I first heard about this at the NJLA meeting last May and it has been on my TBR list since then. The audio book passed my desk a couple of weeks ago and I decided to dive in - and what a treat. First let me say that I love books that are told in alternating narratives - one chapter Will Grayson and the next chapter OWG (other Will Grayson). And while the characters in the books were all WAY smarter and self aware than I ever was in high school (and if I am being honest college) it never made them unlikable or not believable. Read this book, you won't be disappointed.
Amazon Best Books of the Month, April 2010: What's in a name? A pretty fantastic book idea, for starters. At heart, Will Grayson, Will Grayson is about a couple of kids figuring out how to be themselves. Two of those kids happen to have the same name, and not much in common outside of that, but their serendipitous friendship sets the stage for a much larger, braver, and more candid story than the simplicity of the plot might suggest. The relevance for teens here is clear--high school is the only time in your life when you have the undivided opportunity to obsess over your every move, sentence, and outfit change--but the part about understanding who you are doesn't stop when you graduate. That's what makes Will Grayson, Will Grayson as interesting a pick for adults as it is for teens: the questions don't get simpler, but looking at them through the eyes of a 16-year-old brings a welcome sense of honesty and humor to this thing called life. No one's ever too old to enjoy that. --Anne Bartholomew
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