''Sexy'' is a novel by

Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and non-fiction. Her novels '' Bla ...

. First published in 2005, it is her fourth book written for young adults. The book's themes of

pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty a ...

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

, and

pre-marital sex Premarital sex is sexual activity which is practiced by people before they are married. Premarital sex is considered a sin by a number of religions and also considered a moral issue which is taboo in many cultures. Since the Sexual Revolution ...

, as well as its adult language, have caused it to be the source of attempts to ban the book from school libraries.

Plot summary

''Sexy'' follows the character of Darren Flynn, a sixteen-year-old high school student and swim club member that questions his own sense of self and sexuality. He's attractive but shy, gets average grades, and constantly worries about not meeting others' expectations.'' On one rainy night after a training session, Darren's friend leaves early, leaving him without a ride. His teacher, Mr. Tracy, offers to drive him home. Darren is wary of the man, who's gay but in the closet, but he reluctantly gives in. Nothing really happens on the ride home, but Darren still leaves shaken up. Shortly after, Mr. Tracy catches one of Darren's swim team members plagiarizing, gives him a bad grade, and causes that member to be thrown off the team. This prompts that member to start a rumor as revenge, and several other students start to anonymously accuse the teacher of hitting on boys; it ruins the teacher's life. Darren does not participate in making accusations but is now torn between is moral objections and his fear of being thought of in the same light.

Reception

Critical reception for ''Sexy'' has been positive, with ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' calling the book "a sympathetic portrait of a young man devoid of adult guidance". '' Bookpage'' and ''Teenreads'' both gave positive reviews, with ''Teenreads'' praising the book's themes. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' wrote: "Rather than delineating the lines between right and wrong, truth and falsehood, Oates uses the uncertain teen's viewpoint to mine the gray area, inviting readers to draw their own conclusions about the events."Children's Reviews: Sexy
Publishers Weekly

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sexy (Novel) 2005 American novels American young adult novels Novels by Joyce Carol Oates HarperCollins books