| Book Contents |
|
| Eight Seconds |
| Jean Ferris |
| Harcourt Inc. |
| 186 pages |
| Copyright 2000 |
| MCMLS Call No. YA F – Fer |
| Library
Catalog Summary: Eighteen- year old John must confront his own
sexuality when he goes to rodeo school and finds himself strangely
attracted to an older boy who is smart, tough, complicated, gorgeous,
and gay. |
|
| Library Catalog Subjects: |
| Homosexuality – Fiction |
| Prejudices – Fiction |
| Rodeos - Fiction |
|
| From the Book Cover |
| Rodeo
camp is a tough way to spend a summer, but John is having the time of
his life. No clingy girlfriends, no nagging mom, no annoying sisters.
Just him and the guys and the biggest bulls he’s ever seen. All he has
to do is stay on a bull for eight seconds. It may feel like an eternity
to his aching body, but for once John feels in control of his own fate. |
| Then
he learns his new rodeo buddy Kit is gay. Shaken by the news, he tries
to deal with the other guys’ reactions and his own self-doubts.
Suddenly, riding a bull seems easy... |
|
| From GLBTRT |
| A
17 year-old boy who has attributed his sense of “being different” to
successful heart surgery he had as a young child comes to realize that,
in fact, his sexual identity is not as straight as he had assumed. With
setting and motifs drawn from rodeo experiences, the resolution of this
novel may feel less than positive for young readers who are no further
in their self-acceptance than the protagonist. Straight teens and
adults who have lived beyond the period of life at the cusp of
self-realization will, however, find this to be a more positive story. |
|
| Summary and Excerpts |
| -
John, and Kit meet at rodeo school. John is immediately attracted to
Kit and they become close friends. When John finds out Kit is gay, he
begins to question his attraction to Kit and if his own feelings of
“being different” may indicate that he is gay also. |
| p.39 - Poor little yellow-assed cowbaby, can’t even fight your own battles. Need a pretty boyfriend to watch out for you. |
| p.51 - I
was very conscious of him next to me, his arm braced on the top rail. I
realized that I knew exactly what that arm looked like, even though I
couldn’t see it in the dark, from looking at it so much during the day.
The space between his turned-back cuff and the edge of his glove was
ribbed with muscles that stood out sharply as he held on to the bull
rope. I glanced down at this arm and then quickly away...He turned
toward me in the dark, and I could see the pale oval of his face, his
blond hair brightened by starlight...I met his eyes for an instant
before I looked away... |
| p.63 - ...I
knew I was learning a different kind of friendship with Kit, a deeper
sort, one I hadn’t had before with anyone else. There was a daring
feeling of doing that, a sense of stepping into unexplored territory
where something totally unexpected and new could happen. ...I felt as
if we shared a secret bond that I couldn’t put into words... |
|
| - Kit talks with John about his homosexuality. |
| p.112 - I
like a lot of the same things you do...I want work I love. I want...to
find a partner for my life. I want to have friends and good times...The
absolutely last thing I ever want to do is come on to a straight guy,
so that won’t be a problem if I can help it. Do you think I should have
to hang out just with other gay guys? ...I’ve know since I was
seven...I knew something was different about me that early, and when
puberty...set in, it just got clearer. Not everybody figures it out
that soon, though. |
| p.112-113 - ...now
my parents know. And my sister, too. She’s cool with it...no, my
parents aren’t thrilled...they wanted me to get counseling, which my
sister told them was a waste of time. Now they just don’t’ mention
it...I just knew I couldn’t keep hiding such a central part of myself.
It made me feel wrong, and that made me feel ashamed. I didn’t want to
feel like that anymore. |
| p.113 - Some...hate
me, some would like to hurt me, and some might even want to kill me...A
few of them have said some ugly things to me...I have to bear it...I
don’t know why this is so hard for other people. It has nothing to do
with them; just with me. |
|
| - John reflects on his conversation with Kit and questions his sexuality. |
| p.114 - ...I
still liked Kit. He was cool and strong and interesting, and I wanted
his friendship...I wondered what people would think about me if we were
friends. Would they assume I was gay...assume Kit and I were getting it
on? Was gayness catching? Did the fact that I could remember exactly
what Kit looked like when he got out of the shower mean I’d already
caught it? What about the fact that I thought about him more than I’d
ever thought about Bobby, my best friend? Or Kelsey [John’s
girlfriend], for that matter? |
|
| - Clemmie, John’s six-year-old sister, is immediately infatuated with Kit. |
| p.135 - How
come you’re so good with kids? [John asks Kit.] ...I’m good at flirting
with six-year-olds...But it’s something I’ve got to be careful
about...There’ll always be people who think guys like me...that we’re
predators or something...The idea that someone could think Kit would do
that was disgusting. |
| p.136 - I
have to be careful...and most careful around little boys. But I don’t
think it’s a good idea for me to be alone with Clemmie. Then, there’s
no way anybody can think...well, you know...Why can’t I just have my
life? What’s so unreasonable about wanting that? |
