Synopses & Reviews
Russel Middlebrook is convinced he's the only gay kid at Goodkind High School. Then his online gay-chat buddy turns out to be none other than Kevin, the popular but closeted star of the school's baseball team. Soon Russel meets other gay students too. There's his best friend, Min, who reveals that she's bisexual, and her soccer-playing girlfriend, Terese. And there's Terese's politically active friend, Ike.
But how can kids this diverse get together without drawing attention to themselves?
"We just choose a club that's so boring, nobody in their right mind would ever in a million years join it. We could call it Geography Club!"
Brent Hartinger's debut novel is a fastpaced, funny, and trenchant portrait of contemporary teenagers who may not learn any actual geography in their latest school club, but who learn plenty about the treacherous social terrain of a typical American high school and the even more dangerous landscape of the human heart.
Review
"Hartinger tells the story imaginatively by documenting the beginnings of a gay-straight alliance...and the impact the group has on Russel and his fellow students at Goodkind High. Hartinger's novel is geared toward youth but should also speak volumes to youth allies." Out Magazine
Review
"Hartinger has written a compelling look at the high school scene and the serious consequences of being 'different.'...This author has something to say here, and his message is potent and effective in its delivery. Many teens, both gay and straight, should find this novel intriguing." School Library Journal
Review
"Pitch-perfect....This is the most artful and authentic depiction of a gay teen since M.E. Kerr's groundbreaking Charlie Gilhooly in I'll Love You When You're More Like Me." Horn Book
Review
"Overall, this novel does a fine job of presenting many of the complex realities of gay teen life, and also what it takes to be a 'thoroughly decent' person." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Hartinger grasps the melodrama and teen angst of high school well. Russel's narration rings true, as he walks through the social jungle that is high school." Mike Brown, VOYA
Review
"I absolutely love Geography Club! It's a brilliant first novel with a marvelous first person voice and, in Russel, a terrific, wonderfully realized protagonist that readers will welcome into their hearts." Michael Cart, Booklist
Review
"A page-turning journey through love, sexuality, friendship, and accptance." Alex Sanchez, author of Rainbow Boys
Review
"Russel Middlebrook, the book's funny, sad, and big-hearted hero, is my new best friend." Brian Malloy, author of The Year of Ice
Synopsis
New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
About the Author
Brent Hartinger helped found Oasis, a support group for gay and lesbian young people, in his hometown of Tacoma, WA. Also a talented playwright, he lives near Seattle with his partner, writer Michael Jensen. This is Brent's first novel.