Two Boys Kissing

Craig and Harry kiss to bring awareness to the hate crime against Tariq. However, there are other motivations behind the kiss, and the kiss eventually symbolizes different things to different characters. Pick three characters and describe what the kiss symbolizes to them.

Pick two characters and compare the events of their lives over the three days featured in the book. How are their experiences similar? How do they differ?

What role do parents play in the lives and development of the characters in Two Boys Kissing? Highlight how the parents’ different choices directly affect the characters’ outcomes.

Walt Whitman’s poem “We Two Boys Together Clinging” recurs in this book, often recited by the characters. What is the significance of this poem?

Compare and contrast Cooper being outed to Craig being outed. How are their families’ reactions similar? How are their reactions different? How does Craig’s support system differ from Cooper’s?

Levithan based Two Boys Kissing on the real-life record-breaking kiss between two college students in 2010. Using examples, highlight how Levithan uses the real-life experiences of queer people to inform the experiences of the characters in his book.

The record-breaking kiss is the novel’s central event. Using at least three examples from the text, explain how the other characters’ stories parallel Craig’s and Harry’s experiences during the kiss.

Tariq survives a hate crime, inspiring Craig to attempt the world record for longest continuous kiss. How does Levithan present anti-gay bias in the book? Describe how anti-gay bias affects the lives of the characters, their families, and their community.