Product Description

Star quarterback Bobby Framingham, one of the most talented high school football players in California, knows he’s different from his teammates. They’re like brothers, but they don’t know one essential thing: Bobby is gay. Can he still be one of the guys and be honest about who he is? When he’s outed against his will by a student reporter, Bobby must find a way to earn back his teammates’ trust and accept that his path to success might be more public, and more difficult, than he’d hoped. An affecting novel about identity that also delivers great sportswriting.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #103044 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780525479963
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up—Senior quarterback Bobby Framingham is gay and tired of keeping it a secret. He confides in a close friend who promises not to tell, and then does. Suddenly Bobby is in the spotlight, and raw emotions come into play. His best girl friend is hurt and disgusted. His coach insists that he's not really gay. His teammates' reactions range from supportive to freaked out to furious. In the meantime, his father undergoes treatment for cancer, and the football team comes together to prepare for a championship game. The sports-action sequences are well drawn and engaging, and the bond among teammates is strong. Character interactions are believable and often surprising, and Bobby is a likable narrator. A few repetitive scenes are a small price to pay for a thought-provoking, funny, and ultimately uplifting story of self-actualization that masterfully defies stereotypes about both coming out and team sports.—Megan Honig, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Bobby Framingham is one of the top high-school quarterback prospects in California. He’s troubled, though, by his growing realization that he is gay—not easy in the homophobic world of school sports. He confides in his coach, a teacher, and a few friends before he is outed by an unscrupulous reporter for the school newspaper. This sets off a firestorm of national media attention, which Bobby faces bravely. At the same time, he also comes to terms with his father’s cancer, and he meets a young man, whom he starts to date. At the end, Bobby finds acceptance at home, at school, and with his friends. Most of the elements in this story, told in Bobby’s authentic first-person voice, ring true, from Bobby’s initial struggle with his sexual identity to the sometimes hostile reaction of his teammates. Bobby's father’s illness adds an unnecessary element of melodrama, but this is a minor quibble with a thoughtful, powerful novel. Grades 9-12. --Todd Morning

Review
...a thought-provoking, funny, and ultimately uplifting story of self-actualization that masterfully defies stereotypes about both coming out and team sports. -- School Library Journal

Customer Reviews

Great book!
Wow! What a great book. OK, so quick synopsis...closeted gay football star makes tentative steps toward coming out only to be outted far quicker than he intended; throw in family, friends and recruiters and you've got yourself a novel! Every scene is well illustrated; the book is uplifting without being trite. So easily with gay/coming out fiction it can all get a bit preachy, but Bill K, does an amazing job of being both believable and surprising. The characters seem natural and well developed.

All Heart, All Action, Pure Genious
Memorable. A keepsake of fiction, a work of heart, expertly weaving together unforgettable action from the football field with the innermost fears and dreads and joys of teen life, teamwork and love. A coming-of-age, coming-out story like no other. Powerful and unstereotypical characters, rivoting dialogue, great twists, good laughs... and plenty of tears. Economical, masterful narrative down to each chapter, paragraph and sentence. A curious blend of sweetness and suspense sure to earn a cherished place in the hearts of teens, families... and anyone who savors the struggles and lessons of life lived to its full potential! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

One of the most realistic gay coming-of-age novels I've read
"Out of the Pocket" is one of the most realistic gay coming-of-age novels I've read. There's no extravagance, no hyperbole, no over-the-top emotions, no stereotypes. This is a tale that rings true on every page. And probably even truer than I know since I'm not a sports fan (there are a lot of details about high school athletics and the game of football; the author is an Associated Press sportswriter--and a gay one, at that). The lead, Bobby Framingham, a high school senior football stud, is eminently likable, and his emotional hand-wringing about being gay and coming out is compelling. Being outed adds a tremendous layer of tension to the story, forcing Bobby to have to come to terms with who he is and how it may affect his future. He is surrounded by a supporting cast of well-drawn characters; his close friends on the team are very real, as are their reactions to the news their close friend and teammate is gay. And I appreciate, only in the sense of storytelling, that not everyone is happy with Bobby's announcement--this is authentic, as opposed to some gay coming-of-age tales where everything comes up roses. Speaking of which, the end of the tale does not tie everything up neatly, another nod to real life. My only complaint about the book is that I wish the budding relationship between Bobby and his unexpected boyfriend Bryan was developed a bit more. What there is of their relationship in the book is fantastic. Bill Konigsberg is a wonderful writer with a clear knack for realism. I hope he can put down his sports-writing pen again to make more contributions to gay fiction.