What do you think?
Talk
A powerful drama about self-acceptance
Kit Webster is hiding a secret. Carma, his best friend, has already figured it out, and pushes him to audition for the high school play, Talk. When he's cast as the male lead, he expects to escape his own life for a while and become a different person. What he gets instead is the role of a Kit Webster. In the play, Kit's thrown together with Lindsay Walsh, the female lead and the school's teen queen. Lindsay, tired of the shallow and selfish boys from her usual circle of friends, sees something real in Kit - and wants it. But Kit's attention is focused on Pablo, another boy in school. The play is controversial; the parents put pressure on the school to shut it down. And when Kit and Lindsay rally to save Talk, they find themselves deep into a battle for the onstage, and inside themselves.
As in her other books, Ms. Koja's "long stream-of-consciousness sentences with creative (but recognizable) spelling and clever use of italics will enchant readers" ( Booklist ).
Kit Webster is hiding a secret. Carma, his best friend, has already figured it out, and pushes him to audition for the high school play, Talk. When he's cast as the male lead, he expects to escape his own life for a while and become a different person. What he gets instead is the role of a Kit Webster. In the play, Kit's thrown together with Lindsay Walsh, the female lead and the school's teen queen. Lindsay, tired of the shallow and selfish boys from her usual circle of friends, sees something real in Kit - and wants it. But Kit's attention is focused on Pablo, another boy in school. The play is controversial; the parents put pressure on the school to shut it down. And when Kit and Lindsay rally to save Talk, they find themselves deep into a battle for the onstage, and inside themselves.
As in her other books, Ms. Koja's "long stream-of-consciousness sentences with creative (but recognizable) spelling and clever use of italics will enchant readers" ( Booklist ).
144 pages, Hardcover
First published March 10, 2005
About the author
Kathe Koja
132 books991 followersKathe Koja is a writer, director and independent producer of live and virtual events. Her work combines and plays with genres, from horror to YA to historical to weird, in books like THE CIPHER, VELOCITIES, BUDDHA BOY, UNDER THE POPPY, and CATHERINE THE GHOST.
Her ongoing project is the world of DARK FACTORY https://darkfactory.club/ continuing in DARK PARK, with DARK MATTER coming out in December 2025.
She's a Detroit native, animal rights supporter, supporter of democracy, and huge fan of Emily Bronte.
Her ongoing project is the world of DARK FACTORY https://darkfactory.club/ continuing in DARK PARK, with DARK MATTER coming out in December 2025.
She's a Detroit native, animal rights supporter, supporter of democracy, and huge fan of Emily Bronte.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 29, 2009
Kit Webster has never once had a role in a play, much less the lead part in a schoolwide production. Yet, he has been acting all his life. Pretending to like girls, pretending not to be attracted to his fellow males and committing sin. Kit's best friend Carma recently persuaded him to try out for the school play "Talk". It turns out that Kit is a natural actor and instantly gets the male lead and to no one's surprise the female lead is played by Lindsay Walsh - the beautiful, ruthless, and school-deemed teen queen. Or so it seems. Lindsay is actually beggining to grow tired of her shallow and selfish boyfriends and starts to take an interest in the rival lead in her senior play. Of course, Kit has already set his sites on another seemingly unattainable crush. It all boils down to the actual play; not only the controversy that it creates but the emotions it triggers within Kit and Lindsay. These emotions lead the two in a battle for the truth - truth not just about what they really want, but who they really are.
This is the first novel I've read by Kathe Koja. Needless to say, her writing style is very sparse and short which is only accentuated by the minute amount of pages in "Talk". Her unique style of writing acted as a double-edged sword: on one hand I enjoyed the fast-paced plot and somewhat easily understandable (though understated) themes, but for the majority of the book it seemed that Koja wasn't adding enough detail to where detail needed to be. An example would be her characters. At first Kit seemed to be the cliche "gay actor" type that's often found in novels but when he fell in love with an -openly- gay character, that was unique. Not to mention that this book was published in 2005, which is before various well-known GLBT novels. Anyway, so I found that aspect of his character unique but then towards the end of the book something else happens also. And the event that took place wasn't very unique - in fact, it felt rushed. I don't want to give anything away, but it really took a chunk out of Kit's whole personality that Koja was building up the entire novel.
Moving on to Lindsay. What was particularly satisfying with her was the portrayal of a somewhat stereotypical character (teen ice queen) and flipping it so there is a sense of pity when she describes the inner turmoil taking place within her thoughts, desires, and mind. Once again towards the end of the book Koja abruptly ended the characterization of Lindsay and left her hanging on an emotional cliff - it seriously made me question if this was Koja's motive and she wanted to leave readers with this image of Lindsay because in all honesty I liked where she was going with her but the ending was just too simplistic and underdeveloped.
In agreement with others who've read "Talk", and unforunately as well, I found the actual play that was taking place much more interesting then the story that unfolded because of it. While I'm in awe of Koja's ability to describe the epiphany/self-realization process of the characters in so few pages yet managing to make it work - I also felt a bit more detail here and there would've earned this book a higher rating. By the by, for anyone who has read "The Vast Fields of Ordinary", isn't it funny how Kit and Dade's first crush are both named Pablo? Obviously this wasn't done on purpose because "Talk" was published before VFO but it did make me chuckle to myself.
This is the first novel I've read by Kathe Koja. Needless to say, her writing style is very sparse and short which is only accentuated by the minute amount of pages in "Talk". Her unique style of writing acted as a double-edged sword: on one hand I enjoyed the fast-paced plot and somewhat easily understandable (though understated) themes, but for the majority of the book it seemed that Koja wasn't adding enough detail to where detail needed to be. An example would be her characters. At first Kit seemed to be the cliche "gay actor" type that's often found in novels but when he fell in love with an -openly- gay character, that was unique. Not to mention that this book was published in 2005, which is before various well-known GLBT novels. Anyway, so I found that aspect of his character unique but then towards the end of the book something else happens also. And the event that took place wasn't very unique - in fact, it felt rushed. I don't want to give anything away, but it really took a chunk out of Kit's whole personality that Koja was building up the entire novel.
Moving on to Lindsay. What was particularly satisfying with her was the portrayal of a somewhat stereotypical character (teen ice queen) and flipping it so there is a sense of pity when she describes the inner turmoil taking place within her thoughts, desires, and mind. Once again towards the end of the book Koja abruptly ended the characterization of Lindsay and left her hanging on an emotional cliff - it seriously made me question if this was Koja's motive and she wanted to leave readers with this image of Lindsay because in all honesty I liked where she was going with her but the ending was just too simplistic and underdeveloped.
In agreement with others who've read "Talk", and unforunately as well, I found the actual play that was taking place much more interesting then the story that unfolded because of it. While I'm in awe of Koja's ability to describe the epiphany/self-realization process of the characters in so few pages yet managing to make it work - I also felt a bit more detail here and there would've earned this book a higher rating. By the by, for anyone who has read "The Vast Fields of Ordinary", isn't it funny how Kit and Dade's first crush are both named Pablo? Obviously this wasn't done on purpose because "Talk" was published before VFO but it did make me chuckle to myself.
November 11, 2012
Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.
Pros: Honest, emotive, and most of all, gorgeously written.
Cons: Could have been longer and more detailed, characters-wise - though still we get to know them enough. Leads first-person voices blur into each other a little sometimes.
Will appeal to: GLBT fiction lovers of course, but pretty much anyone who values staying true to oneself and standing up for what ones believes in. And, last but not least, anyone who's a sucker for beautiful, poignant prose.
This is really a very small book - around 130 pages. It basically revolves around a group of high school seniors staging a play called "Talk", by the (fictional) author Lawson Shoals, and dealing with obstructionism on behalf of a group of adults and the very school board. Also, we follow the two leads - gay-in-the-closet Kit and queen-bee Lindsay - coming to terms with their own lives with the help of said play. A pretty simple and even common canvas in itself, on which Koja manages to paint an engrossing, distinct masterpiece.
The thing that makes a winner out of this one is the gorgeous prose. Kit and Lindsay's voices alternate, chapter by chapter, in a stream-of-consciousness form, often beset with broken lines, and are interspersed with fragments from the play. The only complaint I have about this is the odd similarity those voices seem to bear sometimes, though the two characters couldn't be more different. Kit is sweet, insecure, torn between the need of coming out of his closet and the desire of escaping from himself. Lindsay is self-centered and ambitious, unable to see her own faults, though she does recognize those in the members of her social circle. Both seem to find what they're looking for in the play though, even if their reasons are completely different. [...]
Whole review here.
Pros: Honest, emotive, and most of all, gorgeously written.
Cons: Could have been longer and more detailed, characters-wise - though still we get to know them enough. Leads first-person voices blur into each other a little sometimes.
Will appeal to: GLBT fiction lovers of course, but pretty much anyone who values staying true to oneself and standing up for what ones believes in. And, last but not least, anyone who's a sucker for beautiful, poignant prose.
This is really a very small book - around 130 pages. It basically revolves around a group of high school seniors staging a play called "Talk", by the (fictional) author Lawson Shoals, and dealing with obstructionism on behalf of a group of adults and the very school board. Also, we follow the two leads - gay-in-the-closet Kit and queen-bee Lindsay - coming to terms with their own lives with the help of said play. A pretty simple and even common canvas in itself, on which Koja manages to paint an engrossing, distinct masterpiece.
The thing that makes a winner out of this one is the gorgeous prose. Kit and Lindsay's voices alternate, chapter by chapter, in a stream-of-consciousness form, often beset with broken lines, and are interspersed with fragments from the play. The only complaint I have about this is the odd similarity those voices seem to bear sometimes, though the two characters couldn't be more different. Kit is sweet, insecure, torn between the need of coming out of his closet and the desire of escaping from himself. Lindsay is self-centered and ambitious, unable to see her own faults, though she does recognize those in the members of her social circle. Both seem to find what they're looking for in the play though, even if their reasons are completely different. [...]
Whole review here.
April 9, 2015
This book was a book about teens putting on a play with some drama added to it.First, I am going to name some of the main characters. The first main character is Kit Webster. This person is a boy. He is hiding a secret. No one knows who it is except Carma, one of her best friends. Carma is a very outgoing boy, but his spot is not on the stage. He is more of an insider. My final main character is Linsey Walsh. She is the main role in the play. She thinks that Kit is a very cool guy, but Kit is more worried about how the play is coming along. Carma is the one that pushed Kit Webster out of his comfort zone to go on stage. I recommend this to teens because it has some language not for young kids.
January 16, 2024
The saddest thing about the book is that my copy came from a rural high school library, so I assume I am holding a copy of a victim of the culture wars.
The book is structured as a dual narrative between the two leads of a high school play, the one a closeted and theater neophyte, the other an unrestrained diva with unrestrained ambitions. Between the chapters are portions of the play itself, which reads like a trigger-happy version of Prometheus Bound, and is too political for easy acceptance at the high school.
The author uses the alternating PoV well, specifically highlighting the ways in which both characters are a part of their limitations, and both have layers, which is particularly a relief as regards the diva. You see the structure of what might otherwise be her absurdity. The fictional and eponymous play itself sounds is really fascinating, and the chunks of it threaten to engage more than the rest of the text.
The weakness is how the text does not fully gear up. I do not fault the book for being short. There are a lot of challenging thoughts at stake here, and it makes enough of each of the ideas to be worthwhile. But I feel like there ought to be more resonance, more meaning and insight arising out of each of the themes. But the parts never feel like they reach a whole, or anything greater than the parts.
And, apropos of the opener, there is something dated about this. I guess it is 20 years on thereabouts, but the slurs and hate crimes feel decidedly low bar and the whole cancellation, complete with feel cheery in retrospect.
The book is structured as a dual narrative between the two leads of a high school play, the one a closeted and theater neophyte, the other an unrestrained diva with unrestrained ambitions. Between the chapters are portions of the play itself, which reads like a trigger-happy version of Prometheus Bound, and is too political for easy acceptance at the high school.
The author uses the alternating PoV well, specifically highlighting the ways in which both characters are a part of their limitations, and both have layers, which is particularly a relief as regards the diva. You see the structure of what might otherwise be her absurdity. The fictional and eponymous play itself sounds is really fascinating, and the chunks of it threaten to engage more than the rest of the text.
The weakness is how the text does not fully gear up. I do not fault the book for being short. There are a lot of challenging thoughts at stake here, and it makes enough of each of the ideas to be worthwhile. But I feel like there ought to be more resonance, more meaning and insight arising out of each of the themes. But the parts never feel like they reach a whole, or anything greater than the parts.
And, apropos of the opener, there is something dated about this. I guess it is 20 years on thereabouts, but the slurs and hate crimes feel decidedly low bar and the whole cancellation, complete with feel cheery in retrospect.
May 21, 2022
“Talk” is a book that is written by Kathe Koja. It is about these high school students, Lindsay and Kit. They are from different cliques at school, but when the school is having the play and they both get the leads. It is what sparks the start of the book, because kit is gay but hasn’t come out yet and Lindsay is just getting over a hard break-up. She starts to fall for him, but he is secretly in love with Lindsay's best friend Pablo. After the community starts to hear about the play, Lindsay ex Blake’s mom starts to complain, saying they should cancel the play for being too grown up. So Kit and Lindsay are fighting to win back and say the show must go on! In the end they end up getting the show back, Lindsay finds love with someone else, and Pablo and Kit start to date.
Overall the book was ok, it wasn't my favorite book. It had an ok storyline but it got very long and repetitive at some points, and I would get lost trying to figure out what chapter was either Kit or Lindsay. It did like how it had a happy ending. I also enjoyed how their characters were written. It went in depth and you could relate easily to how they felt. I also liked how short and sweet it was. It was just a short good book and I liked it.
I would suggest this good to someone who is into drama romance types of books. Because it has a WHOLE LOT in it. It goes from one moment to another in a page. I would also recommend it to someone who likes theater because it's about being in theater. Overall it was ok but I will not read again.
Overall the book was ok, it wasn't my favorite book. It had an ok storyline but it got very long and repetitive at some points, and I would get lost trying to figure out what chapter was either Kit or Lindsay. It did like how it had a happy ending. I also enjoyed how their characters were written. It went in depth and you could relate easily to how they felt. I also liked how short and sweet it was. It was just a short good book and I liked it.
I would suggest this good to someone who is into drama romance types of books. Because it has a WHOLE LOT in it. It goes from one moment to another in a page. I would also recommend it to someone who likes theater because it's about being in theater. Overall it was ok but I will not read again.
December 30, 2023
This novel is unique in its stream-of-consciousness flow. The narrator switches between at least a couple characters and it is mostly the inner voices of characters' observing and trying to figure out life. You have to use clues on the first page of each chapter to figure out who is talking. "Talk" is the name of a play that is being produced by the drama department at Faulkner Academy. Lindsey was born to be an actress and this is her senior piece. Her parents are like her agents. She doesn't appreciate her mother's interference, but is okay with Dad's. Kit has been talked into doing the play. He's good. Kit has a crush on Pablo, but things aren't working out. His best friend, Carma, is always in his corner. She's part of the backstage crew. Mixed in with chapters that shift narrator are bits of script from the play. The play is controversial and when Lindsey breaks up with her boyfriend, Blake, who then quits the play, his mother suddenly becomes an activist and guardian of morality, forcing a public outcry over the play. So many teenage things are considered; first love, general angst, friend relationships, homosexuality (the book was written about fifteen years ago, so the conversation is a little different than teens today may encounter - but maybe not.
April 10, 2022
The author had such a great concept for the plot of this book, but the execution fell flat. The writing was so all-over-the-place that I felt like I was reading a sloppy narrative written by one of my middle school students.
March 12, 2024
I would have liked this book more if it weren’t for the writing style. Weird, convoluted run-on sentences, paragraphs that start mid-sentence, missing punctuation. Most of the paragraphs are solid pages that should be six or seven separate paragraphs. It makes it hard to read.
September 6, 2021
Not gonna lie I wasn't a huge fan in the beginning but towards the end of the book, I loved it.
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May 16, 2017Talk
By: Kathe Koja
This is a book about high school students who are doing a controversial play called Talk. The setting for this book is mainly in the school’s drama department where the kids practice the play. The narration goes between the two main characters Kit and Lindsey. Kit who has never acted before gets the lead part along with Lindsey in the play. It switches from the characters in the book to their characters they are in the play. This made reading the book very confusing at first.
Kit struggles throughout the book about coming out as a gay person. The only person that knows about it is his best friend Carma. “It’s like gay is a room, and everything - who I love, who I am, the world, sex, everything - is in that room. And before anything else can happen I have to open the door and walk in.”( Kit pg.36) Kit likes Pablo who is an openly gay kid at school. His friend Carma encourages him to talk to Pablo but before he does he finds out Pablo is already in another relationship and he is devastated. While this is going on he also has to deal with Lindsey. Lindsey has decided that she wants Kit to be her boyfriend. Lindsey is very spoiled and used to getting her way. She does not get that Kit is not interested in having a relationship with her.
They also have to deal with the controversy over the play. Some parents and teachers felt the play was inappropriate for high school students. The school banned the play. The students felt strongly about their right to do the play so they found another place to give their performance.
The author, Kathe Koja, is known for her adult fiction but in the last few years has started writing novels for young adults. She tends to focus on social issues and how people learn to deal with them. You can see this in the book with Kits struggle of being gay of him wanting people to know but still is afraid to show people his true self.
By: Kathe Koja
This is a book about high school students who are doing a controversial play called Talk. The setting for this book is mainly in the school’s drama department where the kids practice the play. The narration goes between the two main characters Kit and Lindsey. Kit who has never acted before gets the lead part along with Lindsey in the play. It switches from the characters in the book to their characters they are in the play. This made reading the book very confusing at first.
Kit struggles throughout the book about coming out as a gay person. The only person that knows about it is his best friend Carma. “It’s like gay is a room, and everything - who I love, who I am, the world, sex, everything - is in that room. And before anything else can happen I have to open the door and walk in.”( Kit pg.36) Kit likes Pablo who is an openly gay kid at school. His friend Carma encourages him to talk to Pablo but before he does he finds out Pablo is already in another relationship and he is devastated. While this is going on he also has to deal with Lindsey. Lindsey has decided that she wants Kit to be her boyfriend. Lindsey is very spoiled and used to getting her way. She does not get that Kit is not interested in having a relationship with her.
They also have to deal with the controversy over the play. Some parents and teachers felt the play was inappropriate for high school students. The school banned the play. The students felt strongly about their right to do the play so they found another place to give their performance.
The author, Kathe Koja, is known for her adult fiction but in the last few years has started writing novels for young adults. She tends to focus on social issues and how people learn to deal with them. You can see this in the book with Kits struggle of being gay of him wanting people to know but still is afraid to show people his true self.
June 4, 2012
The reason why I chose the book Talk by Kathe Koja was because the plot of the story seemed like one I could relate too. The story is about a boy named Kit Webster and his friend Carma who forces him to join a school play to overcome his shyness in the world. While being in the play and meeting a girl named Lindsay, he feels like his life changes for those few moments he acts. When the school finds out about the play and says that its inappropriate for high-schooled students, its up to Kit and Lindsay to save it, making them reveal more about themselves than they ever knew before. My favorite quote from the story was "Be Lola, its your play Lindy, for me." This quote showed how Lindsay really felt after hearing Kits secret and it showed how selfish she was after all. The authors writing style is so different then what I am used too. In each chapter a different character is talking, so its up to the reader to figure out who it is. One possible theme for this story would be self identity. Through out the story, all the characters realized who they really were and what they wanted to be and each chapter showed how the characters become more themselves. For me, reading this was very fascinating because not only was I able to read the story itself, but I also was able to figure out which character was talking in each chapter. I would recommend this book to anyone who is having trouble in school or fitting in just because of the way they act or are. The book Talk deals with very deep topics that not everyone would enjoy. I personally loved this book because it was very straight to the point and very enjoyable to read.
April 1, 2011
For a book that only has one word for a title, it packs in a dictionary's worth of drama and suspense. Talk by Kathe Koja is a terrific novel about how two people try to fight for what they both love, while dealing with their own personal problems. I love how Koja was able to combine these teenagers together who live different teenage lives into one thrilling story!
The author did an almost perfect job of displaying the types of kids in high school through the main character Kat Webster and Lindsay Walsh. Kat is just the typical average high school student who isn't really popular and likes to spend alot of time alone, While Lindsay on the other hand is the teen queen who rules the school under her feet. But the thing that brings them closer together is that they're both extremely talented in the school's play with both of them having lead roles. And as Lindsay develops feelings for this average joe, Kat has a bigger secret that's killing him and that only his close friend Carma knows.
The suspense in this book really digs in deep sometimes. At some points I wish I could go into the pages and scream at Kat or Lindsay to make the right choices, but then again that's what makes the book more exciting to keep on reading to the end. I wish I could say more about the characters and their challenges but who ever wants to know will just have to read this amazing story to find out!
The author did an almost perfect job of displaying the types of kids in high school through the main character Kat Webster and Lindsay Walsh. Kat is just the typical average high school student who isn't really popular and likes to spend alot of time alone, While Lindsay on the other hand is the teen queen who rules the school under her feet. But the thing that brings them closer together is that they're both extremely talented in the school's play with both of them having lead roles. And as Lindsay develops feelings for this average joe, Kat has a bigger secret that's killing him and that only his close friend Carma knows.
The suspense in this book really digs in deep sometimes. At some points I wish I could go into the pages and scream at Kat or Lindsay to make the right choices, but then again that's what makes the book more exciting to keep on reading to the end. I wish I could say more about the characters and their challenges but who ever wants to know will just have to read this amazing story to find out!
March 22, 2008
At 134 pages this is a lightning quick read that you might say is single serving sized. It draws you in and progresses so quickly that before you know it you're finished with it.
The story centers on Kit a closeted high school gay boy who's crushing on an openly out gay boy a year or so his senior. Kit's been challenged by his best gal pal to audition for the school play and has landed the lead role. While Kit is discovering that he LOVES acting and has a natural talent for it, he's also being discovered by Lindsay the president of the school's drama club and resident drama queen/ice queen. She admires his talent and discovers that she might like to date a guy who actually listens to her for a change.
The narrative is split between the two of them and the conflict reaches its climax on opening night as one would expect. While the characterizations are both fair and more three dimensional than one would expect in such a short book, I felt that perhaps Lindsay should have gotten the last word. Finding out that a potential love interest has no interest in you is a tough thing to take and when it happens to a girl like Lindsay who's pretty much always been able to call her own shots, it can be a shocking blow.
Kit got his similar letdown earlier and even got a happy ending but poor Lindsay didn't get equal treatment.
The story centers on Kit a closeted high school gay boy who's crushing on an openly out gay boy a year or so his senior. Kit's been challenged by his best gal pal to audition for the school play and has landed the lead role. While Kit is discovering that he LOVES acting and has a natural talent for it, he's also being discovered by Lindsay the president of the school's drama club and resident drama queen/ice queen. She admires his talent and discovers that she might like to date a guy who actually listens to her for a change.
The narrative is split between the two of them and the conflict reaches its climax on opening night as one would expect. While the characterizations are both fair and more three dimensional than one would expect in such a short book, I felt that perhaps Lindsay should have gotten the last word. Finding out that a potential love interest has no interest in you is a tough thing to take and when it happens to a girl like Lindsay who's pretty much always been able to call her own shots, it can be a shocking blow.
Kit got his similar letdown earlier and even got a happy ending but poor Lindsay didn't get equal treatment.
August 5, 2009
This is different than any other book I've read. The story is told between two alternating points of view but the author doesn't make this known by a change of name. The reader knows once dialogue begins and as details are included. Also, I haven't read too many books that deal with GLBT; this book does.
The school is practicing to perform "Talk", I highly controversial play. Kit, a gay student who hasn't exactly made his sexuality know to anyone except his best friend, is cast as the lead male role and Lindsay, the most popular girl in school, is cast as the female lead. Lindsay begins to like Kit and faces opposition from her friends. When the school decides the play will not be performed on campus, the students and director have to figure out what they are going to do.
I recommend this book for high school boy or girl. It can go either way with the alternating points of view. The book deals with issues of acceptance, sexuality, and normal teen issues. I couldn't really see teaching this book based on storyline alone. It does have some language, but it is natural to the characters. The book really does a good job of depicting high school life.
The school is practicing to perform "Talk", I highly controversial play. Kit, a gay student who hasn't exactly made his sexuality know to anyone except his best friend, is cast as the lead male role and Lindsay, the most popular girl in school, is cast as the female lead. Lindsay begins to like Kit and faces opposition from her friends. When the school decides the play will not be performed on campus, the students and director have to figure out what they are going to do.
I recommend this book for high school boy or girl. It can go either way with the alternating points of view. The book deals with issues of acceptance, sexuality, and normal teen issues. I couldn't really see teaching this book based on storyline alone. It does have some language, but it is natural to the characters. The book really does a good job of depicting high school life.
February 11, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Gets a little real at some times, almost too real. It's a really sad book, and definitely made me think... I'm not sure what else to say about this book. But it's a really, really, good book.
April 25, 2010
This is a good book, but it may not stick with me for very long. The best character, Lindsay, also happens to be maddeningly egotistical and blind-to-the-world. It’s very easy to dislike her, but it would be nice to like a few of the good guys, such as Kit and Carma, a bit more. Homosexuality is a key issue in this story, and Koja presents a very clear and important message, but it would help if the storyline was as compelling, and maybe even as fun, as it is significant. The controversy over the production of a very mature high school play is well-established, but that brings up another problem. As a teacher, it was hard to feel much sympathy for teacher-director Mick. Most of the time he seems just like one more student. In fact, all the adults seem like exaggerated one-dimensional caricatures – less interesting versions of the teenagers, when the teenagers aren’t quite interesting enough to begin with.
February 11, 2016
This is a good book, but it may not stick with me for very long. The best character, Lindsay, also happens to be maddeningly egotistical and blind-to-the-world. It 19s very easy to dislike her, but it would be nice to like a few of the good guys, such as Kit and Carma, a bit more.
Homosexuality is a key issue in this story, and Koja presents a very clear and important message, but it would help if the storyline was as compelling, and maybe even as fun, as it is significant. The controversy over the production of a very mature high school play is well-established, but that brings up another problem. As a teacher, it was hard to feel much sympathy for teacher-director Mick. Most of the time he seems just like one more student. In fact, all the adults seem like exaggerated one-dimensional caricatures 13 less interesting versions of the teenagers, when the teenagers aren 19t quite interesting enough to begin with.
Homosexuality is a key issue in this story, and Koja presents a very clear and important message, but it would help if the storyline was as compelling, and maybe even as fun, as it is significant. The controversy over the production of a very mature high school play is well-established, but that brings up another problem. As a teacher, it was hard to feel much sympathy for teacher-director Mick. Most of the time he seems just like one more student. In fact, all the adults seem like exaggerated one-dimensional caricatures 13 less interesting versions of the teenagers, when the teenagers aren 19t quite interesting enough to begin with.
April 10, 2011
Finally! A readable stream of consciousness novel for teens! Wonderful, absolutely wonderful! This is one of those books that's going to stick with you.
Kit is a senior in high school, trying to figure out how to be true to himself without becoming the center of attention, negative attention. He knows he's gay...has known for as long as he can remember. Can everyone else tell? Lindsay, his co-lead in the controversial school play, obviously can't. She's been coming on to him since she dumped her jock boyfriend, Blake. Why can't she see? And what about Pablo? Kit's long-time crush, openly gay but dating a beautiful blond man.
Kit has to find his own way of openly being who he is and getting the lead in the schools controversial fall play, Talk, may be just the thing.
Kit is a senior in high school, trying to figure out how to be true to himself without becoming the center of attention, negative attention. He knows he's gay...has known for as long as he can remember. Can everyone else tell? Lindsay, his co-lead in the controversial school play, obviously can't. She's been coming on to him since she dumped her jock boyfriend, Blake. Why can't she see? And what about Pablo? Kit's long-time crush, openly gay but dating a beautiful blond man.
Kit has to find his own way of openly being who he is and getting the lead in the schools controversial fall play, Talk, may be just the thing.
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October 9, 2013Hot hip and happening - this thespian production at a high school pits Kit (as Reed) against Lindsey (as Lola). While they hardly know each other in the daily, "real" high school life, they talk a lot on stage. The play is all dialogue and as the two leads, they have a lot to say. So much that the town might not like - as it tries to ban the play. A lot that Lindsey and Kit might not like as they learn about each other and why they came to be in this play: Lindsey, fulfilling her dream of acting and getting one more play in before she finishes high school; Kit, hiding out from real life and all the pressures it holds - especially while he figures out how - or if - he'll come out to anyone else after coming out to his best friend Carma.
May 4, 2008
A short but poignant book (YA) that delved into issues about a high school boy who is gay and hasn't come out. It shows a lot of insight into the feelings and fears of letting others know about his sexuality in a high school setting. The students go to a private high school and they are putting on a play that the parents think is controversial and that ties into the story very well b/c through the book the young man finds his way "out" and the students find a private venue to act in the play away from the high school setting. So, the book itself is a lot about finding your way in situations that aren't always comfortable.
July 24, 2009
I can see how the way the book is written would throw someone off. I had to reread the opening a few times to understand the stream of consciousness writing, that went back and forth from Kit to Lindsay. This small book was able to convey an entire story about self acceptance and self-actualization in so few pages (134), it made me wonder why Rowling would need so many. I think there is an art in brevity. Also so many of the passages are so convincingly told. I was pleasantly surprised by this short read.
July 6, 2008
A decent coming out story for teens. I like the way it shows how difficult it is for the main character, Kit, to come out to his parents, even though he has good reasons to expect they'll be supportive. Alternates pov between Kit and Lindsay; they're the two leads in the school play. Unfortunately I couldn't get that interested in Lindsay, who is very self-centered and seems likely to remain so.
August 20, 2009
Very well written, perceptive, and psychologically astute, this novel defies the conventions of its genre but nevertheless makes its sharp and sympathetic points in a completely refreshing way. The novel's structure, although unconventional, is not at all difficult: in fact, it perfectly conveys the emotional roller-coaster that is high school. Original, inventive and touching, the story of Kit, Carma, and Lindsay is far above the usual YA fare.
November 27, 2013
Koja, Kathe / Talk
Kit Webster is has just got the leading role in his high school’s production of a controversial play Talk. Although this is Kit’s first play, he is a natural, he fits right in. Lindsay Walsh, the female lead immediately sees something different in Kit and wants to get to know him better, but Kit is interested in another student, Pablo. The students rally to put the play on, in spite of its controversial nature, and in doing so learn something about themselves.
Kit Webster is has just got the leading role in his high school’s production of a controversial play Talk. Although this is Kit’s first play, he is a natural, he fits right in. Lindsay Walsh, the female lead immediately sees something different in Kit and wants to get to know him better, but Kit is interested in another student, Pablo. The students rally to put the play on, in spite of its controversial nature, and in doing so learn something about themselves.
July 22, 2008
Short novel about young teen boy who is cast in his first high school play and turns out to be really good at acting. Play causes controversy in school community and group has to find another location to perform. All of this is backdrop for crush he has on another boy and his decision-making about whether to come out to his family and friends. Short but really good.
November 1, 2016
It's about a boy who is gay but hasn't told many people. This girl that he does plays with has very big feelings for. There is writing on a wall that says Kit+me. No one knows who write it and they are trying to figure out who did. He later finds out it was a guy who had been hanging out with him and his friend.
March 20, 2008
I found this book a fun read, and one that I connected to because of my background in theatre. The protag. auditions for his first school play, the controversial 'Talk', and gets the lead role. His opposite lead may have a crush on him, but he is into boys. Very compelling.
September 18, 2010
I came across this book while cleaning up yeasterday and remembered how I really liked it. Details have become fuzzy over the years but it was a well-written story about a closted boy acting in a controversial play and standing up for free-speech and himself. Very D.E.B - like.
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October 21, 2010Hoping to escape from himself for awhile, Kit auditions for a controversial school play and discovers his talent for acting, struggles with coming out, and both he and his costar face crises in their view of themselves and in their close relationships. Told from two points of view.
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