Our Bodies Electric

by Zackary Vernon

Tormented by his religious family and the broader conservative community of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, fourteen-year-old Josh struggles with the pressure to conform to their puritanical standards. As he embarks upon his high school years, Josh meets a supportive cast of eccentric small-town characters, falls in love with his classmate, becomes obsessed with David Bowie, and fumbles in his attempts to make his own thongs. But it’s when his elderly neighbor gives him a copy of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” that he begins to understand his own sexuality. Our Bodies Electric is a coming-of-age story that celebrates the exuberance of youth, the individual quest for sexual identity, and the joy of finding connections in the most unexpected of places.

Genres: Queer, Contemporary, Young Adult

252 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2024

About the author

Zackary Vernon is a writer and scholar based in Boone, North Carolina. His work has appeared in a range of magazines and journals, including The Bitter Southerner, Carolina Quarterly, and Southern Cultures, and he has received both the Alex Albright Creative Nonfiction Prize and the Randall Kenan Prize from the North Carolina Literary Review. He is the author of the YA novel Our Bodies Electric.

Reviews

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

very much like big mouth but with maggots instead of hormone monsters and slightly more pure

[Amys Bookshelf Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zackary Vernon writes a wonderful LGBTQ self-discovery tale with Our Bodies Electric

In Our Bodies Electric the reader is introduced to Josh, who is fourteen, and doesn't understand who he is and why he feels the way he does. I haven't read anything by this author before, and what a hidden gem. ***I enjoyed it so much, that I have now followed the author and look for more books to read. Josh lives in a very conservative family, and they don't understand him, and want him to be something he's not. He knows he's different, he gets a crush on a male classmate, and loves David Bowie (but who doesn't). He is trying to figure out his life, and who he was, and then the worlds of Walt Whitman, one of my favorite authors, and he learns more about himself. It's a powerful coming of age, that inspires others and Josh can finally relate to himself and others, and not feel the stigma of those who don't understand them. A definite attention grabber, so much I couldn't put it down. A reader can get lost in the story. Everyone should read this story, and maybe they would learn something. It's a gripping and incredible storyline. Some of the pages, you end up reading slower than others, so not to miss anything. This author is a great storyteller.
This book captures the reader's attention in chapter 1.This is a magnificent plot that kept this reader turning the pages. This is one of those books that grabs you from the start and pulls you in. This journey was very unpredictable. Our Bodies Electric is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book to also write a review.

[Sarah Beth Hopton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic read! I don't typically read YA novels, but the characters were so compelling, the setting so unusual, and the writing so vivid, that once I picked this up, I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting over a weekend camping.

I didn't grow up with brothers, but if I had, I'd have wished for a brother like Josh, the main character. He's funny, thoughtful, curious, and it was a delight to experience the world through his eyes as he explored his own unruly sexuality while negotiating difficult cultural and familial expectations about that sexuality.

Through brilliant character development and tight writing, the book and plot clip along. All the while, Vernon tackles universal themes of longing and love while also subtly highlighting and, through his character's choices, resisting, the hateful legacies of sexism, racism, homophobia and toxic masculinity in the Deep South. Though Vernon has much to say about these issues, the prose never devolves into moralizing. In fact, you don't notice how wise Josh is and how cleverly the book tackles these issues until the end.

I closed the book cheering for Josh and Chloe and wishing I could stay on Pawley's Island with them forever.

[Alex Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you prefer plot driven stories, this isn’t for you. It is much more a character driven novel that reads like random stories/memories that contribute to Josh’s journey to self-discovery.

Based on the description and other reviews, I expected a more LGBTQ focus which didn’t quite happen for me. It was a great view into the middle and high school years of a boy growing up in an extra Christian, southern space. Some of the scenarios the characters found themselves in definitely brought up some old memories of my own (hiding in the balcony at church during a service with someone you shouldn’t be, anyone?).

It was a good, quick read. 3.5 stars for me.

[Megan Scharlau · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pace and tone of this book made it such a breezy read. Following mostly events that would stir the loin of Josh, we bounce around moments that are so normal, they're important. The author also gives us glimpses into other members of the community who impact their neighbors. Their complicated feelings, hypocrisy, electric flesh.
As someone who is asexual, there were times it felt a bit too much for me, since I couldn't fully connect to the experiences. But the more I think of it, I love the conflict involved. I love that we don't get resolution in a tidy bow. There will still be internal battles and external judgements. But this book, and life, are about the individual moments.

[Zach Woods · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading the back of the book really had me hooked! A youthful adventure of self and sexuality with hints of David Bowie and eye opening experiences is what I thought I was entering into. The first 50 pages had me feeling the full spectrum of feelings and laughing a lot, yet it all took a turn when the author lost the plot. Many aspects of the synopsis fell off the map and I couldn’t find a compelling reason for the stories that kept coming. 4/5 of the book is boring and had you coming back, in hopes that the story might take off and lift you into nostalgia. After it all was done for, I was disappointed and bored — sold a story that was never told.

[Denton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our Bodies Electric is a coming-of-age story set on Pawley’s Island, South Carolina. We meet the main character, Josh, when he’s in the sixth grade and follow him into high school and his sexual awakening. Despite the very conservative and religious shadows cast by his parents and community, Josh finds surprising refuge in the words of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself, which gives him the strength to love his body and his desires in all their forms. A fun, poignant read!

[Allison Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful summer read for all ages. I laughed out loud many times. Anyone who grew up in the South, and particularly those who spent their childhood in the Southern Church culture, will find it poignant, uplifting, and downright hilarious.

[Kaye Martell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a poignant, insightful viewpoint to a young man’s growing up in a religious southern atmosphere. Sometimes funny, sometimes really upsetting. I remember being a 14-year-old girl growing up, so seeing the other viewpoint of a young man growing up, was very insightful.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zack Vernon’s novel is an endearing coming-of-age story of coastal South Carolina in the 1990s.

[Robin Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great heartwarming coming-of-age book. A great read, loved it!

[Charles Pace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Vernon was a visiting writer at App this year… we can’t get him to leave. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Good book!

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming, funny, weird, and bittersweet. Wonderful.

[Blythe Winchester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, excellent dialogue, and I love when a book makes me laugh out loud at times

[Emily K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written, engaging, funny, and profound. I really enjoyed it even though I seldom read YA, and I look forward to seeing what Zack comes out with next!