Doing It by Melvin Burgess

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4Q 3P S

Burgess, Melvin. Doing it. Square Fish, 2012 (reprint). 352 pages. $9.99. 978-0-312551353.

This angsty, humorous novel follows the romantic happenings of best friends Dino, Jon, and Ben; as they discover what they do and do not want in their respective relationships.  Dino, gorgeous, popular, and conceited, constantly pressures Jackie into having sex she isn't ready for. Jon has difficulty coming to terms with his attraction to overweight Deborah, which makes him a target for ridicule among his friends.  Ben has been harboring a secret for the last few years: his relationship with their teacher, Miss Young, who becomes steadily more unhinged as the story progresses.

While the sexual content itself is abundantly obvious, the copious amounts of British slang may cause confusion for American audiences, making familiarity with foreign vocabulary somewhat essential to fully understand the text.  Still, given the nature of the text, curious teens will likely continue on, in spite of the unfamiliar word choices, and laugh throughout the book.  However, given its raunchy subject matter, professionals may be wary of recommending this Burgess novel, and teens themselves will be secretive while seeking it.