book data
215 ratings,
3.88
average rating, 67 reviews
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published
January 8th 2008
by Knopf Books for Young Readers
binding
Hardcover, 224 pages
isbn
037584886X
(isbn13: 9780375848865)
description
Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes a confection from David Levithan that is sure to appeal to fans of Boy Meets Boy. Here are 18 stories, all abou...more
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avg 3.88
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
recommends it for:
Gays, Lesbians and friends of those who are.
When I picked up this book, I wasn't expected it to be about gay relationships (there are some straight stories though), but I felt like I shouldn't put it down. Reading the story's, I usually had to wait until a page in to figure out if the narrator was a boy or a girl, which made me realize how love is love and a crush is a crush no matter your preferance. While there were some parts in the book where I cringed, there were others were I laughed. And although I am straight, I found myself relat...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
YA fans with short attention spans
Disclaimer -- I LOVE THIS MAN!! Every book I've read of Levithan has touched my heart. This collection of short stories began, he says, as a way to avoid an AP physics lesson. That story, "A Romantic Inclination," is so funny.
Levithan's characters search for someone to love...he believes in the power of love.
Favorite line: "every two people cause an intersection. Every person alters the world."
Levithan's characters search for someone to love...he believes in the power of love.
Favorite line: "every two people cause an intersection. Every person alters the world."
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Read in April, 2008
I highly recommend this book. Not just for YAs, but for anyone who enjoys a good story about love. As explained in his author's note, each story was written for friends on Valentine's Day, and are for the most part in their original format (the tradition began when the author was in high school). Some of the stories will make you laugh, and some will make you sad, but all are completely enjoyable.
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Read in June, 2009
In his Author's Note, David Levithan explains that this collection of short stories sprang from a tradition of presenting short stories to his friends and family on Valentine's Day. As a result, we have How They Met and Other Stories, which even contains the original Valentine's Day story, "A Romantic Inclination."
The greatest strength of this book is that David Levithan presents to the reader all the different aspects of love, and none of it is sappy or overly sentimental...more
The greatest strength of this book is that David Levithan presents to the reader all the different aspects of love, and none of it is sappy or overly sentimental...more
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Read in May, 2008
Four and a half stars. Not perfect, but pretty darn close. David Levithan writes awesome love stories that happen to involve queer teens. Hooray. No one else does that really. There are a handful that are about questioning or coming out, but even those stories are still full of confident beautiful teens who just live their lives.
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This is an amazing book, one that all should read. It is a collection of short stories about people, relationships, that are not connected, but somehow intertwined. Levithan proves once again why he is a master story-teller. This book is one everyone should read, regardless of age, gender, creed, sexuality, or anything else.
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Read in December, 2008
I usually don't like short stories, but I've discovered that I'll read pretty much anything by David Levithan. His writing is strong and this book of short stories was no exception. He creates worlds withing a few short pages, that take you far away from your own. The stories alone, are quite good -- ranging from happy to melancholic, but their impact comes clear when they're put together in this book. Levithan's stories are not just about love, they are about everything else as well. They are, ...more
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recommends it for:
everyone who likes love storie and isn't homophobic
I had no idea what to expect when I started this. I'm pretty sure I looked at the cover and thought, "I like love stories and I'm a fan of short stories, so--perfect!" and then started reading it. I noticed the abundance of gay and lesbian-themed stories after the first three chapters (no idea Levithan is gay until I read the back flap even though I picked up on it pretty quickly, lol), but I was too hooked to let that get in the way of my reading. Levithan is a GREAT author, witty, en...more
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Read in December, 2008
I found some of these stories pointless, one or two boring, but all in all I was glad I read this book. My favorite stories were "Starbucks Boy," "The Number of People who Meet on Airplanes," "Flirting with Waiters," and I thought "Princes" was good. My absolute favorite story was "The Alumni Interview," it was the funniest and the most touching story in the entire book. The other stories were okay, but if you were reading this book you would hav...more
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Read in June, 2009
This is a great collection of short stories by an amazing writer. David Levithan is able to show and convey that love just is. Sometimes it lasts, sometimes it doesn’t, sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s not, but it exists all the same.
Some of my favorite stories were (in order of appearance): “Starbucks Boy”, “Miss Lucy Had A Steamboat”, “The Number Of People That Meet On Airplanes”, “Princes”, and “Skipping The Prom”.
I also really liked “W...more
Some of my favorite stories were (in order of appearance): “Starbucks Boy”, “Miss Lucy Had A Steamboat”, “The Number Of People That Meet On Airplanes”, “Princes”, and “Skipping The Prom”.
I also really liked “W...more
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Read in October, 2008
Maybe a 2 1/2 stars? It wasn't all bad. I thought this book was a compilation of stories of how people met and fell in love. It is not. Well, not really. At the end of the book there is a section called "How They Met" and the author talks about how his mother's parents met and how his dad's parents met and how all of those circumstances had to come about for him to be born who he is . . . so that was an interesting thought . . . just think of all the little things that couples over the...more
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Read in July, 2008
Levithan, David. 2008. How They Met and Other Stories.
How They Met and Other Stories is a short story collection for young adults. The themes? Love and romance, lust and desire, heartache and joy. What may or may not surprise you--depending on how familiar you are with the name David Levithan--is that most of these stories are about same sex couples. Not all of the stories are, there are a handful of stories featuring straight teens, but most aren't. One review says of Levithan that ...more
How They Met and Other Stories is a short story collection for young adults. The themes? Love and romance, lust and desire, heartache and joy. What may or may not surprise you--depending on how familiar you are with the name David Levithan--is that most of these stories are about same sex couples. Not all of the stories are, there are a handful of stories featuring straight teens, but most aren't. One review says of Levithan that ...more
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Read in June, 2008
Reading How They Met could often times be frustrating. I want to like David Levithan, he deals with tough issues facing teens that few other authors even attempt to deal with. However, he just isn’t that talented. He’s shallow and annoying more often than insightful. He’s kind of like Nicolas Sparks for edgier teens. Some may need that, but most will turn to someone who is actually willing to delve deeper into his subjects. To be fair, this is a collection of short stories, and short ...more
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Reviewed by JodiG. for TeensReadToo.com
The stories about how people meet and fall in love are as diverse as the couples themselves. From blind dates to chance encounters, the stories of "how we met" always seem to intrigue us.
HOW THEY MET, AND OTHER STORIES is the latest book by David Levithan (BOY MEETS BOY). It is a collection of eighteen short stories about love, longing, and even lust. This wonderful group of stories includes brief crushes, relationships wi...more
The stories about how people meet and fall in love are as diverse as the couples themselves. From blind dates to chance encounters, the stories of "how we met" always seem to intrigue us.
HOW THEY MET, AND OTHER STORIES is the latest book by David Levithan (BOY MEETS BOY). It is a collection of eighteen short stories about love, longing, and even lust. This wonderful group of stories includes brief crushes, relationships wi...more
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Read in February, 2008
In Levithan’s junior year of high school, he got bored in physics class and wrote a Valentine’s story for his friends using the words in his physics textbook. He wrote another Valentine’s story the next year, and kept writing them, and many of these are included in this book of stories about love.
It’s a book of stories that manages to be both very, very David Levithan - tender, funny, sparkling prose, wise about love and teenage stupidity-about-love - and not at all monotonou...more
It’s a book of stories that manages to be both very, very David Levithan - tender, funny, sparkling prose, wise about love and teenage stupidity-about-love - and not at all monotonou...more
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02/17/08
Joanna
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Read in February, 2008
The inevitable disappointment that comes from reading a collection of stories written by an author in his/her youth is that the stories read like they were written by, you know, someone in their youth. This book works best as a reminder to young authors that the only way to become a better writer is to WRITE and write and write.
So while I was a bit disappointed by this book, David Levithan has always captured the exquisite torture of romantic interest better than almost anyone. Here...more
So while I was a bit disappointed by this book, David Levithan has always captured the exquisite torture of romantic interest better than almost anyone. Here...more
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Every Valentine's Day since he was in high school, David Levithan has written a short story for his friends, and How They Met collects eighteen of them. Some are funny, some are sad, and others are romantic, but the genius of How They Met is that every story is told by a distinct narrator. You'll meet boys and girls — gay and straight — of all ages and from all walks of life. You are sure to fall in love with at least one of them.
Recommended by Adam P., Powells.com
Recommended by Adam P., Powells.com
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Read in February, 2009
i should start by saying i'm not the type to sit down and read a bunch of love stories, that i've never before and sat down to read anything billed as such, let alone those intended for YA. but seriously, i laughed, i cried (i cried mostly because i thought about how i cried while listening to a song jestodd is playing at her wedding while reading these stories, but still, tears). the one about the airplane couple is my favorite.
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recommends it for:
Tamara, Angie, Becky
Read at ALA Annual 2008 in Anaheim...
"As it is with accidents, so it is with love."
Love--the blossoming of it, and sometimes the withering of it--is what ties this collection of short stories together. Whether you are in a relationship, or single by choice or otherwise, at least one of these short stories will resonate. If you've had a variety of life experiences when it comes to relationships, each story may move you as much as it did me.
Some stand...more
"As it is with accidents, so it is with love."
Love--the blossoming of it, and sometimes the withering of it--is what ties this collection of short stories together. Whether you are in a relationship, or single by choice or otherwise, at least one of these short stories will resonate. If you've had a variety of life experiences when it comes to relationships, each story may move you as much as it did me.
Some stand...more
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Read in October, 2008
recommends it for:
those who just want to read a good love story--or eighteen!
How They Met, and Other Stories definitely showed me that love comes in many different forms, and it doesn't matter who you are and who you're in love with. There's just love--to have, to give, to take, to cherish. My favorite story is "the escalator, a love story," because it was simple and it shows that love can be found in the most unexpected places at the most unexpected times.
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quotes from this book
"I think one of the highest compliments you can give a person is that when you are talking to her, you are not thinking about the fact that you are talking to her. That is, your thoughts and words all exist on a single, engaged level. You are being yourself because you aren't bothering to think about who you should be. It is like when you talk in a dream."
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