Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Bayport Public Library | YA FICTION LAR | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
There is one thing Steven knows for sure: He's absolutely, positively NOT gay.
Steven's a 16-year-old boy with two obsessions: sex and getting his driving license. The problem is, Steven's not thinking girls when he's thinking sex. Could he be -- don't say it -- gay? Steven sets out to get in touch with his inner he-man with Healthy Heterosexual Strategies such as "Start Hanging Out with the Guys," and "Begin Intensive Dating." But are Steven's tactics going to straighten him out, or leave him all twisted up?
Absolutely hilarious. Positively sidesplitting. But absolutely, positively NOT GAY!
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9-Sixteen-year-old Steven relishes square dancing, drools over his male health teacher's musculature, and keeps a stash of International Male catalogs underneath his bed, but is determined that he is absolutely, positively not gay. In an eager crack to prove his heterosexuality, he futilely attempts to buy a Playboy magazine, tries mingling with the meathead jocks at lunch, and embarks on a series of disastrous dates with girls from his class. From the outset, it's obvious that Larochelle's first novel is mostly lighthearted laughs as Steven tries to rid himself of "deviant" sexual behavior (as explained in an ancient teen sexuality book he "borrowed" from the library). When he finally does own up to his shortcomings as a heterosexual, he decides to out himself to his best friend, Rachel, who is relieved that he has finally told her and blabs the news to her entire family while urging him to form a gay-straight alliance in his high school the following day. Even though the good-natured humor does cloud the book's overall sense of reality at times, Larochelle's eye-opening and accurate portrayal of Steven's coming out will ring optimistically true for many teens and their friends who are struggling with sexuality issues. And it's the delivery of his outing, coated in a healthy dose of hilarity, that makes Absolutely, Positively Not a fast-paced, funny, and frivolously frank read.-Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Surrounded by the thoughtless homophobia of an average high school, Steven has denied his sexuality for years. When he finally comes out to himself, then to family and friends, the results are mixed and thankfully unformulaic. Fast-paced and generally lighthearted, LaRochelle's debut novel occasionally favors humor over emotion but still presents a sympathetic, engaging, and believable teen protagonist. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Sixteen-year-old Steven Denarski enjoys square dancing with his mother. He doesn't like sports. He's very neat. He's never had a girlfriend though his best friend is a girl. He's been meaning to toss that International Male Undergear catalog under his mattress for two years now, but he hasn't gotten around to it yet. Despite all that, he is absolutely positively not gay. He's sure of it, so he sets out to prove it to himself and the world. Taking instruction from an ancient text on male teen sexuality, he sits with the jocks--who ignore him. He goes out with every unattached girl in his class; he usually ends up cleaning her basement. After a disastrous date with a nympho exchange student, Steven can deny the truth no longer. He comes out to his overzealously accepting best friend and finds his troubles are just beginning. Gay teen angst has rarely been so funny. The characters might be a bit slight, and a few sit-com moments over-extended, but as a first effort on a touchy subject this will entertain readers no matter which team they play for. (Fiction 12+) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 7-10. In a touching, sometime hilarious coming-out story, Steven DeNarski, 16, tries to deny he is gay. He covers his Superman posters with pictures of women in skimpy bikinis and lacy lingerie, and he follows the aversion therapy prescribed in a parents' handbook for getting over his deviant desires and awakening his sluggish interest in girls. He hangs out with the hockey players and tries to start dating (even kissing), to the delight of his fussy mom and macho dad. It doesn't work. When he reluctantly tells his friend Rachel that he is gay, he has to restrain her from celebrating it to the world and empowering him at school. The wry, first-person narrative is wonderful as it moves from personal angst to outright farce (Steven takes a pet golden retriever to the school dance). The characters are drawn with surprising depth, and Steven finds quiet support, as well as betrayal, in unexpected places. Many readers, gay and straight, will recognize Steven's need to talk to someone. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2005 Booklist
