David Inside Out

This is a short book that looks at the difficulties that are sometimes faced by gay teens today. What happens to the gay characters is mild compared to what happens to some people in the real world, but it does get across some of the conflict and frustration that must be common for many gay teens.

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Not a bad read but hardly the 'hard-hitting' book that the blurbs made it out to be.

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I read this book in just about three hours. It's a sweet, though sometimes sad, coming of age and coming out story. It's a very quick read, but it's by no means an easy read. David's a strong, if very conflicted, conflicted character. But at the same time, he's also very sympathetic. I was reminded

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of several other gay YA books I'd read, and in a good way. One of the best things about Bantle's book is how realistic David seems, with his conflicting feelings about being gay and not wanting to. The struggle is quite real and it's hard not to care about what happens to him.

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Growing up in the Midwest, David is frightened when he suspects he might have feelings for Sean, a fellow runner on the cross country team. He devises many different ways to force himself to stop thinking about Sean: self-punishment, overexertion at meets, going out with his close female friend.

But

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nothing seems to work, and encounter after encounter with Sean seem to push David very nearly over the edge of losing control of his emotions. Can David be true to himself when he is afraid of what the world will think of his real feelings?

DAVID INSIDE OUT is a quiet but powerful read about the complexities of coming out in a wary society. Details are sparse, and while the simplistic narration and underdeveloped characters may turn off some readers, others may appreciate those techniques as a subtle yet effective way of bringing a difficult issue to light. David’s uneven summarization of the events in his life is indicative of a confused individual attempt to sort out his emotions.

Many of the characters, unfortunately, are unlikable or feel incomplete, even though they are partially that way due to their hinted-at complexities. Their motivations are muddled or unbelievable: David’s relationship with his accepting mother seems uncomplicated to the point of childishness. I actually found that the character whose actions I understood the most was Sean, caught in between homosexual feelings and the paralyzing fear that he will lose status and acceptance if he does not continue to lead the “normal” life.

DAVID INSIDE OUT is not for the faint-hearted or innocent-minded: there are quite a number of descriptions of sexual acts. That being said, it is a fascinating look into the struggles to come out in high school, and can very well be a must-read for anyone interested in GLBTQ studies.

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This growing up/coming out book didn't say anything new to me, I've enjoyed others more.

The story is touching whether you are straight or gay. The plot line went smoothly, never jumping too far. It seemed heartfelt. AHS/TP

Real convincing/realistic. Sead is a dick. AHS/JD

i read this book in a few days on and off. and i came to realize...it was the fucking gayest thing ever! fuck! i mean seriously.....what a fucking fruit cake! the author was prolly some faggot pedophile who lives alone and fantasizes about teen boys being gay with him. so he had to write out his

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feelinigs.. this book is compleatly fucking gay and u should not read it unless u r a fucking homo faggot to. so ya..have fun with but sex homos!

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David is a high school junior from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He's a runner for the high school track team. He goes to a private, parochial school on scholarship. David's best friend since elementary school is a boy named Eddie. Eddie is openly gay and trying to start a gay/straight alliance group in

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the school. This embarrasses David, even though he secretly harbors a crush on his track teammate Sean.

David's guilt over his growing attraction to Sean leads him to take drastic measures. He distances himself from his best friend Eddie, and he crudely attempts to use aversive therapy on himself, snapping himself painfully with a rubber band every time he has an inappropriate homosexual thought. He also attempts to advance physically with his girlfriend Kick (Katherine).

When Sean propositions David and the two become intimate with one another, it sets David's world on end. Not only does he become all the more obsessed with Sean, but he begins to question his own identity. He seeks help from a gay teen telephone hotline.

Ultimately David must choose whether to remain closeted while living a lie or to be honest with himself, his family, and his friends.

David Inside Out is a classic coming-out, coming-of-age story. It is a quick read, but very captivating. Written with emotion and humor, it is both believable and meaningful. It's poignant message drills into the heart of the reader, leaving them yearning for more.

Not only is the book a great addition to any young adult library, but it is an enjoyable and entertaining story for more mature readers as well. It's a heartwarming, unpretentious, and touching story about self discovery and acceptance. I highly recommend it.

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David can't deny his attraction to other guys, which might not be a problem if his secret lover/track teammate didn't imbue every sexual encounter with shame and aloofness. His former best friend is no help, being too "out" for his own good and his girlfriend makes thing more complicated when she

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offers to let David test out his sexual uncertainty with her. While not particularly original, this coming out story might be comforting to high school students grappling with the same questions as David.

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I have mixed feelings about this book. To some extent I enjoyed reading about the characters in this book, but for the most part I felt it was nothing I hadn't read before. It also seemed to make things too casual for my taste (like excessive teenage drinking/sex), so I didn't have a ton of respect

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for the characters because of the things they were doing so freely. I could sympathize with some of their feelings at times, but at others, not so much. It's an interesting addition to my GLBT book collection, but I can think of a ton of other books on the subject that I enjoyed a lot more thoroughly. I enjoyed this book for what it was, though it didn't meet my expectations.

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You are young and you want to be one of the guys, you want to be yourself, but what if you don't know what that self is? You explore your feelings and dream your dreams and maybe some day you will find out who you are - inside and out.