John Goode (1)

Final Q&A with Haley:
Well, unfortunately our schedule did not allow us to complete this read in as timely a manner as we would have hoped. But after a review of our updates we offer the following Q&A. Similar to Tales of Foster High, I have compiled the following list of questions (this time with the assistance of Paul Monroe) and left Haley to respond to these in her own words. These are unedited responses. *Please note…some of these questions and responses are spoilerish…beware!*

For those of you new to The Haley Experiment...Haley is my 14 year old daughter. We are making our way through this unbelievable series together.
Question 1: While this ends with quite a difficult outcome, I was surprised by how much humor there was in this book. What were some of your favorite scenes and why? Response: One of my favorite scenes with a lot of humor was when we first meet Robbie. I mean I was dying in the car laughing. He’s hilarious. I also loved when Brad joined the D & D group. That was so nerdy, funny, and cute. Question 2: We were introduced to some new characters and got more on some characters that previously we did not know as well. Who was your favorite character aside from Brad and Kyle and why? Response: It was probably Jennifer. She was so nice and understanding. I loved how they started a new friend group and she was always there to help. Question 3: If you were in Jennifer’s shoes, could you forgive Brad for lying to you all this time and even try to become friends with him? Response: I think I would. There are different circumstances where I would be mad at the guy. Like, for example, if the guy cheated on another girl, I definitely wouldn’t be okay about that. This is something totally different. I imagine it is really hard for Brad to “come out” while in the most popular group, so I would definitely forgive him. Question 4: Were you surprised about all the different rules in the bible and how people like to misinterpret / only use the passages to their advantage? Response: I was very surprised, but some people interpret some of these religious things different than other people. I don’t think it’s okay, but people have different opinions. I wish we all thought of it the same way, but that’s just not how it works. Question 5: What are your thoughts on Jeremy? Response: UGH!!! He makes me mad. I know that Kelly was mean to Jeremy, but that doesn’t mean you should post something like that. It’s just not right. Big X on Jeremy! Question 6: Have you observed bullying towards a fellow gay or straight student before? How would you react to such hatred? Response: I have never experienced it in real life, but I have experienced it on Glee (THE BEST SHOW EVA!!!). I would definitely try to do something about it because it’s not okay. Question 7: Did you ever think Kelly might kill himself reading the book? What was your reaction? Response: I definitely thought once it was out that he was gay he may try to commit suicide, but after Kyle and him became friends I thought he would have changed his mind. I was very shocked and sad because he had people there who were trying to help. Question 8: Did reading the Foster High Series so far change your POV on gay teenagers/people? Response: It did. I realized that it’s really hard for gay teenagers to come out. I have theater friends who I think are gay, but they don’t say it. I realized that it’s probably really hard to state that fact to friends. Question 9: Have you recommended this book to any of your friends (gay or straight)? Response: I haven’t actually. I feel like it would be a great book for some of my friends though (gay and straight.) Question 10: What was your favorite scene between Kyle and Brad? Response: Definitely when they were thinking about having sex but they just talked. I thought that was an amazing interaction between the both of them. And finally…the Author’s Note…any final thoughts for John? Response: I was very surprised that John considered suicide but thought the entire note was so great. Love for John’s personal God…Thor. J Great, great book! I love you John!!!


Refer to our updates below for our journey through this amazing book. ****

My original review, from August 2014:

This book continues on the emotional and heartfelt journey of Brad and Kyle. These boys are just altogether wonderful and not only beautiful on the outside but equally so on the inside. And John Goode's visual images could not be more perfect.

Brad


Kyle


While the beauty of their love is an important aspect of the book, I completely loved the relationships they shared with several other characters. Jennifer, in particular, absolutely shined for me in this.

“But I can see when he smiles at you how much he loves you. The first time I saw it, I sat there and thought to myself, ‘Oh, that’s real emotion. Why didn’t I see that before?’ It was like seeing a whole other person.”

She became such an accepting force based on the love she saw expressed between these two people. How could anyone be denied such love??

Gayle was an absolute rock star!!

"This diner is a place couples have come and eaten since before most of you were born. I have never once stopped a couple from stealing a kiss now and then, and I am not going to start now."

This book is painstakingly accurate to the point that honestly this could be a work of non-fiction. While there may be no actual Brad and Kyle in this small town in Texas, there are still Brads and Kyles all over this world experiencing similar issues. JG has brought forth situations and instances of cruelty and hatred that have happened and continue to happen. “Straight Camps” exist and even The Texas Republican Party (like other places in this world) have endorsed so called “reparative therapy” for gays…supporting psychological treatments that seek to turn gay people straight. What??? This is so wrong on so many levels. Sending your child off to cure them instead of loving and accepting them as the beautiful person God made them to be, is just so hard for me to understand. How cruelty and hatred mixed with quoting scripture can even be put in the same context, when Jesus himself was a loving compassionate person to all…he died for all of us. While there are still many areas in this country (and in this world) who will continue to see homosexuality as a plague and a sin, I have to believe that we are making great strides towards acceptance. There however will always be that person, that place or that belief that homosexuality is wrong. Hell, there are places in the south where the KKK still exists and yet we have a black president. No one could have imagined that to happen even 20 years ago, and yet it has happened. Baby steps. I just hope and pray that love will prevail and that kids get the support they need to live life free to love who they choose and find their own super hero/personal God to get them through another day. The future is brighter.



I will close with one of my favorite passages...

"My sorrow was now mixed with absolute and complete awe of the guy in front of me. There was Wayne's World "I am not worthy" and then there was actual truth that the person you are with is so out of your league, that every day with them is a fucking gift from God.""… (lisätietoja)