Doing It

Doing It follows three British teenage boys - Dino, Ben, and Jonathon - as they navigate relationships, sexuality, and growing up. Each character faces distinct challenges with romance and physical intimacy while dealing with peer pressure and self-doubt. The story alternates between the three main characters' perspectives as they pursue different romantic interests. Their experiences range from secret relationships to unrequited feelings, while they struggle to balance their desires with social expectations and personal fears. The novel addresses teenage sexuality and relationships with frank, unfiltered dialogue and realistic situations. Through its multiple viewpoints, it reveals the complex emotions, confusion, and vulnerability that accompany adolescent sexual awakening. The book sparked controversy upon release but gained recognition for its honest portrayal of teenage experiences and perspectives on sexuality. It raises questions about how society discusses these topics with young people and the gap between public conversation and private reality.

Reader reviews indicate this YA novel about teenage sexuality creates strong reactions. Many parents and educators express concerns about the graphic content and explicit language, with some calling for its removal from school libraries. Readers who rated it positively point to its honest portrayal of teen thoughts and experiences around sex. Multiple reviews note the authentic teen voices and raw humor. As one Goodreads reviewer states: "It captures how teens actually think and talk about sex, not how adults wish they would." Critics cite gratuitous sexual content, crude language, and problematic gender dynamics. Several reviews mention feeling uncomfortable with how female characters are portrayed. Ratings: Goodreads: 3.4/5 (2,100+ ratings) Amazon: 3.5/5 (40+ ratings) LibraryThing: 3.3/5 (150+ ratings) The book appears frequently on "challenged/banned books" lists, including the ALA's top 100 most frequently challenged books of 2000-2009.

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🔹 The book sparked significant controversy in the UK, with some libraries initially refusing to stock it, though it later became recognized as a groundbreaking work in honest teen literature. 🔹 Melvin Burgess was inspired to write the book after noticing that most YA literature avoided frank discussions about sexuality, despite it being a major concern for teenagers. 🔹 The Los Angeles Times Book Prize it won in 2004 was particularly significant as it was one of the first explicitly sexual YA novels to receive major literary recognition. 🔹 Before writing YA fiction, Burgess worked as a copywriter and didn't publish his first book until he was 43 years old. 🔹 The book's multiple-viewpoint narrative structure was revolutionary for its time (2003) in YA literature, helping establish this technique as a common approach in contemporary teen fiction.