Out of the Pocket in Queereaders

Aug 17, 2009 Thomas rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, realistic-fiction, lgbtq

All-American star quarterback Bobby Framingham should enjoy his senior year of high school. He has a talented team to back him up, a weird yet funny best friend, and two relatively normal parents. But he also owns a secret no one knows about: he's gay. When his sexuality comes into the limelight, Bobby risks losing everything he's worked so hard for - the support of his teammates, a chance to play college football, and his relationship with his family. Now he must navigate the risky waters of be All-American star quarterback Bobby Framingham should enjoy his senior year of high school. He has a talented team to back him up, a weird yet funny best friend, and two relatively normal parents. But he also owns a secret no one knows about: he's gay. When his sexuality comes into the limelight, Bobby risks losing everything he's worked so hard for - the support of his teammates, a chance to play college football, and his relationship with his family. Now he must navigate the risky waters of being the only openly gay football player in the country, or drown in the process.

Bill Konigsberg delivers a straightforward and more than satisfying story about an outed high school player in Out of the Pocket. Unlike a few other YA books I've read recently, he doesn't try to take on too much. He sticks to Bobby's struggle to recognize his homosexuality in the face of his community. This focus on one major plot point allows him to develop Bobby and his relationships with all of the other characters: his best friends Austin and Carrie, his parents, his coach, his teammates, and his love interest. Because the novel hones in on Bobby's internal and external struggle in regard to his now publicized sexuality, Konigsberg does a wonderful job of making all the characters' interactions realistic. Whether it was the homophobia of some of his teammates, his mother's initial shock, or some of his friends' immediate acceptance, all of the reactions felt truthful and well-written.

Bobby's voice came across as genuine too. He's not some amazing "I'm going to rescue the world with my sexuality" teenager, but he also shows a good amount of depth through his anger at being outed, his appreciation of those who support him, and his general outlook on life. I hesitate to say that this book will appeal to guys - only because that might make it sound exclusive to girls - but I believe that males will appreciate this book and its strong, honest protagonist. Kudos to Konigsberg for creating a great character arc within Bobby and for making the book compelling without resorting to melodrama or mawkishness.

Konigsberg is an author to watch. His second novel which was released a few years after this one, Openly Straight, highlights his growth as an author and exemplifies his dedication to crafting stories that combine gay characters and sports. Highly recommended for fans of YA realistic fiction, stories with LGBTQ characters, or anyone searching for a quick and enjoyable read overall. ...more

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Dec 30, 2008 Jennifer Wardrip rated it liked it

Shelves: read-by-other-reviewers, trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by coollibrarianchick for TeensReadToo.com

In the locker room, the word fag is tossed around jokingly between teammates. What they do not realize is that among them is someone struggling to accept that he is different, that he is gay.

It is one thing being gay - it is totally another thing playing a testosterone-driven sport, being the star quarterback, and being gay.

Bobby Framingham, star quarterback, who dreams of playing for Stanford, is an all around good guy; handsome, popular and Reviewed by coollibrarianchick for TeensReadToo.com

In the locker room, the word fag is tossed around jokingly between teammates. What they do not realize is that among them is someone struggling to accept that he is different, that he is gay.

It is one thing being gay - it is totally another thing playing a testosterone-driven sport, being the star quarterback, and being gay.

Bobby Framingham, star quarterback, who dreams of playing for Stanford, is an all around good guy; handsome, popular and gay. No one knows yet and he is not ready to tell anyone, either. Bobby realizes that there are a lot of issues and angles that need to be worked out before coming out. There is a matter of family, friends, teammates, and, of course, Carrie, the girl who is his best friend and who wants more than he can give.

There is one problem, an over-zealous student reporter that would love to do a story on him coming out - and who outs him sooner than what Bobby wishes. As if being a teenager isn't hard enough, how is an outed star athlete going to handle such public exposure?

As to date, while there are many famous gay people in the arts, there are no openly gay people playing football, baseball, or basketball. Two people admitted to be being gay but it was long after their retirement. So many reasons to keep quiet - fear of being cut, hostile locker rooms, loss of fans. However, the world is changing and our sports culture needs to change, too.

Hopefully, we will see more young gay athletes challenge homophobic views held by others on who should be involved in sports. One line in the book that stands out is "being homophobic is just as bad as being racist."

OUT OF THE POCKET is a good coming-of-age story with an honest and realistic portrayal of all of the character's reactions. I think that it would make a good addition to GLBTQ collections in both public and school libraries, as it is truly a great example of finding yourself no matter what your sexual orientation/experiences may be.

You will find yourself rooting for Bobby just as I did.

...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Josh rated it really liked it

Shelves: children-young-adult, sports-outdoors-adventure, gay-lesbian, read-in-2011

When I was growing up, I don't believe there were any young adult fiction books dealing with being gay or lesbian. It's so wonderful to see that in the year 2011, this issue has been remedied by a slew of novels that now sit prominently next to The Hunger Games and Harry Potter series. I also really appreciate the topics these books are attempting to tackle. This nicely written book is told from the viewpoint of Bobby Framingham, a senior quarterback dealing with being gay and outed unwillingly ...more

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Dec 11, 2009 Kassa rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars

Out of the Pocket won the Lamba Literary Award in 2009 for the Young Adult category and I can easily see why. This touching coming of age story is about a popular high school quarterback that is outed as gay against his will and he struggles to find his balance after this action. In the end Bobby not only accepts his sexuality and makes a positive impact but he has a lot of support and a hopeful, if uncertain, future. The great writing offers a glimpse back into glory days of high schoo 4.5 stars

Out of the Pocket won the Lamba Literary Award in 2009 for the Young Adult category and I can easily see why. This touching coming of age story is about a popular high school quarterback that is outed as gay against his will and he struggles to find his balance after this action. In the end Bobby not only accepts his sexuality and makes a positive impact but he has a lot of support and a hopeful, if uncertain, future. The great writing offers a glimpse back into glory days of high school sports set against the more modern climate of acceptance.

Bobby Framingham is the talented star quarterback of his high school team. Now in his senior year, he’s looking forward to college and a life in football. His goals are pretty simple, he wants to go to Stanford and play college ball. He’s good friends with his teammates and has supportive, interested parents and a quirky best friend that everyone takes to be his girlfriend. Although his life isn’t perfect, he’s pretty happy. Yet Bobby struggles with wanting to expose his secret that he’s gay. He finds himself obsessing over the fact there are no openly gay male athletes and wants to share his secret with his best friend. However once he does, this starts a slow avalanche with consequences he never considered.

The story follows Bobby as he knows he’s gay and desperately wanting to talk to someone about it. A key difference in this story to others is that Bobby doesn’t get to make the choice of coming out or staying in the closet. He’s outed against his will and is forced to confront the ramifications. He’s on his way to telling his parents and his closest friends, slowly working his way there but the sudden announcement forces the issue. This is both good and bad as the great character in Bobby tries to understand why he’s suddenly seen as different and some dislike him. He sees himself as the same guy he always was and really struggles to understand the negative reactions of others. Yet at the same time, Bobby is given mostly a positive response.

The overwhelming support Bobby gets is both good and bad. There are some dissenters but overall this is mild as there is a distracting side plot that happens at the same time to help explain the mostly positive acceptance. The storyline of Bobby’s sick father is distracting and unnecessary, giving a reason for friends, family, and others to be more accepting of Bobby since he’s dealing with so much. I wish the story instead had been more honest about the range of emotions and reactions Bobby would deal with. In the end, his sexuality is an issue and sets him apart even when he doesn’t want to be. There are subtle comments that always label Bobby as a gay athlete instead of just an athlete. The writing does a great job in always keeping this dichotomy in mind and showing readers how such a simple thing can change someone’s life.

The writing also evokes high school memories with numerous football scenes. These are from practice, games, and scrimmages and the author is not afraid to revel in the images and scenes. These remind me of classic high school, the kind with a winning football team that is adored and respected for their ability. There are a lot of football scenes, perhaps too many that go on for extended times but this also helps deepen the descriptive quality and fully set the scene of a close knit community with a lot of expectation. Bobby as the narrator also is fully immersed in the football community and wants to make his living in the NFL; perhaps he’ll do this or not as the story is left with a hopeful ending and no future predictions.

The story is engaging and compelling, one you don’t want to put down and can’t wait to find out what happens. Bobby is a fabulous character in a cast of well written, quirky people that represent a lot of different stereotypes but manage to transcend most of them. The story itself is a positive one and definitely worth reading. The message is clear without needing to preach or lecture but simply letting Bobby’s reactions strike a poignant cord with readers. Although a young adult story, this is really one for all ages and definitely a must read. ...more

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Nov 14, 2013 Dolphe rated it it was amazing

When I first began Bill Konigsberg’s “Out of the Pocket”, I must admit I was not impressed. It initially seemed stilted and out of focus. That impression was short lived as the author – himself a sports writer -- takes the reader into the main character’s world of high school football. Here, the story truly opens up and finds its heart and, more importantly, its soul. Anyone who has found himself on a cold, hard bench experiencing the emotional connection to a favored team’s wins and losses will ...more

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