264:, into which they pour their life stories. As the story begins, John wonders what it would be like to meet one of his favorite zine writers, Marisol. From her personal biography, she describes herself as a "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Lesbian." John meets Marisol at a magazine rack on a Saturday when he asks her for coffee. Over time they start to spend more time together and she teaches him the ways of the zine writer. After Marisol tells John that she likes him, he is very surprised. No one had ever told him that they liked him, and he falls in love with her. Marisol doesn't know how to let him down, without losing her new best friend. Throughout the story, John and Marisol try to keep their friendship intact through writing zines together.
292:: John is a 16-year-old boy, immune to emotion, partly because his father cares more about himself than John, and his mother is very emotionally distant due to his supposed resemblance to the aforementioned absentee father, who divorced six years ago. Quiet, reserved and intellectual, John is different from most of the boys in his high school because he isn't attracted to girls or boys. His best (and only) friend's name is Brian, who is very different from him. In his spare time, John likes to write zines about his life, including his parents' divorce.
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parents about their relationships, so he does. John writes letters to his mother and father, mails his father's to him, leaves his mother's on the pillow, and heads to the bus station to meet with
Marisol. One long bus ride later, they arrive at the conference surrounded by cabins and writers. John sees one of his favorite writers, Dianna Tree. As the weekend passes, Dianna and John develop a relationship while Marisol is off partying. Dianna sings a song for John called "Hard Love."
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308:: Brian is John's best friend, though they are both very different. Brian is interested in girls and is awkward around them. He ends up dating a girl named Emily, a freshman he meets while trying to make his existence known to Violet Neville, a girl he has been obsessed with for over six years but who he eventually turns from after finding she is rather shallow.
302:. She is a reserved person and doesn't like people to get too close to her; by choice, she has only a few close friends, notably Birdie, her close confidante and homosexual friend, and John. She writes 'Escape Velocity', a zine which John likes very much and which inspires their meeting. A surprising friendship develops between her and John.
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The pressure from John's friends to attend the prom lead him to ask
Marisol, who is aware that John only wants to go as friends. At the prom, she is confused at John's desire to parade his heterosexuality to his friends. When John tries to kiss her, Marisol refuses. She yells at him, announcing that
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After the convention ends, Marisol plans to go live in New York with her friends, Jane, Sarah, and B.J. John is completely taken aback by
Marisol's plans. He tries to talk to her before she leaves but, running short on time, she hurries away. John is left to sort through his relationship with his
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Regretting his actions, John assumes he will never see
Marisol again. To his surprise, Marisol calls him and she does not seem mad. She asks him to a zine conference on the shore of Cape Cod, next to the Bluefish Wharf Inn. Marisol tells him that this is the chance to express his feelings to his
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While John is spending time with his divorced father, he starts to ask questions about Al, the man his mother is marrying. John gets angry and throws a tantrum. Seemingly childish, the outburst becomes a topic for his writing, which he asks
Marisol to read, instead of discarding it as he usually
314:: She was left by John's dad and is very lonely afterward. She usually sits in the dark and lets John do most anything. Dating Al changed her perspective on men. She doesn't show any love and affection towards John anymore since the divorce.
372:"somewhat overdramatized" but "The awkwardness of awakening sexuality, a growing preoccupation with identity, and crossing the line from friendship to more are all themes here with which teens will readily identify."
332:: A self-centered man who doesn't care about anyone else's feelings but his, he takes John on the weekends. He left John's mom because he would have rather lived in the city than in a small town.
338:: Marisol’s mother is an accepting woman for the most part, but is still in denial at times about her daughter’s sexual preference; she joins gay friendly clubs in her community to cover it up.
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would have. As the two friends share more about their lives, John begins to think about his own sexuality. He believes he might be straight, perhaps because he develops feelings for
Marisol.
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Michigan
Library Association Thumbs Up Award for Young Adult Novels, 2000
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Nominated: Maryland
Library Association Black-Eyed Susan Award, 2001–02
320:: She is a writer who likes John romantically though he doesn't notice.
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Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book, 1999
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New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list, 2000 and 2001
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Nominated: Eliot Rosewater (Indiana) High School Book Award, 2001
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Finalist: Evergreen (Washington) Young Adult Book Award, 2002
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she is strictly lesbian, and that she thought he understood.
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International Reading Association Young Adult Choice, 2001
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Pennsylvania School Librarian’s Association list, 2001–02
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Pennsylvania School Librarian’s Association list, 2001–02
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Nominated: Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award, 2003-04
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Nominated: Missouri Gateway Reader's Choice Award, 2001
451:'s 100 Best of the Best for the 21st Century, 1994–2003
326:: He is John's stepfather and respects John as a man.
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280:parents and finish his last year of high school.
457:Nominated: Rhode Island Teen Book Award, 2001
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554:"Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books"
260:, meet through their interests in writing
226:Children and Young Adult Literature portal
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
445:Popular Paperback for Young Adults, 2002
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596:- An interview with Ellen Wittlinger.
552:American Library Association (2010).
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312:Anne Van Esterhausen (John's mother)
47:adding citations to reliable sources
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431:Quick Pick for Young Adults, 2000
330:John Gallardi Sr. (John's father)
438:Best Book for Young Adults, 2000
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630:LGBT-related young adult novels
34:needs additional citations for
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579:"Ellen Wittlinger: Hard Love"
16:1999 book by Ellen Wittlinger
248:. It was published in 1999.
615:American young adult novels
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503:www.publishersweekly.com
133:Original paperback cover
413:Printz Award Honor Book
392:School Library Journal
380:School Library Journal
58:"Hard Love" novel
407:Lambda Literary Award
388:Editor's Choice, 1999
209:Love & Lies
620:American LGBT novels
610:1999 American novels
533:: 416. June 11, 2000
525:"Telling Teen Tales"
400:Starred Review, 2000
394:Starred Review, 2000
43:improve this article
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581:. 31 October 2023.
244:written by author
625:1990s LGBT novels
488:Wittlinger, p. 56
382:Best Book of 1999
366:Publishers Weekly
290:John Gallardi Jr.
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41:Please help
36:verification
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505:. PWxyz LLC
499:"Hard Love"
239:young adult
604:Categories
564:2011-02-03
537:August 20,
477:References
284:Characters
122:Hard Love
69:newspapers
370:Hard Love
234:Hard Love
200:AudioBook
196:Paperback
99:June 2015
398:Booklist
386:Booklist
252:Synopsis
149:Language
409:, 2000
258:lesbian
194:Print (
153:English
83:scholar
509:8 July
415:, 2000
368:found
354:Birdie
352:, and
139:Author
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449:YALSA
443:YALSA
436:YALSA
429:YALSA
346:Sarah
318:Diana
306:Brian
262:zines
242:novel
237:is a
159:Genre
90:JSTOR
76:books
539:2021
511:2015
342:Jane
175:1999
62:news
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