Week 12 – Hold me Closer, The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan

Written by: David Levithan
APA citation: Levithan, D. (2015). Hold me closer: The Tiny Cooper story. New York: Dutton Books
Cover image: http://www.amazon.com/Hold-Me-Closer-Levithan-Hardcover /dp/B010WEOS4W/ref=sr_1_2?s=books+closer+the+tiny+cooper+story

My summary of the plot: This is the musical from the novel, Will Grayson, Will Grayson written by John Green and David Levithan. The book takes us from Tiny Cooper’s birth to his teen years and dating.

Keywords: LGBT, musical, dating

My assessment: This is a lighthearted musical. However it has moments that are very serious. In this excerpt, Will is telling Tiny about his serious depression:

Will: “I’m always standing on the edge of something bad. And sometimes someone like you can make me look the other way, so that I don’t know how close I am to falling over. But I always end up turning my head. Always. I always walk off that edge” (p. 179)..

As a musical, I would guess that this book is harder to market than a novel. In 20 years of teaching, I’ve only had one student who said that he prefers plays to novels.

Audio review: No audio recording is currently available.

Review from a library journal:
Gr 10 Up — Written as a two-act musical complete with stage directions and 25 provocatively titled songs, such as “The Ballad of the Lesbian Babysitter” and “Summer of Gay,” this companion to John Green and Levithan’s award-winning Will Grayson, Will Grayson (D2utton, 2010) shines a spotlight on the larger-than-life Tiny Cooper, who was born “big-boned and happily gay.” Accepted by his supportive parents, Tiny suffers no angst over his sexual orientation, despite having to contend with schoolmate bullies and a homophobic coach. Phil, his straight BFF, offers advice through Tiny’s unsuccessful relationships with 18 different boyfriends, helping him eventually to realize that love is painful but worth it. Replete with laugh-out- loud one-liners (“sort of like a gay dance club has opened on Sesame Street”), in-your-face language (faggot and the invented term dick- stracting), and showcasing Will and Tiny’s “onstage” kiss, this edgy, au courant novel tackles a potentially difficult subject head- on, while giving sound, if liberal, counsel on sexual issues for gays and straights alike. Its solid story line and realistic, “colorful” dialogue will appeal to high school readers. VERDICT A welcome addition to progressive library collections, this unapologetic gem will encourage teens’ discussion of a sensitive topic and potentially broaden their understanding of the meaning of “tolerance.”
Citation for book review:Menaldi-Scanlan, N. (2015). Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story. School Library Journal, 61(3), 159.

Recommendations for library or classroom use: This book would be perfect for a Gay Straight Alliance to read out loud. I would also recommend it for LGBT teens.