One Voice (Two Boys Kissing)

Two Boys Kissing

By David Livithan

I love audio books as a companion to the books I’m reading. I love being able to walk to the subway station or walk anywhere for that matter, and still be able to continue my book. I don’t even have to go anywhere, I can sit at home creating cover art, or formatting paperbacks and ebooks and the book continues, as I continue. I listen and imagine it’s a yesteryear radio show, it’s all good.

That said, I’m not a big fan of being emotionally wrecked by a book. Slings and arrows—yadda-yadda-yadda—seriously who even likes that. Well, maybe I do a little, though all my false-start attempts at reading All American Boys, will argue the contrary.

Unlike Reynolds’ book, Levithan doesn’t give you a false sense of security towards total annihilation. No. He starts with the evisceration and builds on it. This chorus of shadows, the spirit-burden of today and tomorrow carries a weight of sorrow.

Death is something we can all, unfortunately, relate to. But it is the meaningless senseless death of the countless who fell victim to AIDS while the rest of us drowned in the social construct of platitudes, which included some variation of the omnipotent will. It was the bull-s— we suffer through while waiting for Godot. Paranoia running rampant in me I always had the lingering thought the virus had a sanctioned manufactured intent.

Levithan’s book didn’t feed my paranoia, but fed my soul and left me emotionally wrecked. Emulating in homage Levithan’s narrative voice, all I can say is we are one voice. We can substitute it with a multitude, but we are there — just the one voice. And every time we celebrate or remember our ghettoized little corner of the world (height, weight, color, gender, religion or sexuality), we are one voice joining an untold number of voices and we must be heard.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:

—William Shakespeare

Listening to an audio book is sometimes something I do for the delusional belief it will provide an emotional cushion. But much like Armie Hammer reading Call Me By Your Name, or Willem Dafoe reading The Langoliers, Levithan’s reading Two Boys Kissing was unexpected and amazing. More than once I was surprised to feel the tears sliding down by cheek. Mercifully, unlike All American Boys, the foreboding sense of fear found me later in this book, with Avery and Ryan, and yes with Cooper.

Yes, it is one voice, but the numbers grow exponentially. My gender and my ethnicity tell me equality is still not equal. But tomorrow might reveal a chorus and not of the tragic variety. And those of us that came before when height, weight, color, gender, religion or sexuality merited the indignities of slings and arrows, we will bear witness to something new. Read this book for the gutting and read between the crevices because there is hope in those words, in that voice.