I'll Love You When You're More Like Me

by M.E. Kerr

M.E. Kerr's beloved 1977 young adult classic tells the story of two very different teenagers, both struggling to stand up to their parents. Whether it's going to college instead of taking over the family funeral parlor, coming out in a town where homosexuality is considered akin to demonic possession, or choosing between a life of fame or normalcy, the young characters in I'll Love You When You're More Like Me bravely struggle to become who they want to be—even when they don't yet know themselves.

M. E. Kerr was a winner of the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement and the ALAN award from the National Council of Teachers of English. She has been described by the New York Times Book Review as "one of the grand masters of young adult fiction."

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

M. E. Kerr was born Marijane Meaker in Auburn, New York. Her interest in writing began with her father, who loved to read, and her mother, who loved to tell stories of neighborhood gossip. Unable to find an agent to represent her work, Meaker became her own agent, and wrote articles and books under a series of pseudonyms: Vin Packer, Ann Aldrich, Laura Winston, M.E. Kerr, and Mary James. As M.E. Kerr, Meaker has produced over twenty novels for young adults and won multiple awards, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her lifetime contribution to young adult literature.

Reviews

[Caroline Talton · Rating 3 out of 5]

i'm taking a class this semester where we're reading a variety of novels from the 60s-80s that are somewhat "forgotten," or that have fallen out of print and then been reprinted in recent years. Kerr's novel is the first book, and I have to say that I was alternately pleasantly surprised and then a bit disappointed. The characters were really well wrought, but the ending was underwhelming for me!

[Sian Lile-Pastore · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was good, and I enjoyed the characters, but it didn't particularly grab me as a story and I wasn't compelled to keep reading. Written in the 70s, it isn't dated at all and the gay character is pretty cool.

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

ME Kerr was a favorite author when I was a preteen and young teen, and this was one of my favorites.

[Jez · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of those older "classics" that doesn't really stand the test of time. I was sold on this book by having it described as one of the first LGBTQ books for YA. That was not at all the case. Yes, there is a gay character, but that does not make this an LGBTQ book. The character in question, Charlie, was sweet, but ultimately, he was just a side character and often used to further the stories of the main characters. For Wally, he was there to be the unjudging friend and an answer to Wally's predicament (no spoilers); for Sabra, he was there to be the GBF and prove to the reader how "cool" she was for living in NYC and understanding that she should treat gay men like humans (but that doesn't stop her from making cracks in her narration about how he came out of the closet without any trailing hangers).

The main stories, about how Wally and Sabra are fighting their parents expectations and wanting to make their own way in life is a nice lesson, but ultimately felt lacking to me. Wally never really has to struggle for his future, he just has to say "hey, I want to go to college" and everything else seems to magically fall into place by the end. Sabra's story was interesting because it wasn't actually Sabra being pushed around by a stage mom, it's actually Sabra pushing around everyone else and, in a way, manipulating the reader. But the soap opera star who gets involved with the sweet, All-American boy when she goes to recuperate in a small ocean town? Blech. Pass.

As for the narration, the male narrator was terrible. I'm glad this audio was so sort, because I had difficulty listening to him at some points. He was never the right distance from the mic, which caused some issues in volume and pitch, and all of his voices felt like caricatures, especially the female voices, some bordering on the offensive. His voice was also very affected, like he was trying to make everyone extra snooty and nasally. I also have a bone to pick with whomever designed the clamshell cover and gave his child (he's an undergrad, not even a professional) about 3x as much space as the author.
The female narrator was not nearly as bad and was sufferable, but still not great. She likewise had a very affected, nasally tone, but it works a little easier for a primadonna soap opera star.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All your life you're known as the straight-A student. Then, one day, in a moment of weakness, you confess you think you're gay. How do you think you'll be remembered afterward? Not as the straight-A student."

I still remember this line more than 30 years later! Teen soap opera star comes to spend the summer in a small NY beach town where everyone's roles seem laid out neatly at birth.

It's a funny book (in a one-liner kind of way), and yeah, a bit whiny, but it's written for teenagers, after all. For once, the gay teen character winds up relatively happy (maybe even happier than the protagonist) without hitting the road to the nearest large city.

[Kara Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this book isn't a typical teenage life, I do not know what is. This book explains the struggle between love, life, and future decisions. Many teenagers go through the same things that Wally goes through. I would recommend this book to middle schoolers. I believe that children will relate to this book in many ways. When a child can relate to a novel, I feel as though they enjoy the reading better. This creates a positive attitude when it comes to reading, which hopefully leads to academic success.

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

More teenage angst from M.E. Kerr. I went through a whole bunch of books by this author when I was in middle school. I don't remember this one at all, except for the cover, which rings my memory bell.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a legitimately good YA book you'll be disappointed, but if you going into this knowing it is going to be a ridiculous, cheesy 1970s version of YA it is super entertaining. It was pretty predictable, but I enjoyed it.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great young-adult book with gay characters.

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the tartness of this book.

[Pink · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some quoteworthy lines, but overall nothing really interesting happened.

[Jennifer Early · Rating 1 out of 5]

MEH!

[Samara M]

The name of my book is I'll Love You When You're More Like Me, this book shows how a actor acts outside of her story line and a high school student who is supposed to take over a funeral home after he graduates. The actors name is Sabra she has been acting for most of her life time, they found out a few years back that she had a ulcer.Wallace is the high school kid who is supposed to take over the funeral home after he graduates, but he wants to go to college to be a writer of some sort.

[Vivienne Strauss · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was recently that I discovered that a favorite adolescent author, M.E. Kerr was also Marijane Meaker, lover of a favorite adult author, Patricia Highsmith! Now I'm feeling compelled to revisit some of Kerr's books - listened to the audio version and honestly impressed with her progressive handling of the issues for that time.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow I missed this author when I was younger. I don't remember reading ya books with gay characters in the 70's so a bit ahead of its time. Likable characters touch on young love and parental expectations.

[Juliet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5