The Realm of Possibility
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4.1 • 27 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
This collection of linked poems from David Levithan, the author of the New York Times bestseller Every Day and the groundbreaking classic Boy Meets Boy and the co-author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with John Green), will introduce you to a world of unforgettable and emotionally resonant voices.
Here’s what I know about the realm of possibility—
it is always expanding, it is never what you think
it is. Everything around us was once deemed
impossible. From the airplane overhead to
the phones in our pockets to the choir girl
putting her arm around the metalhead.
As hard as it is for us to see sometimes, we all exist
within the realm of possibility. Most of the limits
are of our own world’s devising. And yet,
every day we each do so many things
that were once impossible to us.
Enter The Realm of Possibility and meet a boy whose girlfriend is in love with Holden Caulfield; a girl who loves the boy who wears all black; a boy with the perfect body; and a girl who writes love songs for a girl she can’t have.
These are just a few of the captivating characters readers will get to know in this intensely heartfelt new novel about those ever-changing moments of love and heartbreak that go hand-in-hand with high school. David Levithan plumbs the depths of teenage emotion to create an amazing array of voices that readers won’t forget. So, enter their lives and prepare to welcome the realm of possibility open to us all. Love, joy, and these stories will linger.
A MARGARET A. EDWARDS AWARD WINNER
AN ALA TOP TEN BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS
A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOK FOR THE TEEN AGE
“Luminous . . . each voice sings with hope, humor and possibility.” —Time Out New York Kids
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Through a series of poems, Levithan (Boy Meets Boy) introduces readers to a group of friends and acquaintances, including a gay couple celebrating their one-year anniversary, a girl whose mother is dying and an outsider who fills his notebook with "ink explosions of thought." His characters represent a diverse range of sexuality, race and social standing, and most struggle with love relationships, from a boy who wants to help his anorexic girlfriend, to a girl with an unrequited crush on a straight friend. The author experiments with different voices and styles (one series unfolds in song lyrics); some of these poems work better than others. An energetic verse, "Gospel," from a black choir girl who feels bullies "/ to a kindness they would never/ understand" to help the aforementioned white outsider, reads as authentic and thought-provoking, while an alphabetical poem about a break-up, constrained by its form, grows tedious. Readers may have trouble tracking all of the characters and the various connections between them, but they will find clever lines and inspiring ideas in many of the poems here ("Most of the limits/ are of our own world's devising"). Ultimately, that is what makes this ambitious project a realm worth exploring. Ages 12-up.
Customer Reviews
Indescribably Amazing.
There are few words to describe this book accurately, but I'll try. The first time I picked up this book, I read it just to read, and I got little out of it.. However, when I read it again, truly read it, I was amazed. How did such a short book of poetry (for the majority of it flows like poetry) pack so much meaning, emotion, startling revealings? Some chapters were like a blow to the face, some were bittersweet melodies, some were completely sweet revels, and some, you just wanted to get over with. Despite that, the amazing far outweighs the average.
Every chapter tells a different perspective, and while it could be a tad overwhelming for some, it is much better handled than expected (Levithan uses 20 different perspectives). The beauty of the perspective placements, is that every chapter reveals something different. With one chapter, you have a view of a certain character that could be completely destroyed with the next.
Every character has a certain level of depth. There are some characters that are very rounded, and some that are shallow, but none are explicitly shallow, and most or all are very enjoyable to read about.
I very much hope the book is as amazing and enlightening to you as it was to me, and that it is a satisfying, fabulous read. ;) Happy reading.