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| Out of the Pocket | 
 enlarge | Author: Bill Konigsberg
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $10.61
You Save: $6.38 (38%)
New (26) Used (6) from $10.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 43607
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1
ISBN: 0525479961
EAN: 9780525479963
ASIN: 0525479961
Publication Date: September 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Star quarterback Bobby Framingham, one of the most talented high school football players in California, knows hes different from his teammates. Theyre like brothers, but they dont know one essential thing: Bobby is gay. Can he still be one of the guys and be honest about who he is? When hes outed against his will by a student reporter, Bobby must find a way to earn back his teammates trust and accept that his path to success might be more public, and more difficult, than hed hoped. An affecting novel about identity that also delivers great sportswriting.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
A realistic portrayl of the sometimes difficult task of self acceptance on the path to success November 16, 2008
I am not one of those men enamored with sports, particularly team sports, so I was not sure how much I would empathize with a fictional, outed, high school star quarter back. I found myself immersed in Bobby Framingham's world. I wanted the experience to last and deliberately took my time reading the novel.
I came out around the age of 28, after I met my current partner of 21 years. I cannot imagine how I would have handled such public exposure as a star athlete in high school, but Mr. Konigsberg takes the reader through the many emotional twists and turns of the process and brings you and the main character through it all intact, but changed. You don't have to be gay to benefit from reading this coming of age story.
Recently my partner's ex-co-worker called to tell him that her 16 year-old son had just come out to her. While she assured her son of her love, she was concerned about his happiness. He told her he is not ready to come out to classmates, not sure of how they will respond. In addition to telling her that she may want to contact her local PFLAG organization, we suggested that she read "Out of the Pocket" and perhaps share it with her son.
One of the most realistic gay coming-of-age novels I've read October 31, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
"Out of the Pocket" is one of the most realistic gay coming-of-age novels I've read. There's no extravagance, no hyperbole, no over-the-top emotions, no stereotypes. This is a tale that rings true on every page. And probably even truer than I know since I'm not a sports fan (there are a lot of details about high school athletics and the game of football; the author is an Associated Press sportswriter--and a gay one, at that). The lead, Bobby Framingham, a high school senior football stud, is eminently likable, and his emotional hand-wringing about being gay and coming out is compelling. Being outed adds a tremendous layer of tension to the story, forcing Bobby to have to come to terms with who he is and how it may affect his future. He is surrounded by a supporting cast of well-drawn characters; his close friends on the team are very real, as are their reactions to the news their close friend and teammate is gay. And I appreciate, only in the sense of storytelling, that not everyone is happy with Bobby's announcement--this is authentic, as opposed to some gay coming-of-age tales where everything comes up roses. Speaking of which, the end of the tale does not tie everything up neatly, another nod to real life. My only complaint about the book is that I wish the budding relationship between Bobby and his unexpected boyfriend Bryan was developed a bit more. What there is of their relationship in the book is fantastic. Bill Konigsberg is a wonderful writer with a clear knack for realism. I hope he can put down his sports-writing pen again to make more contributions to gay fiction.
I'll be honest... October 27, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I'll be honest... there were a couple parts in OUT OF THE POCKET that made me feel a little uncomfortable. But they also made me ask myself why, and my answers were more about me than they were about the protagonist, Bobby Framingham. I think this book is monumentally important and that every high school library should stock multiple copies. There are kids out there who are dying to connect, to find books that are about them and their experiences, that don't trivialize or demonize their issues, that can put everyone -- gay, straight, and any shade in between -- a little more in touch with the relevance of human acceptance and compassion.
Well done, Mr. Konigsberg.
Out of the Pocket October 11, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is an important book. I hope that all high school students have a chance to read and reflect on this moving story of a high school football star coming to terms with his sexuality, the world and his future. This book deserves to be in every high school library, including small towns where students who are struggling with their sexuality so often feel isolated and alone. In addition to being a "good read" this book will provide support and understanding for all students, parents and teachers.
Jonathan Cohen, Ph.D.
President, Center for Social and Emotional Education;
Adjunct Professor in Psychology and Education,
Teachers College, Columbia University.
Fresh, readable, moving, funny, thoughtful coming-out story. October 10, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A high school football star, on the brink of college, has gotten to know himself well enough to be sure that he's gay. When he's just about to tell a few people closest to him, an act of betrayal takes it all out of his hands, and his secret becomes "news" in an ever-widening circle of exposure.
What happens to a talented athlete, who wants a team sports career, when this information gets out before he's ready to share it? What happens to him emotionally, and how will things go with best friend, teammates, girl pals, parents, coach, college plans? And -- what's he going to do about the guy who betrayed him?
In my adult life I've heard many, many stories about what things are like for a gay kid, and this book gets it just right. And: from my teen-age life I can remember the charming, youthful, manly self-possession of the high school quarterback -- Bill Konigsberg gets that right, too.
Among the many strengths of this book are a protagonist who both feels deeply and can roll with things -- I especially liked the writing of scenes in the universal male locker room, with their endless "jokes" involving words like "gay" and "faggot," as seen through the eyes of a gay young adult who is their friend and teammate - and then also the awkwardness among them all post Bobby's unplanned revelation. Here and elsewhere, the book's strong messages about time and tolerance shine through.
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