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Dumb Jock (Dumb Jock #1)

by Jeff Erno (Goodreads Author)

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 454 ratings · 55 reviews

Dumb Jock is a touching, coming-of-age story about a reserved, self-conscious, teenage boy growing up in a small northern-Michigan town. Jeff Irwin is short for his age, timid and studious, never yet having dared to take any chances for fear of ultimate rejection or failure. He is a bit of a social outcast and lives quietly in the shadows of the popular kids at his school....more

Paperback, 200 pages

Published February 21st 2009 by Xlibris Corporation

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Maybe With a Chance of Certainty by John Goode

Best Gay Romance Featuring Characters Attending High School/College

24th out of 313 books — 507 voters

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May 03, 2013 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books, made-me-cry, lgbt, sports, romance, bdsm, hearts-on-fire-reviews

Jeff Irwin is delicately built, sensitive, and doesn’t care at all for sports. Brett Willson is popular, good-looking, a star football player, and a candidate for Homecoming King. Unfortunately, he failed English twice and if he fails a third time, he will be removed from sports altogether. Brett’s coach coerces Jeff into tutoring Brett so he can pass and in return promises Jeff an “A” in gym. The two young men eventually become close friends and lovers, not so easy while living in a small town...more

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Aug 14, 2010 DarienMoya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-m-m-lovin, 2010-reads, young-adult, butt-virgins

^^THIS JOCK AINT SO DUMB!^^

Dumb Jock is a coming of age story set in the 80’s and that is like Jurassic years to the gay movement. I cannot fathom how hard it must have been to be a homosexual person, when you are surrounded by bigoted minds, and hateful words. This story made me cry, and not the silent tears streaming down my face, but the headache induced tears that made my heart break. It was just a beautiful story of a young boy finding his place in the world through love, heartache an inte...more ^^THIS JOCK AINT SO DUMB!^^

Dumb Jock is a coming of age story set in the 80’s and that is like Jurassic years to the gay movement. I cannot fathom how hard it must have been to be a homosexual person, when you are surrounded by bigoted minds, and hateful words. This story made me cry, and not the silent tears streaming down my face, but the headache induced tears that made my heart break. It was just a beautiful story of a young boy finding his place in the world through love, heartache an intense tragedy.

Jeff Irwin is the boy you never see, he is small, studious and quiet, and at fourteen, that description can sound all kinds of hellish. Well Jeff stays away from bigger crowds and keeps to his very small group of friends. His very small world becomes huge, when he is blackmailed into tutoring Brett Willson; secretly Jeff is excited because he worships Brett, and not that type of worship. They type where you nerdy Jeff wants to be like jock Brett. There is a lot of preconceived notions between the two, Jeff was expecting a dumb insensitive jock and he gets the complete opposite, this is a little life lesson of never judge a book by its cover.

What begin's is a genuine ,and a love that will test everything they have ever known. To say this relationship is not easy, when the very basis of what they are is degraded everyday. Brett does not fit that mould because he is a man’s man. There is no way the star football player could like boys, but the small boy who seems effeminate is definitely gay. Just proves the type of close-minded world we live in. Their meetings and embraces happen behind closed doors, even their very friendship had to remain a secret. With all this love, tragedy makes its way into their lives, and this is the reason why this story feels so very real. It is a pause between, this can happen, this does happen.

The relationship between Brett and Jeff is very sweet. Their kisses and feeling towards each other feels like that of teenagers. They do have sex and the reader will know this, but it’s not uncomfortable because it is not detailed sex, you just know that they did it. I was perfectly fine with this; it just seemed to blend it with the story. They are teenage boys gimme a break, I would have been surprised if there was no sex. I liked both characters but Jeff more so he was no push over.

This book brings up a devastating topic, gay teenage suicide and this is what mad me cry. As a mother, it pains me to see our children kill themselves because of their sexuality. So many things wrong with the world and sexual orientation should not be an issue. Children should not feel less than they are because they happen to like the same sex, I just think it plain fuckin sucks. This book manages to bring many issues in to light, homosexuality and the church, and I dislike people spewing hate in the name of God. God is love, and some of us have seem to forgotten that part.

My main dislike is the usage of the word f*g in this book, I plain just hate that word. I do not like when they call themselves that and I really do not like when it is used to hurt. It the most unnecessary, part of the book.

Overall, a very sweet and touching read filled with wonderful characters, and a realistic view of others who spew hate because they just do not understand. Dumb Jock is a great coming of age novel that should not be missed. Do not be deterred for the fact that there are young boys having sex. It is not explicit and the book is so much more than that. I guess this book readers will have a many different opinions, I for one found it deeply emotional and the sex, and that Jeff was somewhat submissive too Brett was just the side issue. I think I understand what the author was trying to convey, life is a bitch and bad things do happen, but throughout all of it you have to remain yourself. The ending might seem unrealistic, but in a perfect world you can hope all things end this way. Where gay boys can stand in front of a crowd and declare themselves in love, and to hell with everyone else. This is what I took away from this book.

SideNote- Really enjoyed the songs Jeff, made it so super sweet and I even recognized a few of them.(less)

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Dec 08, 2009 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-coming-of-age, gay-drama, gay-fiction, gay-rural, gay-youth

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It had several elements that I really enjoy in gay fiction - coming out, coming of age, the 80’s, first love. I was in high school at the same time these characters were.

Let me begin by saying that I enjoyed the book over all...even though my review here will give the impression that I didn’t.

The story centers around Jeff. Jeff is a 14-year-old boy who has fallen for Brett, the most popular boy in school. Brett is a dumb jock about to fail Engl...more I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It had several elements that I really enjoy in gay fiction - coming out, coming of age, the 80’s, first love. I was in high school at the same time these characters were.

Let me begin by saying that I enjoyed the book over all...even though my review here will give the impression that I didn’t.

The story centers around Jeff. Jeff is a 14-year-old boy who has fallen for Brett, the most popular boy in school. Brett is a dumb jock about to fail English and Jeff is a brainiac about to fail gym. In order for Brett to continue playing sports he has to pass English...the coach steps in and blackmails Jeff into helping Brett pass English in exchange for an “A” in gym. Jeff agrees to tutor Brett and over the course of the tutoring the two become friends and more.

That in itself would have been a nice story if the focus had just been on the two of them building a relationship with the average struggles that gay youth faced in the less tolerant than now 80’s. Unfortunately a depressing amount of bad events are piled up at Jeff’s door and around this story. Divorce, suicide, death of a loved one, the closet, crushed love, loss of parental affection, friendship issues, gay hate, workplace discrimination. It’s just one depressing event after another...so many that when happy things occur they aren’t big enough to overcome the sad things. Truth be told, I couldn’t even enjoy the conclusion because it was a) unrealistic (but acceptably so) b) over as soon as it happened c) overshadowed by everything that had happened.

The most touching and engaging point of the book is the death of one of Jeff’s loved ones. In the Q&A section and the end of the book the author talks about how this event was written from personal experience and you can tell. It’s a tearjerker and riveting.

I’m not sure what I would classify this book as...I thought it would be young adult but the sex scenes are a little more detailed than your average young adult book. As the book progressed it became less about a boy coming out and more about a submissive being born. One clear thing about Jeff is that he has crushing self-worth issues. It was difficult at times to read him being so self-deprecating and so sure that what he was saying was fact.

His opinion, both boy’s opinions, about what it means to be gay or “a fag” were solidly stereotypical...I kept having to remind myself that these were teens and it was the 80’s. Their opinions will change as they are exposed to the realities of what kinds of gay people there are in the world.

(less)

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Jul 25, 2012 Madison Parker rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, made-me-cry, first-time, coming-out, coming-of-age, nerd-jock, young-adult, lendable

I love reading good coming of age stories, and these characters felt very real to me. My heart goes out to Jeff, the main character, who is a very sensitive and emotional guy trying to navigate very difficult life circumstances at a young age. I too consider myself overly sensitive and had a lot of empathy for Jeff. Did he shed a lot of tears? Yes, but I felt each and every one was warranted, especially considering his young age and lack of life experience.

It took a while for Brett to grow on me...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Set in the 1980's, DUMB JOCK illustrates the struggle of two young teens coming to terms with their sexuality and their growing love. Although the book is not autobiographical, author Jeff Erno looked to his own personal struggle of coming out as gay in a small northern Michigan town.

Jeff and Brett are as different as night and day in appearance and interests. Jeff is a slightly built freshman with no athletic talent whatsoever. His...more

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Jun 05, 2009 Elisa Ramblings added it

Dumb Jock is a coming of age book aimed to an adult target... or maybe I'm too old fashioned, and I really don't know how teenagers are these days. I would really like to be able to go back of 20 years and have the chance to read thise book with a 14 years old mind. Would I be really shocked to read about sex between a 14 years old boy and a 16 years old one? Truth be told there is sex, but it's a mid core level of detailed sex, there is no doubt what is happening between the two, but actually t...more Dumb Jock is a coming of age book aimed to an adult target... or maybe I'm too old fashioned, and I really don't know how teenagers are these days. I would really like to be able to go back of 20 years and have the chance to read thise book with a 14 years old mind. Would I be really shocked to read about sex between a 14 years old boy and a 16 years old one? Truth be told there is sex, but it's a mid core level of detailed sex, there is no doubt what is happening between the two, but actually the author doesn't give us very much details. It's not a "behind closed door" type of sex, we are there in the room with the characters, but we have to cover with our imagination where the author doesn't describe something. For example there are blow-jobs, and even an anal sex scene, but actually I believe to have never found the word penis or some equivalent word. I have a clear physical impression of Jeff, small and lithe, a bit on the skinny side, and Brett, tall and muscular, and how Jeff feels protected when he is in Brett's arms, but actually that physical impression never deepens to intimate details (no description under the belt). Soooooo... I'm telling all these since I believe that the novel lacks in something? Not at all. For me it's a merit, since the book, without lacking of the sexy part, it's still innocent enough to be read by a young adult target.

Jeff is the classical nerd, a linguistic nerd: he loves to read, he likes books and musics, he is a good student, but all in all he is a pretty ordinary boy. Then all of sudden his life changes: he is asked to tutor in English another student, Brett, the football star of his high school. Jeff is almost blackmailed in doing so from the Physical Education teacher, who clearly tells him that, if he doesn't help Brett, he will not pass his class, and Jeff can't have it, since he needs all good grades to obtain a future full scholarship at College. What the PE teacher doesn't know, is that probably Jeff would have helped Brett anyway, since he has a crush on the other boy. Actually Jeff is not aware of the real nature of his feelings for Brett since in the small town where he lives, there is not hint of such a thing like gay or lesbian.

And now we arrived to the other interesting side of the book, the setting: the novel is set at the beginning of the '80 in a small town USA, this means before AIDS and probably before the rekindling of a string of bashing crimes in the USA. The author clearly stated that he chose to set the story in a ante-AIDS era to not focus on this aspect, Jeff and Brett's trouble are just enough without adding to them also the AIDS plague. But in a way, AIDS also unblocked the conscience of a lot of people, and also thier awareness that being different was not a condition so far from them. AIDS killed a lot of people and changed forever the life of the rest of them, but AIDS also revealed the biggest secret, that gay people are everywhere, even in the small town USA. Without this conscience, we can read of Jeff who, at 14 years old, is still not aware that the wet dreams he is having of Brett are due to his unrequited love for him. And when they fall in love, and it's real love, still Jeff tolerates that Brett treats him like a submissive, like if Brett was the man and Jeff the "fag"; I'm not saying that Brett doesn't love Jeff, but I'm saying that Brett has still big preconceptions on what is straight and what is gay, and those preconceptions can ruin their life.

Where Jeff is an easy character to like, also since he has to go through a lot of sad things so soon in his life, Brett is a bit harder to love. But truth be told, I think he is coherent with himself; he is not a bad guy, but he is for sure a spoiled brat. He has always had an easy life, an only child of a wealthy family, and thanks to his body and his average mind, he would probably have had not any problem in excel in his life, if he chose to live forever in that small town USA. But Brett happens to be gay and being gay in the '80 and living in a small town was not a choice. On the other hand, Brett being gay doesn't immediately makes him a perfect poster boy for gay guys: he still remains a spoiled brat. He still remains the classical jock who likes to be worshiped by his fans and pointed out at school. It's not an easy choice to renounce to all of this in the name of love... and don't forget that we are talking of a 16 years old guy, someone who is still living with his parents and still dependent from them.

Brett's immaturity balanced the even too much maturity of Jeff, that sometime made me wonder if he was really a 14 years old boy. But it's not uncommon that a boy has to grew before his time facing such events, and Jeff went through all the range, from being bullied at school, to having trouble at home, and so on. There are very sad events in the book, but there is also hope in the end... this is not like those gay novels that, to be truth, has to be hard and without romance. Dumb Jock is a nice romance, in the style of Bobby Michaels, but maybe with a little less smelly sex.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1441508147/?...(less)

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Apr 01, 2012 Sammy2006 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dumb Jock by Jeff Erno was much more than a simple coming out story. This novel explores so many questions that face young teens as they grapple with not only their sexuality but their place in the world. The way in which they view themselves as well as the way in which the world sees them. The book dares to ask the question, if you are not okay--comfortable with who you are, how can you ever expect others to be okay with it?

The two boys whose lives intersect in this story are from vastly differ...more Dumb Jock by Jeff Erno was much more than a simple coming out story. This novel explores so many questions that face young teens as they grapple with not only their sexuality but their place in the world. The way in which they view themselves as well as the way in which the world sees them. The book dares to ask the question, if you are not okay--comfortable with who you are, how can you ever expect others to be okay with it?

The two boys whose lives intersect in this story are from vastly different worlds. Brett a jock who is barely making it grade-wise through school is also grappling with his sexuality. Surely he could not be a "fag"--they are weak, pansies, not worthy of being tolerated. Enter Jeff, younger than Brett by 2 years, a hard-working A student, who willingly acknowledges his place amongst the "geeks" and has no difficulty living there quite happily. Their two worlds collide when Jeff is essentially blackmailed into tutoring Brett by the P.E. teacher and coach of the football team for whom Brett is the star quarterback. What follows is a year of self-discovery, a year in which both boys come to the realization that they ultimately must decide for themselves how they want to live out the rest of their lives--in hiding, or in the light.

As Jeff encounters one tragedy after another, including the death of his mother, he begins to realize that the "submissive" side of his nature is tempered with a strength he never realized existed and that he has Brett to thank for helping him realize just how strong he is capable of being. Brett, on the other hand, begins to understand just what makes a true hero tick--and recognizes that it has nothing to do with physical prowess or talent and good looks--rather it is all heart--the heart to stand up and be what you were intended to be without compromise--Jeff shows him that in spades.

Yes, this book does have a somewhat contrived feel to its HEA. It also has a curiously stilted use of language that makes the sentence flow seem at times rather jerky and unrealistic--the characters sometimes coming off as sounding too "formal" to be teens. However these are minor flaws compared to a very well written and enjoyable read. Jeff Erno takes us inside the heart and minds of young teens grappling not only with their sexuality but also with how their being gay pits them against a harsh and unforgiving world. He writes his story in a time when the word, "gay" was really just beginning to emerge and openly discussed--a time that was both exciting and scary for many questioning teens. Lest you be worried that the story is somehow dated by being set in the 1980s--worry not. The same problems, the same doubts, the same beauty and angst associated with "first love" are all the same today--and Jeff Erno writes about them with a compassion and truth that is beautiful to behold. I highly recommend Dumb Jock by Jeff Erno!(less)

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Apr 22, 2013 Macky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bullying, closeted-character, coming-out, drama, endearing-characters, enjoyable-read, first-love, friends-to-lovers, m-m, parental-loss, young-adult, young-slightly-more-effeminate-guy, jocks-geeks

Having just read a laterJeff Erno story that I gave 5 stars to I just want to say that this probably would have been a 5 star rating too but for the fact that I never really settled fully into the writing style that Jeff institutes in this story. I believe its the very first book he wrote and as a story it's ultra enjoyable but the problem in my eyes was the lack of contractions. There are hardly any at all, giving it a very strange over formal feel that at times interfered with the teen emotion...more Having just read a laterJeff Erno story that I gave 5 stars to I just want to say that this probably would have been a 5 star rating too but for the fact that I never really settled fully into the writing style that Jeff institutes in this story. I believe its the very first book he wrote and as a story it's ultra enjoyable but the problem in my eyes was the lack of contractions. There are hardly any at all, giving it a very strange over formal feel that at times interfered with the teen emotions and their impact for me. Jeff is 14 but the lack of kid speak makes him sound much older, even Brett who's supposed to be a laid back jock, talks at times like a brainy professor. Its all a bit too stilted and precise. Almost robotic at times! Once I noticed it, it was hard to dismiss and it goes on till the very end.

However ...taking that away, like before I really enjoyed this jock/ geek story. Set in the 80's pre aids and as it says in the book pre the era of Will, Grace and Jack, it centres around 14 year old Jeff, small, very emotional , yet stronger than he seems character, who pulls you in to his dysfunctional family and school life, and 17 year old Brett, the object of his love and popular ' Dumb' jock of the book. The blurb gives a good basic idea of the story so I won't rehash it but it covers all the drama of school including their friendship/secret love, jealousies, quirky friendships, bullying and of course coping with feelings of attraction for someone of the same sex when its not even accepted by the person who's feeling it! There are very poignant moments involving Jeffs family life and frustrations surrounding Brett's treatment of Jeff and there's a lot of off page sex ( its a bit D/s in style which is also odd to see between kids so young ) but its obvious that these two are going all the way in the sexual side of their relationship. At first I thought it was a bit off to have such a young couple having such an intense relationship but lets be honest rightly or wrongly, teens experiment and have just the same feelings as anyone else, so after a while I accepted that this was an integral part of the story and got on with it. I think Jeff Erno is very good at portraying the angst of young gay teens so I'll definitely be checking out more from him. I think his style must change a lot because the last book had a very laid back style, so different from this one. Still a really good read though so it gets 4 well deserved stars and is a keeper.(less)

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Dec 31, 2012 Runell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: glitebooks

I liked Dumb Jock, but I feel I could have liked it better than I did had the voice of the main character, Jeff, seem more real. I get the feeling that it's an older Jeff looking back at fourteen/fifteen-year-old self, but a lot of the time it felt as though the older Jeff was talking the way he did as an adult, and not as he had as a young teenager.

I also really didn't like the dominate/submissiveness too much between Jeff and Brett. The whole idea of dominate/submissiveness within itself didn'...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Terry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: male-authors

This book was difficult to rate and I am not sure why really. The story centres on Jeff, a 14 year old in high school who is blackmailed by the football coach to tutor his best quarterback (Brett) in English as he had failed it 2 years running and this would be his last chance, otherwise he would have to be dropped from the team.

Set in the 1980s in a small town with most characters being influenced by the local church, the community is obviously highly homophobic. Despite this the two young guy...more

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May 01, 2013 Maggie Sims rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: angst, alpha-hero, coming-of-age, gay, romance, tear-jerker, worth-rereading

Jeff did it again. I loved this book!!!

I must confess that after cataloguing the Puppy Love series as one of my favorite of all times, I was a bit hesitant to read other Jeff Erno books, as he had been placed in a very high pedestal. Well, I should have known better. Though in this one the D/s is a bit more subtle I enjoyed it all the same.

This book had me enthralled, outraged, laughing, sad, and sobbing like a baby. I was a blabbering mess, crying like a baby with snot running down my nose at...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, gay-reads

I grew up in Michigan just slightly before the period depicted in this book. It's a pretty accurate portrait of the attitudes of small-town life in rural Michigan.

It's very strange to be reminded of some of the Michigan things that this novels brings back to memory... Boyne Mountain, Lake Charlevoix, REO Speedwagon, etc.

Overall, it's a fast fun read if a bit confused as to whether it wants to be a gay romance/coming out story or an autobiography. The prose is effective if a bit under-polished...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Major English (Laura) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm not going to lie... The dominance/submissive relationship between Brett and Jeff came off as creepy to me. Also, the fact that Jeff is a sexually experienced 17 year old and Jeff is just 14 also somewhat bothered me, as I feel like Jeff was taken advantage of in a sense by Brett. This made it hard for me to buy into their love story because as it is even described in the book, the relationship is unequal, with Jeff loving Brett both physically and emotionally and Brett not necessarily recipr...more

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Nov 04, 2011 karlakolumna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, mm-contemporary

It's really difficult to rate this book. It was better than most of the other books that I gave 3 stars, but definitely not as good as 4 stars...

That's why I decided to actually write a review, so that you guys know that I'm giving "Dumb Jock" 3.5 stars.

This is now the second book by Jeff Erno I read and I have to say Erno obviously likes his stories with great tragedy. Again, we have a boy who doesn't really fit in, who is rather small, unconfident and physically weak, who is a geek - who all i...more

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Aug 25, 2009 Michele Montgomery rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A coming of age story that hits close to home. The challenges the young Jeff must face because he's gay pulls at your heart and leaves you with an open mind. I don't want to give the plot away, but I will say that Jeff Erno's dialogue and plot couldn't be anymore real.

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May 02, 2013 Alexia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: jeff-erno

A submissão - sexual e emocional - de Jeff em relação a Brett - foi uma questão não muito bem trabalhada, eu gostaria de tê-los visto evoluindo como casal. Por essa razão o livro perdeu uma estrela, pois apesar de ser uma série, o segundo volume é focado num outro casal.

E eu senti falta da descrição dos momentos de intimidade, não como uma erotização da história, simplesmente como algo que faz parte, no que tange ao despertar sexual de Jeff.

Esse foi seu primeiro livro publicado, mas ele já demon...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Dorzaby rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just stumbled upon this book one day and decided to give it a try. In the beginning, I'll admit, it was rather choppy and boring for me and even somewhat predictable but then it got juicy and good and I couldn't put it down.

The book encompasses the full emotional spectrum with love and crays and heart strings and laughs and sorrows! I say get it! Took me only a day to read and was well worth my time!

Warning** if you're against or cringe at the word faggot being used, even if it's the author t...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Tʀɪsʜᴀ Hᴀʀʀɪɴɢᴛᴏɴ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teenage-characters, long-relationships, jeff-erno-books, re-read, ya, favourite-couples, all-time-favourites, loved, nerd-jock, death, coming-out

Dumb Jock was the second Jeff Erno book I read. And I have to say that it was a very good experience. This is a nerd/jock romance based in high school in the 1980's. Back then being gay was tough especially for teenagers. Not that is easy now but we have things like Glee to help young people.

Told in Jeff's POV, it not only shows his relationship with Brett, but his overall life. The pain he suffers in this book is there, the happiness he experiences is there. The decisions he make are shown to...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Kaje Harper rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, ya

So I just finished this book and I'm going to go find the next one Another Dumb Jock .

Dumb Jock is the story of a young boy (14 at the beginning of the book) discovering his orientation, his needs and desires, and moving toward his adult self in his first year in high-school. The narrator of this book, Jeff, is a very introspective guy and he is writing from the perspective of an adult looking back (talking about a record player as being like a modern CD changer, for example.) Sometimes this mak...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Vladimir rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was looking forward to reading this book for a long time because of the good ratings it received here in GR, but sadly, I didn't enjoy it.

There were a couple of issues I had with this book. One being the POV. The story is being told in Jeff Irwin's perspective. The problem I had with this isn't that I couldn't get into what's going on inside the other characters' minds, but Jeff's own thoughts were just too exhausting to read. He's either whining about the bad things happening in his life or c...more I was looking forward to reading this book for a long time because of the good ratings it received here in GR, but sadly, I didn't enjoy it.

There were a couple of issues I had with this book. One being the POV. The story is being told in Jeff Irwin's perspective. The problem I had with this isn't that I couldn't get into what's going on inside the other characters' minds, but Jeff's own thoughts were just too exhausting to read. He's either whining about the bad things happening in his life or constantly affirming in his head that he's inferior compared to Brett, his love interest. I mean, I know he's just a kid and all, but at time's I just wanted to scream at him saying "Dude, stop feeling sorry for yourself and grow a goddamn backbone!" I also couldn't get why Jeff is so angry at Mandy Myers, Brett's on screen girl friend. The girl was just being used by Brett, not her fault. And yeah she may be superficial but there was no instance in the book that I could find wherein he antagonized Jeff in anyway. All she did was kiss Brett around in public. Jeff's thoughts towards her just highlighted how much of a "girl" he really is.

Second is the dom-sub theme going on. About a third into the book, I came across the word "worship" and then all sense just went out the window. I just thought that it didn't have any relevance in the plot. I mean, Jeff already had this inferiority complex going on but then he's a hundred percent okay with being Brett's "pup?" Since then I'd been dragging myself into reading this book that it took me a whole week to finish it.

Third, there's the issue of underage sex. Jeff's fourteen, while Brett's seventeen. No condoms involved but then again, the setting was said to be during the pre-AIDS era. Do I believe this is happening out there in the real world? Yes. Do I feel comfortable reading about it? No.

Last but not the least is the conveniently formulated epilogue. One moment Jeff and Brett were kissing in front of the whole student body with the possibility of all hell coming down upon them from the homophobic parents and school board and then the scene gets cut, epilogue comes in and they're suddenly living happily ever after in an unknown timeline seemingly been able to finish college and have their own family without any mention of how they overcame the homophobia that was threatening them all throughout the book. Everything else just faded into obscurity. I'm not sure whether the author lost the "plot bunny" along the way or that he got tired of creating conflicts, threw his hands up and just gave the characters their inevitable happily ever after. I just felt the ending was down right abrupt and left me feeling that a big chunk got left out from the story which just made me scratch my head in the end.

It's only saving grace was the hospital scene where Jeff was comforting his mother. It was the one single scene that made the story leap from it's pages and into my head and kept me from giving it only a single star rating.

This book was such a disappointment for me especially because I liked Trust Me by Jeff Erno. I think "Dumb Geek" would've been a better title for it instead since the story seemed to revolve more around Jeff than Brett. The writing is quite good though. I just hope the plot could've been more developed since most of the time, I didn't see what the story wanted to become: a romance or dom/sub theme.(less)

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Jul 21, 2010 Leah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance

After reading the Puppy Love and Landlord books I was really excited to read Dumb Jock. I anticipated it would be strange to read an author's work in reverse chronological order but figured what the hell I've enjoyed what I'd read so far. I don't think I ever connected with Jeff and Brett perhaps because I'm at odds with their perceptions of hegemonic masculinity and homosexuality among other things. I get the attention to the 80's zeitgeist, I actually loved that aspect of the book, still that...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Brian Washington rated it 1 of 5 stars

Didn't like it at all. I read all the rave reviews for this, but was thoroughly disappointed. The gratuitous use of the word "fag" & "faggot" just really got to me. On some pages it was every other word. I really don't think that two teenagers struggling with their sexuality would use it so much, even when they are just with each other. The weird dominant, submissive, possessive sexual thing was a but much for me too. One guy being treated like a dog, excepting it, and even desiring it... No...more

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May 29, 2012 Joy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, young-adult

Good story about two young boys who fall for each other in the early 1980s. The writing itself was, I thought, somewhat clumsy in that the dialogue didn't sound natural, but the story was touching.

(view spoiler)

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Sep 02, 2012 Vicki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was kind of love/hate for me. I did not really appreciate the dom/sub aspect the way it was presented. I found the freshman boy being referred to as the loyal pup of the of his junior boyfriend just disconcerting. Jeff, the freshman, went through a lot of pain caused by both his boyfriend and life itself, his boyfriend did have his shiny moments and finally came through in the end. I have already started the second book and am liking that much more.

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Aug 06, 2011 Mary Gresham rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was a great book. Even though there were us and downs, as it is any relationship, it had a great story line. Some people don't believe kids that age know anything about love, but it's not true. Maybe that first love won't last forever as it did in this book, but that doesn't make it any less real. Love knows no age, sex, race or anything else like that, the heart knows what it wants at all ages. Keep up the good work, Jeff.

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Oct 29, 2009 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

As a former high-school teacher, I know firsthand the need for young adult literature that addresses the topic of sexual identity, in particular, a sexual identity that challenges the status quo. Teenagers questioning their own sexual identities, but without a sympathetic ear or supportive mentor, need the stories of others to aid them in their process of self-discovery. Jeff Erno addresses this need in the novel, Dumb Jock, with the main character Jeff Irwin, an awkward freshman who finds himse...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Dee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read the sequel to this book first. It was about love young love and fairly fairy tale (no pun intended) kind of a story. This was his first attempt. The writing was not as strong as "Another Dumb Jock" that I absolutely loved. Reading the sequel first made me wonder about previous references. This book closed the gap.

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Dec 16, 2009 Michele Montgomery rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I read this book, which I had a hard time putting down by the way, I really got into the main character, Jeff. The author, not to be confused with the main character, Jeff Erno, did an amazing job with letting me know his character to the point of me actually feeling that boys happiness and pain, his sorrow and his love. He shares every thing with you, and we get to see this young man go from being afraid and insecure to sure of himself and knowing what love is and not being afraid to share...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Jeliee Maye rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am so super liking it so much... It's not just your ordinary love story about two people... It's also about understanding about a certain extent of being "owned" and "ownership"... Like a being a pet or submissive... All in all I really loved it... XD

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Dec 19, 2012 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comentei

I really liked this book, although things happend a little too fast in my opinion and the main character cried a looot, seriously, jeff cried in this book more than me in my whole life.

There was only one thing that I didn't feel comfortable with , and was the kind of relationship between Jeff and brett which seemed unequal, and I can't understand how a relationship can work that way, but okay.

Oh, and while reading I couldn't stop thinking that this history seemed very much a mix of two movies "G...more

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YA LGBT Books: Dumb Jock possible spoilers	7	36	Apr 02, 2012 08:49pm

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About Jeff Erno

Jeff Erno currently lives in southern Michigan. He holds a bachelor's degree in business management and human resources. Jeff began writing stories in the late 1990's and initially posted them to a free online amateur website. The positive feedback he received from readers encouraged him to continue, and this eventually led to the publication of his first novel, Dumb Jock. Erno has subsequently pu...more

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Quotes from Dumb Jock

“Love does not hurt people. Fear does.” — 14 people liked it

“If it is a sin to be gay, then why did God make you that way to begin with?...What kid of god would condemn someone for just being the way that they are?...I do not believe for one second that God thinks we are unnatural or sinful because we love people of our same gender.” — 4 people liked it

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