14 Ways to Dance

When I began reading Kathy Stinson's "101 Ways to Dance", I didn't know it was a collection of short stories.  I was pleasantly surprised.  In general, I really like short stories.  You can get into a story right away if it's good or stop reading right away if it's bad without making a big commitment.  It's like a goldfish.  Whether it's good or it's bad, it'll all be over soon and there's plenty more where that came from. 

The thing I noticed about the book (besides the cover, which I don't want to see.  It made taking out the book particularly embarrassing because I'm a grown man and I'm taking out a book with a zoomed in picture of a young teen girl's butt.  Who decided this was the best picture for the book cover?  Were the publishers hoping teen boys would pick up the book due solely to hormones?  At least the pants aren't super tight or I don't think I could have walked to the check-out with it) was that

Ack!  Why is this in my face?

the book is both very politically correct and edgy at the same time, without ever crossing the line.  It is politically correct because it makes sure to include all types of teen sexuality, guy and girl, guy and guy, girl and girl, sick kids in hospital, developmentally disabled teens, and teen pregnancy.  There's obviously nothing wrong with including all these different types of sexuality, it just seems to me like maybe Kathy was maybe trying to please everyone.  Perhaps she did it so that everyone could relate to at least one of the stories and teens would know that they're not alone in their situation.  It's hard to guess an author's motivation, but I hope it was for the latter reason.  I'd hate to think that a book about something as personal as sexuality was influenced by something as impersonal as politics.  It probably wasn't.

At the same time some of the stories themselves are edgy, especially the story about the first-cousins that are into each other, grabbing each other and whatnot.  That story kind of grossed me out because I thought of my cousins and...eww.  Not cool.  There was one other story I thought was edgy because it actually described a sexual act, although in a non-explicit way.  All the other stories either breeze past the sex or the sex never happens or the sex was in the past.  This one story, where a...pleasuring, we'll call it, occurs, really stands out from the rest.  I don't know why Kathy chose to describe a sexual act only in this one story.  I thought that was kind of strange.

There is a sweetness and lightness to most of the stories, especially the one about the teens in the hospital.  This is mostly a book about stirrings that are felt, but not fully realized.  The beginnings of adult sexuality are what is written about, and, although some of the teens are already having sex, I got the feeling like none of them were fully in control yet.  They are still journeying toward sexual maturity.  Reflecting on it now, that obviously makes for a good teen read.  Not all the stories are suitable for children and would not be of interest to adults.  Fits the niche of teen stories nicely.