Peter by Kate Walker
available here at bn.com
Peter Dawson is a 15-year-old Australian boy who lives with his mother and older brother and who is an avid motorbike rider. After hanging out with his brother's friend David, who is gay, Peter begins to question his own sexuality. His experience with girls is minimal and he feels himself magically drawn to the 20-year-old David. The book tells the story of Peter's struggle to identify himself in a community that likes its men to be men.
I heard about this book several years ago, but never picked it up until now. I'm on a crusade to read as much YA literature as I can this summer. When I saw this book on the shelf, I picked it up right away and it was difficult to put down. Walker manages to accurately portray the struggles of a teenage boy dealing with his sexuality without demeaning the topic by resorting to stereotypes. Many parts of the book are very tender, and at the same time, there are many parts which are quite humorous. In one case, Peter's sex-obsessed friend Tony tries to hook Peter up:
"I put in a good word for ya, OK? I told her you fancied her."
"Bloody hell! What'd you do that for?"
"To get a bit of action going for ya! You won't do anything for yourself. She likes ya! She lies it when you wear shorts to school. She pervs on your legs! She told me so!"
If I'd been wearing shorts at that moment, I'd have changed out of them.
"You should have kept your mouth shut!"
"It worked! She's all spiffed up. She's wearing a dress."
"What's that got to do with it?"
"Everything! It means she's itchin'! It means all you gotta do is go down there, crack a few funnies, hand her a few lines, give her a quick feel-up, and she's yours."
"Tony, this is your sister we're talking about."
The reading level of this book is definitely manageable for most readers. The only aspect that might trip up underachieving students the most is that there are several Australian idioms and slang. While the main character of this book is dealing with being gay, this book really explores how teenagers deal with sex. The wisest advice that is given to Peter (both by his accepting brother and an anonymous counselor on a helpline) is that he shouldn't let what everyone else is doing and talking about affect what he does. Peter goes on an exploration of himself and being true to who he is and what he wants to do. For this reason, I think all teenagers - male, female, gay, straight - will find something beneficial from this book.
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