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Geography Club (Russel Middlebrook #1)

by Brent Hartinger (Goodreads Author)

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 5,178 ratings · 359 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 is bisexual, and her soccer-playing girlfriend Terese. Then there's Tere...more

Paperback, 240 pages

Published February 17th 2004 by HarperTeen (first published March 13th 2003)

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

Best YA Fiction with GLBTQQI themes / characters

11th out of 387 books — 1,120 voters

DCPL 's Teen GLBT Booklist, for OWL

2nd out of 63 books — 138 voters

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Nov 12, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Russel Middlebrook is pretty sure that he's gay. After all, he's not attracted to girls, and he spends every day after gym class studiously avoiding the other half-naked guys in the locker room. He's never had an actual experience with another guy, though, so maybe the attraction he feels toward them is something he'll outgrow--or maybe not.

While surfing the Internet one night, he finds chat rooms for different towns and cities, where you can talk to other peo...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Sean Kennedy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Some reviews accuse this book of being preachy, and although I agree in part I think "Geography Club" is one of the best stories in the YA GLBT genre - the kids swear, do horrible things, aren't perfect, and think about sex! Honestly, some books make them so neutered it's hard to take them seriously. It is even realistic in the fact that by the end, some have made the painful decision to stay in the closet rather than out themselves and 'live their lives, be free'. Life isn't like that for every...more

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Sep 10, 2011 Cory rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Younger Fans of David Levithan

Nothing spectacular or groundbreaking here. It's filled with two-dimensional characters and very special lessons. But the MC isn't an asshole and it has a decent ending. It's better than most YA, which isn't saying much.

I'd recommend this for middle school students, but with all the talk about who's having sex, and who isn't having sex, I don't think they'd care. I wouldn't have cared. And the writing is too juvenile for high schoolers despite the profanity. If you're looking for something to b...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Wade rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

3.5 ... But considering it is YA we will go with a 4! (plus I tend to round up)

I liked it. It was a good representation of high school life. I think what Russel went through was realistic. I hate how he changed and almost became one of the ones he formally despised. (when making fun of Brian)...

I also like how thinhs/relationships were different once exposed to the light of day. (or. Mig's relationship) that is so often the case. Things feel good and fun when kept a secret but when the secret i...more

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Aug 30, 2007 Punk rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: queer, ya

YA. Russel Middlebrook is convinced he's the only gay kid at his high school, but while hanging out online in a gay teen chat room, he discovers there's someone else out there, and soon gay people are popping out all over the place, though not actually out. This is a solidly mediocre contestant in the queer young adult genre. It's not an overly idealized world where gays and lesbians are accepted without question ( David Levithan, I'm looking at you). These kids have problems and aren't yet comf...more

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Oct 13, 2008 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars

Substantially better than Totally Joe. Geography Club follows the life of several teens at a medium/large high school who discover that they're not the only gay kids in school. Rather than tempting fate and public outing they start a gay kids club under the most unappealing club title they could possibly think of: The Geography Club. Obviously one thing leads to another, and some people hook up, lie to their friends, fake being straight, do terrible things to other kids to fit in, and rise and f...more

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Sep 12, 2007 A. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2007, fiction, queerinterest, young-adult

This one was a little thing, and a little preachy -- I suppose that I should season all my YA reviews with "I am not the target audience", but for this one and for its sequel even more than most of my YA reviews. I enjoyed it -- I found Russel an engaging character and there were parts of this book when I really felt for him, but sometimes the message Hartinger was trying to get across just pounding me in the face instead of gently tapping my shoulder.

Not a bad read, but there's better coming ou...more

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Feb 20, 2009 Ronda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, realistic-fiction

Russel Middlebrook is an average high school sophomore. He doesn’t stand out in sports or in specific social groups. He’s not unpopular—he has friends, but he feels alone. Yes, he’s an average high school student, but he has a secret--he is gay, and he’s pretty sure he’s the only gay student at his high school.

"That night in my bedroom, I logged on to the Net. I said I’d never actually been naked with a guy, but it’s possible that once or twice I might’ve gone to a gay chat room and maybe even g...more
Russel Middlebrook is an average high school sophomore. He doesn’t stand out in sports or in specific social groups. He’s not unpopular—he has friends, but he feels alone. Yes, he’s an average high school student, but he has a secret--he is gay, and he’s pretty sure he’s the only gay student at his high school.

"That night in my bedroom, I logged on to the Net. I said I’d never actually been naked with a guy, but it’s possible that once or twice I might’ve gone to a gay chat room and maybe even gone off for a private chat with a guy or two. I refuse to say any more about this on the grounds that it may incriminate me, but I will say that mostly we really did just chat about innocent things, like how long had we known we were gay and which actor did we think was cute."

"The fact is, there’s a difference between being alone and being lonely; I may not have been completely alone in life, but I was definitely lonely. My secret mission—four years in an American high school—had been an involuntary one, and now I desperately wanted to be somewhere where I could be honest about who I was and what I wanted. I had plenty to say on the topic, but no one to say it to—not my friends, definitely not my parents (don’t get me started). The Internet gave me people to say it to. Problem is, they weren’t real."(Excerpts from Pages 11-12)

After this discussion, Russel goes into an online chatroom for gay teens and notices that his city’s name has been added. Could there be another gay teen in his town? His school? If Russel identifies himself to this other person, all his careful work at “playing it straight” could just blow up in his face. What would you do? Would you go meet this person? Whether you’re gay, straight, or not really sure, you won’t want to miss what happens next.

Notes:

This book has won several awards and honors, is thoughtfully written, witty and definitely thought provoking. I suspect that most readers will recognize some of their own high school cliques, the cafeteria(!), and maybe even some of their own peers. Russel’s voice rings true in the sense of every high school student’s search for their own identity, their own place. It was no surprise to find out that it was semi-autobiographical. It might suffer somewhat from the notion that it’s just “a gay book,” which would be a real shame because there really is something there for anyone who is in or who has ever been in high school.(less)

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Jun 06, 2013 Jason Stamp rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 12, 2013 Will Lutes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I truly loved this book. As an aspiring novelist writing gay themed YA through Adult material I was both inspired and moved by Mr. Hartinger's work.

Russel Middlebrook is a gem of a character. This is the kind of character that is beyond its worth in diamonds and gold (even if that would help pay the bills) because through his humor (especially when he is making galactic epic fails that change the course of his universe for all the wrong reasons) we learn the most about him (and a bit about ours...more

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Apr 04, 2013 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-books, advocacy, gayinterest, youngadult, fiction, favorites

Catchy title to be written later.

This is not my first time reading Geography Club. I mean to make my way through all four Russel Middlebrook books in quick order. What struck me in this second reading of the book is not only how well I feel it stands up nearly a decade later but how even though we as a society have made definite changes I think this book is important because there are still young people out there who feel like they're alone and they need support and they make decisions based on...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Lindie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have been meaning to read this book for years, but somehow never got around to it. Perhaps my as yet undiscovered sixth sense knew I was going to find it preachy and kind of depressing. Which I did.

Geography Club is one of the classics of the GLBTQI YA genre. For a reason, all the issues raised in the book are very valid, and they are still valid now, 10 years after its release. I will admit, I don’t much care for the other “classics” either.

Which is not to say I didn’t like it. I did, for the...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Jodi Hufendick rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was, weirdly, recommended to me by my school librarian. I saw weirdly because it was not what I would have expected from my school librarian.

Not being gay myself, I do not know what goes on in the heart and mind of a homosexual teenager. Having taught many over the last 12 years, however, and watching their struggles to admit who they are to themselves and then admit who they are to others, I believe this book captures something. I won't speak for them, but I will say that it helped me...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Eric rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, lgbt

Growing up in a small community as a gay male there were often times I had wished that there was literature that would have helped me to see that I wasn't alone. Now as I get a bit older I see that they are actually publishing such novels that showcase that there are gay people in high school. This makes my heart very happy since there is a growing epidemic of LGBT suicides in our country due to bullying. These books can help these children to feel that they are not along in their journey. It ca...more Growing up in a small community as a gay male there were often times I had wished that there was literature that would have helped me to see that I wasn't alone. Now as I get a bit older I see that they are actually publishing such novels that showcase that there are gay people in high school. This makes my heart very happy since there is a growing epidemic of LGBT suicides in our country due to bullying. These books can help these children to feel that they are not along in their journey. It can give them great power within themselves, even when they are unable to tell anyone else.

This book is about a group of kids at a high school that form a "geography club" which is actually an undercover gay-straight alliance. They think because it is a geography club that no one will want to join up. I mean come on if you remember high school geography was sooooooo not cool. Well that is what they are banking on. The book is believable in the fact that characters run the gamut of popularity and incidences within. Hartinger appears to have been trying to give an accurate portrayal of the high school experience and in my opinion he does a rather good job. He has characters that act out of character with a bit of popularity (what kid with even a hint of unpopularity didn't act weird when someone popular suddenly talked to them or they were put in a situation where they were not treated like crap by them?) Hartinger pays proper respect to those boundaries of the high school experience where you are who you sit with.

If you are uncomfortable reading most LGBT fiction because most of it contains graphic sex then this would be the book for you. There is a few mentions of kissing, but for the most part this is just a nice book about friends, the high school experience, and love. It shows what is possible when someone in the LGBT community thinks outside of the stereotypical book of what this community will purchase. There is a power in providing something to a wider audience because it shows that there are multiple types in this one community, but so much of the literature for LGBT has to have some guy standing in his boxer briefs on the cover. You will have a couple of scenes of boxer briefs, but it is only in the appropriate places in this book which is contained with the pages and in the locker room where it should be expected. I recommend taking the time to read this book and sharing it with others that want to understand that not everyone in the LGBT Community fits into a box or a stereotype.(less)

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Mar 14, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt, teen, high-school, bullying

Russel feels like the only gay student at his high school. Well, he’s pretty sure he’s gay, but he’s never dated or kissed a guy before. He’s a pretty average guy, has friends, gets good grades, and has a decent social life. But if anyone knew he was gay, he knows his reputation would be ruined. So he keeps this secret to himself, and even goes on dates with girls to avoid questions about his sexuality. One night Russel goes online in a chat room, and discovers he’s not the only gay student at h...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Jenni French rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: age-5-grades-9-12, lgbtqia-lit, genre-contemporary-fiction

Russel is sure he's the only gay kid in his school. Then he finds another person through an online chat room. Then he discovers two more. Then another. Soon there are enough LGBT teens that they don't feel alone anymore, and they want to be able to meet regularly on school campus, but they don't want to advertise their orientations, so they start a geography club. They figure no one will want to join a geography club. Until someone else does.

I appreciated the discussion of bullying in this book....more

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Dec 17, 2011 Christina (Reading Thru The Night) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, middle-grades, lgbt, ya-love

Quick Summary

Russell is gay. At least he thinks he is. He hasn't actually kissed a boy yet. But he does like to look at guys. And go to teen gay chat rooms. Russell feels pretty alone in his small town high school of about 800 kids. Which was why it was such a big deal when he finds another boy from his town and his high school in the chat room. And it becomes an even bigger deal when he meets this boy and it's THE popular baseball player, Kevin.

After confiding in his best friend Min, she reveal...more

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Sep 10, 2011 John Egbert marked it as to-read

Shelves: think-i-read-it-but-can-t-remember

Lookie here! A rantish thing I'd written a while ago on this book...before reading it /:(

I actually don't remember reading the book and have no idea what's going on here, but I'll post it anyway.

Why is it that love of musicals and fashion equal a gay man? I didn't have a major probelm with Geography Club until this happened. Well, besides Russel continuing to go out on double dates with Trish, even though he and Kevin had become boyfriends at that point. He confesses that he is gay to a friend,...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Elisa Ramblings added it

This is yet another of those Young Adult novels I was a little scared to read; in this case, for how shallow it could sound, it was also the cover that worried me, I had a “bad” feeling. And again I was wrong. Sure, Geography Club is not really about the romance, even if there is a teen romance in it, it’s more about the growth of all the characters, but it’s not a dramatic story, on the contrary, it has even a somewhat light and happy mood, like the reader is able to see that everything will be...more This is yet another of those Young Adult novels I was a little scared to read; in this case, for how shallow it could sound, it was also the cover that worried me, I had a “bad” feeling. And again I was wrong. Sure, Geography Club is not really about the romance, even if there is a teen romance in it, it’s more about the growth of all the characters, but it’s not a dramatic story, on the contrary, it has even a somewhat light and happy mood, like the reader is able to see that everything will be find for Russel and his friends.

Russel is a gay kid; for a kid living in a small town he is pretty smart, and even if he has never had any sexual experience, he lives his being gay in the net, attending chats where he is able to talk with other boys his same age and with his same trouble. But an online friend and a real friend are completely different, and it arrives a moment when Russel needs the physical presence of someone… yes, I think it was also arrived the moment when Russel wanted a boyfriend, but more than that he needed to feel he was not alone.

Russel jumps to the chance of meeting another teenager from one of the chats, and he is surprised, and pleased, when he finds out is Kevin, one of the most popular kids at school. But Russel is young, and yes, his best characteristic is that he is real, so no perfect at all; as soon as he finds out about Kevin, he wants to gossip with his friends, and so he talks with Min, his best girlfriend, and to his surprise Min comes out to him as bisexual, and then Min brings on Terese who brings on Ike… and an impromptu club is born.

As I said, no one of the above kids are heroes, and no one wants the burden of being the gay kid at school; they decide to misguide their gay club for a Geography Club, so boring no one will want to join. But after the first session when everyone was able to share their experience, they discover that being gay is not enough of a reason to be together, and their club to survive need to have a reason to be. Again, no much courage among these boys and girls, and surprise surprise, for once the hero of the novel, Russel, is not an hero at all, on the contrary he is actually the one who will behave in the worst way against another kid. That will be the moment for Russel to grow, to realize that being the cool kid and having a cool boyfriend is not actually possible in small town high school; he has to make a choice, and this is probably the most “dramatic” event of all the novel: as you can see, yes, for a 16 years old that can be pretty life changing decision, but it’s not the end of the world.

I liked Russel, in good and bad he was who he was supposed to be: a teenager, with his trouble and his dreams, and with all the life in front of him to realize them.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060012234/?...(less)

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Jun 27, 2011 Steven rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 03, 2011 Caroline Saltzman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book. It opened my mind to things about homosexuality that I didn't think about before. The main character is gay, and needs to hide it from everyone because he's afraid of his social place in highschool. He goes into a gay-teen chat room for support, and there finds the most surprising thing ever- someone in his small school is gay too. They meet up, find other people who are gay, bi, transgender, lesbian, etc., and start a club called "geography club". They think that no on...more

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Dec 19, 2010 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, lgbtq, fiction

Russel Middlebrook is alone. He's the only gay student at Goodkind High School. Except he isn't. When Russel takes a risk and decides to reveal his secret to someone, he discovers a handful of others like himself; lonely and desperate for someone to talk to about their lives. But how do a bunch of kids from wildly different social scenes get together without it looking suspicious? They start an after school club of course! And how do they keep everyone else from discovering their secret? With th...more Russel Middlebrook is alone. He's the only gay student at Goodkind High School. Except he isn't. When Russel takes a risk and decides to reveal his secret to someone, he discovers a handful of others like himself; lonely and desperate for someone to talk to about their lives. But how do a bunch of kids from wildly different social scenes get together without it looking suspicious? They start an after school club of course! And how do they keep everyone else from discovering their secret? With the most boring club name they can think of. And so the Geography Club is born. There are of course major themes of bullying, popularity and teenage romance, as there should be in a story with this subject matter, but overall, I didn't feel like they were very well-handled. For one thing, adults play almost no role in this book. A potentially interesting subplot involving a teacher getting fired for teaching comprehensive sex ed is dismissed in a couple of pages. We never even meet our narrator's parents. They are explained away late in the story as being uninvolved in his life, which is ridiculous; even if they're not around much, you cannot convince me that a teenager's parents are not a major factor in the life and thoughts of their child. For another thing, at no point in the story do the bullies get called out for their BS. Maybe life is like that sometimes, but when you're writing a story about learning to accept yourself and other people for who they are, shouldn't this be addressed? In fact, everyone treats pretty much everyone else like crap. OK, so they are teenagers, but the main character lies all the time, even to his friends (and makes excuses for his lies), and even the characters who are meant to be best friends hardly ever stand by one another unless they are forced to it. I kept wanting to yell at Russel to grow a spine already. Even when he knows what he's doing is completely the wrong thing to do, he does it anyway. He doesn't step up until he is maliciously outed to the whole school, and no longer has anything to lose, socially speaking. To his credit, once he starts stepping up, he continues to do so, even when it means making actual hard choices. Another issue I had with this book is that it is written at no more than a sixth grade reading level, though due to its subject matter, there is some strong language and "adult" themes thrown in. The story is simple and a little predictable, and the characters are all pretty two-dimensional. Yes, this is teen fiction, but it feels dumbed down. Maybe that's authentic to Russel's voice as a clueless teenage narrator, but I much prefer David Levithan's writing style, even if he does get a little pretentious on occasion. I'm not saying that this is a bad book, or that it has a bad message, or teens couldn't get something valuable out of reading it; it's just not as interesting as it might have been.(less)

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Oct 24, 2010 Lucy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: lgbtq, young-adult

I love queer fiction, but I have trouble finding books that I consider really good. Many address the issues, but don’t have the writing skill to back them up. However, most of the queer YA books I’ve read have overcome this, and Geography Club, by Brent Hartiger, is among them.

Being a teenager is never easy. For the characters in Geography Club, however, life is made even harder by this simple truth: they’re club really has nothing to do with geography, it’s just their front for a gay teen suppo...more

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Jul 25, 2010 Karin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, teenagers, high-school, friendship, clubs, homosexuality, gay-boys, community, relationship-problems, relationships, coming-out, borrowed-from-the-library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Russel Middlebrook has to try to act normal every day because he’s terrified that someone might figure out who he really is and that he’ll become an outcast – just like Brian Bund. Brian’s the kid everyone makes fun of, the one that gets slathered in cafeteria food, decked out in a bra, teased, mocked. Russel can’t figure out exactly why Brian’s always the butt of the joke, but he knows he doesn’t want to be him. And that’s exactly who he’d be if people found out that he’s attracted to other guy...more Russel Middlebrook has to try to act normal every day because he’s terrified that someone might figure out who he really is and that he’ll become an outcast – just like Brian Bund. Brian’s the kid everyone makes fun of, the one that gets slathered in cafeteria food, decked out in a bra, teased, mocked. Russel can’t figure out exactly why Brian’s always the butt of the joke, but he knows he doesn’t want to be him. And that’s exactly who he’d be if people found out that he’s attracted to other guys.

There is no gay community to speak of where Russel lives – at least that’s what he thinks until he notices a gay chatroom for his hometown. There’s just one other person logged in when Russel enters the chatroom – another guy his own age who goes to his high school. They agree to meet in the park that night. When they do meet Russel almost can’t believe who it is. Even crazier is how much they have to talk about.

For the first time, Russel feels like he can actually be who he is, and the feeling is just so amazing that he doesn’t ever want to lose it. He has to tell someone about the experience, so he comes out to his friend, Min, who in turn comes out to him. Suddenly there are 4 gay people. Min’s girlfriend, Terese, knows another gay kid in their school, and they all decide to go out for pizza together. At first things are awkward, but gradually they open up to one another and they feel like they really belong and like they’re no longer alone. None of them want the night to end. But everything is weird between them at school the next day. Even though they all feel like they’ve found something special, none of their other friends understand. So they all make their excuses – working on a project together, know him from class, etc. None of them feels they can meet in public.

Finally they come up with the idea of starting a club that meets after school – one so boring that no one else will be tempted to join, with a teacher advisor who doesn’t care what they do, and that will give them a front to talk about themselves and just hang out with people like themselves – a secret gay support group. They call it the Geography Club.

This works perfectly for awhile, and then someone else wants to join. She walks in on an argument they’re having and finds out that everyone in the room is gay. But surprisingly, she’s not fazed. In fact, she understands their need to talk about what it’s like, and she has problems of her own that really help her to understand what it’s like to be different and to feel alone. And that’s when the Geography Club members decide to admit their first straight person.

Meanwhile, Russel’s friend Gunnar is dying to have a girlfriend and he talks Russel into asking her friend out, so they can double date. Russel does it a few times as a favor, but then his ‘date’ starts getting ideas about them being more serious and he just can’t keep lying to her. He confronts Gunnar and they have a huge fight. The girls are also furious and want to get back at him, so they start a rumor that Russel is gay. Unfortunately, it’s true. For a few days he does have the same kind of status as Brian Bund. Since there’s nowhere else for him to go, he sits down with Brian at lunch one day and they talk, and Russel discovers what no one else has – Brian is a good guy, and a mighty fine person. Brian has no problem with Russel being gay, and he does the most heroic thing in the world – he submits an application to start a gay-straight alliance club. Then everyone assumes that the “gay kid” in school is actually Brian and not Russel.

The hullabaloo completely destroys the relationship that Russel has with the other guy. He isn’t brave enough to come out to the world and let everyone know what and who he is. And neither is Terese. So the remaining members of the Geography Club join Brian Bund’s gay-straight alliance. They figure no one will know who’s really gay and who’s really straight and that it’s a first step in the right direction.

This is a very straightforward and honest look at what it might be like to be a gay teen – living in a place where homosexuality isn’t necessarily understood or widely accepted. Not only are the kids here still trying to understand themselves, but they’re also trying to protect themselves while they come to this understanding. There are some hot moments between Russel and Kevin where they kiss and make out a bit. I’m sure that will get some anti-gay person’s undies in a twist. We all need understanding and acceptance and a place we can go where we feel safe and have a community. I think that message comes through clearly. For these kids, especially, it has been an eternity since they’ve been able to really express themselves and be themselves. The joy of finding kindred spirits and those who are walking the same difficult path – not by choice, but by virtue of some genetic lottery – is just phenomenal. Definitely a title to have for questioning teens – both gay and straight. (less)

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Jul 13, 2010 Sonya rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Geography Club: Brent Hartinger
Date Finished: October 2009

Snapshot: Russell, a boy in high school, is secretly gay, but soon he finds other gay teens at his high school, including Kevin, a popular jock. This group forms the Geography Club because they crave a space that is their own; where they can discuss the issues they are going through in an oftentimes homophobic society. The individuals in this group sometimes struggle with doing the right thing and accepting themselves.

“Hook”: This boo...more

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Apr 20, 2010 Kassa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Geography Club is a young adult book that doesn’t feature a gay utopia but instead depicts a realistic high school with students that aren’t especially noble or inspiring. These are the types of teenagers that exist in every high school, struggling to get through the minefield of social acceptance and rejection with the added pressure of being different. There is no preaching about accepting differences but the story ends with a note of hope and the idea that high school may be horrible but you’...more Geography Club is a young adult book that doesn’t feature a gay utopia but instead depicts a realistic high school with students that aren’t especially noble or inspiring. These are the types of teenagers that exist in every high school, struggling to get through the minefield of social acceptance and rejection with the added pressure of being different. There is no preaching about accepting differences but the story ends with a note of hope and the idea that high school may be horrible but you’ll get through it. This may not be a high school story you wish happened to you but it also is one that some teenagers may relate to.

The story follows several teenagers as they realize they are not alone and end up trying to form a support group for themselves. They call their club the Geography Club assuming that no one else would join something so incredibly boring. Their plan doesn’t necessarily work that well as someone does want to join and at the same time, a rumor about a gay club circulates and threatens the secrecy of Geography Club. Each teenager must decide for themselves if they want to be honest about their sexuality or not and the choice is not easy for most. In an already hazardous social climate of high school, being gay may be too much to deal with.

GC is incredibly quick to read and fast paced so the story whips along and ends almost before you know it. The teenagers all play on different stereotypes from the male jock to the lesbian field hockey player, the nerdy ones, and the outsiders. Here is a cross section of kids from popular to neutral that have very little in common usually but find the support of other gay teens incredibly helpful. They are not always likable and noble as they are often too mired in their own drama and angst to reach out beyond their group. There is the most hated and teased outsider in the school that even those in the Geography Club don’t want to reach out and help. They often make classic mistakes such as being mean, condescending, and betraying each other out of fear and petty grievances.

What makes the story really shine are that these are depictions of real high school students who don’t always do the right thing. These teenagers don’t necessarily want to come out of the closet and be honest with themselves and others just yet. Perhaps they accept their sexuality to themselves but they want to stay hidden and under the social radar. Others stand up for their beliefs and what is right. Some waffle in the middle and can’t decide which way to go, depending on peer pressure to make their decisions. These are not perfect people but teenagers learning and growing with one more issue to cope with on top of everything. This is the type of story that teenagers can relate to and realize others go through the same difficulties and they’re not alone.

The narrative is first person from Russell’s point of view, a nerdy socially neutral teen that goes through the entire roller coaster of emotion and popularity in his struggle to find his place. The descriptive quality and writing doesn’t try too hard but lets the voice of the teenagers come through very well. The high school exists in no named city or state but is meant to be a high school that could exist anywhere with bland, purposefully vague descriptions that are recognizable by anyone. Although conveying a message to readers, none of the writing is preachy or lecturing but does have a thread of hope and honesty that will appeal to readers.

Although the target audience is likely gay teenagers, the quick pace and very easy reading makes this a good book for anyone to read. The recognizable themes and lack of perfection create a book most can relate to even if you aren’t part of the target audience. If anything it will remind you that no one is alone in their struggles. I can easily recommend Geography Club as a good book to read.(less)

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Aug 29, 2012 Jason Sharp rated it 5 of 5 stars

I’d like to start with this book with a confession: I would not have read this book if I had not been assigned to read a book on Gay and Lesbian Fiction. Gay rights are an important subject to me and although I have no problems with books or media on the subject, I also had no real desire to seek it out. This book, along with another gay superhero book I’ve read previously (Hero by Perry Moore) may change all of that. I loved, loved, loved this book and it has become one my favorite books this y...more I’d like to start with this book with a confession: I would not have read this book if I had not been assigned to read a book on Gay and Lesbian Fiction. Gay rights are an important subject to me and although I have no problems with books or media on the subject, I also had no real desire to seek it out. This book, along with another gay superhero book I’ve read previously (Hero by Perry Moore) may change all of that. I loved, loved, loved this book and it has become one my favorite books this year. It tells the story about a closeted young male teenager who believes he is the only gay person in his smallish high school until he meets an anonymous teen in a chat room. They decide to meet and end up discovering three more gay, lesbian and bisexual teenagers that go to their school and decide they would like to form their own support group. The book has some excellent humor to it and I liked how realistic and interesting the characters were. This isn’t a fairytale where everything will work out perfectly, the main characters don’t always make the right choices when faced with tough decisions, but one of the big themes is that we get second chances to do the right thing. One of the other main things I appreciated about this book was how it combined a coming of age story about peer pressure and climbing the high school social ladder with a coming out story about trying to stay true to your sexuality and your morals. I also liked how it gave multiple perspectives even though the story is told through a single point of view. The characters are so well done and the main character is so insightful that you really come to understand the pressures the other characters are under. One criticism I had with this book was that it feels a bit dated. The copyright date was in 2003, but from some of the technology mentioned such as using IM’s, chat rooms and emails to communicate it seems that the book is quite a bit older. The mindset of the characters seem older and less progressive as well, this could be attributed to the small-town status, but the reaction the school has when they think someone is gay seems a bit extreme in today’s world. Perhaps this is due to my own ignorance, but I feel like today a lot more adults and teens would be accepting. In summary, I think this is an excellent book. It’s informative, engaging and humorous without being preachy or depressing. It’s a book that anyone in high school can relate to because it focus so much peer pressure and social statuses and it’s interesting enough to keep the reader’s attention. Please read this if you have any interest in high school dramas or gay fiction, you will not regret it.(less)

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Jul 08, 2012 Roger Kean rated it 4 of 5 stars

In high schooler Russel, Brent Hartinger has created a Mr. Average. Russel doesn't suck at sport, but neither is he that good, he's not the best looking guy in school, but neither is he a dork, pretty clever but not brainy, his biggest problem is the locker room and all those naked jocks. Russel is not Mr. Average in one way—he's the only gay kid in school. Or is he? He's only ever confessed his inclinations to himself, not even his two best friends Min and Gunnar know. When he discovers to his...more In high schooler Russel, Brent Hartinger has created a Mr. Average. Russel doesn't suck at sport, but neither is he that good, he's not the best looking guy in school, but neither is he a dork, pretty clever but not brainy, his biggest problem is the locker room and all those naked jocks. Russel is not Mr. Average in one way—he's the only gay kid in school. Or is he? He's only ever confessed his inclinations to himself, not even his two best friends Min and Gunnar know. When he discovers to his astonishment that he is not alone, the problem his new friends face is how can they meet to talk without arousing suspicion among their fellow pupils? Solution: start a club so boring, no one else will want to join it—the Geography Club.

I'm not sure whether there is a buried sub-text here about how little insular Americans want to know about other places. However, like all well laid plans, it goes awry, and how is the meat of this clever story, not so much a coming of age tale as a coming to awareness story. Through Russel's dry voice, we discover the strata of school society, the yin and yang of hierarchy and clique, the yearning to belong and not be an outsider; the love of true friends. Russel's friendship with Gunnar gets him into deep water. Gunnar wants a girlfriend and sex and the only way he can achieve his aim with sex-bomb Kimberley is if Russel will double with Kimberley's friend Trish. Even on the edge of this abyss, Russel fails to inform Gunnar that he couldn't go through with it. It leads to the most acutely funny-horrible line of many amusing moments. Hartinger has a turn with sentences and phrases to make you grin aloud (that's a sort of open-mouthed Haarrgh without completely turning to laughter), like this one describing Russel's encounter with Trish's lips:

The second my lips touched hers, Trish's mouth slid open like a garage door on rollers, and I felt her tongue poking between my lips like a raw oyster with a mind of its own.

Hartinger writes sad just as well in this heart-warming, intelligent read.(less)

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Mar 25, 2011 Rebekah ODell rated it 2 of 5 stars

Russel believes he is the only gay student at his small-town high school until he gets online one night and meets GayTeen, a fellow student. Russel is stunned when he meets GayTeen only to find out that he is one of the most popular jocks in the school … and he has a crush on Russel! When Russel finally confesses his sexuality to his best friend, Min, she reveals that she is bisexual.

The gang decides to meet for support — pulling a couple of other gay students into the fold. In order to meet reg...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Katie Zafian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Geography Club is a one-of-a-kind LGBTQ book. It's not just plainly about creating a GSA in a mostly non-tolerant school. It's not just about accepting who you are. It's the road of five kids and how their lives change when they figure out each others' (and their own) secret ones.
I especially enjoyed the addition of the character Bianca. The Club knew that she thought it was literally about geography, but one day Terese accidentally spills the beans about it when Bianca is standing in the doorf...more

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About Brent Hartinger

I am Brent Hartinger, and I live to write.

For the last twenty years, I have made my living writing just about everything that involves words.

My most famous book is probably my 2003 novel, Geography Club, which has been adapted into a feature film starring Scott Bakula, Marin Hinkle, Ana Gasteyer, Cameron Deane Stewart, Justin Deeley, Ally Maki, Andrew Caldwell, and Nikki Blonsky. It'll be released...more

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Books by Brent Hartinger

The Order of the Poison Oak (Russel Middlebrook, #2)

Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies

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Quotes from Geography Club

“Are you?" I said. "Gay, I mean?" I hoped he wasn't offended by my asking, but after everything that had happened, I really wanted to know.

"No," he said. "I thought I was for about a w-w-week once. But now I know I'm not."

If there was ever an answer that sounded like the truth, that was it.” — 5 people liked it

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Geography Club (Russel Middlebrook #1)

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