. All the characters were well-developed and believable. Show Less
LibraryThing member ChristianR
I received this as an Early Reviewer book. I quickly became quite caught up in the characters and the storyline, and think it's a fantastic book.
Paul's brother Chris is serving in the Army during the Vietnam War. Paul adores Chris, even though he thinks Chris has always been the golden child to
Over the summer Paul works in his father's pet supply store. He's both freaked out and admiring of a new employee, JJ, who he suspects is gay but who also is amazing at training out of control dogs -- bringing Paul's assumptions about manhood into conflict. His father, who he knows is extremely homophobic, is in awe of JJ's skills with dogs, but clueless about his homosexuality.
There are so many ways that an author can go wrong with a book like this, but Robin Reardon did a great job. The people were believable and I think she was true to the time period.
Paul's brother Chris is serving in the Army during the Vietnam War. Paul adores Chris, even though he thinks Chris has always been the golden child to
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their parents. On a short break home Chris reveals to Paul that he is gay and makes him promise not to tell their parents. When he returns to Vietnam, he is killed. Paul, who was floored by the news of his brother's homosexuality, struggles with his feelings about Chris while also blaming his father for pushing him into the army. Over the summer Paul works in his father's pet supply store. He's both freaked out and admiring of a new employee, JJ, who he suspects is gay but who also is amazing at training out of control dogs -- bringing Paul's assumptions about manhood into conflict. His father, who he knows is extremely homophobic, is in awe of JJ's skills with dogs, but clueless about his homosexuality.
There are so many ways that an author can go wrong with a book like this, but Robin Reardon did a great job. The people were believable and I think she was true to the time period.
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LibraryThing member willowcove
I absolutely loved Robin Reardon’s newest book, “A Question of Manhood.” Not only was it a different type of “coming out” story, but it was also thought provoking in an unusual way. Instead of living through Chris, the young man dealing with his sexuality, the reader lives through the gay
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man’s brother. This brother, Paul, has always revered his older brother, until now. Now he is repulsed by his brother’s admission. After this sad and poignant coming-out scene, Chris returns to Vietnam and is sadly killed in action. The remainder of the book deals with Paul’s thoughts and feelings. Should he have been more sympathetic? Should he have told his parents? Why can’t he still feel the love and admiration he once felt for his big brother? The turning point in Paul’s dilemma is when he is forced to work with J.J., a gay employee at his father’s pet supply store. The discomfort between the two boys is frustrating, disturbing, and completely realistic. Slowly but surely however, Paul finally begins to understand and accept JJ, and thereby finally comes to terms with his feeling for his brother as well. An insightful, easy read; highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member saffron12
I received this Early Reviewer book and read it right away, but neglected to post a review until now!. It was an easy book get into reading, but not really an easy book to read. It is the coming of age story of a boy in the 1970s who finds out that his revered older brother, killed in Vietnam, was
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gay. So what does it mean to be a man? Does Paul tell his parents what he has discovered about his brother? Does he stand up to his father? Show Less
LibraryThing member jefferno
Paul Landon is sixteen years old, and he feels he lives in his older brother’s shadow. Chris is the hero of the family, an enlisted soldier in the Vietnam War, and both of Paul’s parents idolize their eldest son. At times Paul feels jealous of Chris, but he cannot deny that there is a lot about
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Chris that is worthy of admiration. During Paul’s childhood and adolescence, his brother was a mentor to him. Paul hopes that one day he will become even half the man that his brother already is. When Chris comes home on leave during the Thanksgiving holiday, Paul feels guilty for having been jealous of his altruistic brother. It is on the last day of Chris’ leave, that Paul discovers something about his sibling which takes the wind out of his sail. Chris reveals a truth about himself, perhaps his deepest and darkest secret. He is homosexual. Suddenly Paul is beset with a myriad of confusing feelings. He’s not only astonished by this revelation, but also rather disgusted. Having previously regarded his brother as a fearless hero who personified strength and integrity, he suddenly views Chris as being weak and cowardice. The entire Landon family is devastated a few weeks later when they receive the news that Chris has been killed in action. Paul is not only grief-stricken, but also laden with guilt. His very last conversation with Chris had been one in which Chris reached out to him and bared his soul, but Paul had rejected him. Now Paul is burdened with the responsibility of carrying his brother’s secret. He knows he can never tell his parents. He can never let anyone find out that his heroic brother—the same person who died for his country—was actually a fag.A few months later, Paul meets another homosexual. JJ is the new employee at Mr. Landon’s pet store, and Paul is given the responsibility of training him. It soon becomes apparent to Paul that JJ is gay, and it also becomes clear that this quiet, unassuming young man possesses an amazing talent. He is skilled at dog handling. In fact he is an expert canine behavioralist. Within a matter of days, JJ impresses Paul’s father with his talent, and JJ is asked to provide consultation services to customers who have training issues with their dogs.During the weeks that Paul and JJ work together, Paul finds himself reliving many of the feelings he had about his brother. He also begins to question the stereotypes and assumptions he has harbored within himself, and ultimately he confronts JJ. He confides in his coworker that his brother was gay, but his parents do not know. JJ begins to teach Paul some very important lessons, not just about dog training, but also about sexual orientation, manhood, and integrity.Having read both of Reardon’s previously released novels, I found this read to be a bit of a departure for her. Although the storyline is unquestionably gay-interest, the theme is strikingly dissimilar. This book did not contain the religious overtones which were thematic in her first two novels. It also was told in the voice of a heterosexual protagonist. Much more realistic dialogue was used, incorporating slang and profanity appropriately. Some of the conversations were rather wordy. It just seemed that at times the characters launched into lectures which would not be typical during normal conversation. They seemed to be dissertations, and I think that in normal conversation, there are more interruptions. Most people are not prepared to launch into a diatribe, and especially not with perfect grammar.The central character, Paul, was a sympathetic protagonist. In light of the setting (early 1970s), I could understand the confusion and anxiety that he endured. I question the relevance of this type of story in the contemporary market, however. It reminds me of the sort of person who feels the need to inform their gay acquaintances that they have “no problem with homosexuals.” Why bother to even mention it in the first place? Your brother is gay—whoopty do! The mere suggestion that gay people are weak, sissified, or immoral by nature is patently offensive to me. I thought that we were beyond these attitudes ages ago. It seemed that this book would have been an essential read two or three decades ago. Perhaps if I were to be able to view it strictly as a historical piece, the message would resonate. It felt to me, however, that the author was trying to convince her audience that being gay was okay. It’s possible to be a manly man and to be gay at the same time. Well I got that message decades ago, and I thought that the rest of the world pretty much had as well.The gripping emotional element of the story was profound. In fact, I regard this particular characteristic to be the book’s redemption. I wept as I read the family’s reaction to Chris’ death. A bullying scene which occurred early in the story was extremely disturbing, and this also moved me emotionally. The portrayal of JJ’s sensitivity as he cried with one of his customers while grieving the loss of her beloved pet, was a scene of significant impact. To me, these literary slices were masterful, and they are the scenes which will remain with me for some time to come.The most disturbing element of the story was the portrayal of the central character’s father, Andy Landon. At the beginning of the book, I was trying not to hate him, or perhaps to at least not dislike him so much. Just prior to the conclusion of the story, there was a revelation scene in which an element of Andy’s character was exposed. I think that the intention of this “big reveal” was to help the reader understand this annoying character. Instead it made me cringe. Honestly, I wanted to reach right into the pages of that book and slap some sense into him. He’d lost one son already, so why hadn’t he learned something? He should have cherished his remaining son rather than demonizing him.The pathway to inclusion can be represented as a continuum which begins with bigotry and ends with full inclusion. The next step away from bigotry is tolerance, then acceptance. The ultimate goal is inclusion. This story seemed to be arguing the case for tolerance. To me, this is not enough. Gay people should not merely be tolerated. Straight people have no right to be proud of themselves for putting up with homosexuals. I felt the message of the story was truthful and perhaps even important, but it just was not timely. If we could get the book into the hands of the few remaining closed-minded bigots who still occasionally spout off these days, then perhaps it would effectively cause them to rethink their intolerant attitudes. I think, though, that if they haven’t done so at this point, they probably never will, and they probably would reject a book like this outright.I am still a huge fan of Robin Reardon, although I must admit that this was not my favorite of her books. The writing itself is superb, but it is the story’s message that to me is lacking. Perhaps it is merely that I did not relate, and other readers may find it far more significant. Show Less
Awards
TLA Gaybies (2011: Nominee best fiction)
ALA Rainbow Book List (Selection — Young Adult Fiction — 2012)
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
075824679X / 9780758246790