Two Boys Kissing

Why does Levithan compare the story of Craig’s and Harry’s record-breaking kiss to the experiences of the queer people who died during the HIV/AIDS crisis?

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?