Jacket illustration by Mark Whiting

Albie could feel Stephanie approaching him from behind. Her hot breath was on his neck. His body was turning. Now they were face to face. She ran her tongue across her upper lip. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck. Fiercely, violently, she pulled him toward her and kissed him deeply on the mouth. He could feel her pressing against him. His blood was pumping through his veins. He was lost. He was hers.

"Cut!" said Mr. Pierce. "That will be enough."

Stephanie broke away from Albie and smiled pleasantly. "Hope I didn't asphyxiate you," she said. Then she returned to her seat.

Albie was alone in the center of the stage. He was still breathing hard.

"Cross your legs," Mitch suggested.

THE METHOD

Harcourt • (hc) 1990 • (pb) 1996
(hc) ISBN 0-15-200528-5 • (OSI)
(pb) ISBN 0-15-201260-5 • $6.00
Ages 12 and up

Included in Best Books for Senior High Readers (R.R. Bowker, 1991)

Nominated for the Young Adult Library Services Association 1997 Popular Paperbacks List, Lesbian/​Gay Tales

Booklist, August 1990
Albie's one of the select few chosen for the school's intensive summer drama group—but at 15 he's well over six feet tall, and he feels like a thin geek when he's trying to play Hamlet on stage or engaging in his first hot, bumbling encounters with girls. . . . Albie's a funny protagonist, both innocent and mean, as he copes with friendship, love, lust, and failure.

School Library Journal, June 1990
In this coming-of-age novel, Walker presents a new twist. His main characters are excellent students who are dedicated to acting. Albie is a believable teen; he has all the normal problems and temptations of his age group: drinking, petting, parent pressures, peer problems. He must learn to deal with friends and adults who are not what they seem and accept them for what they are. His problems with girls are especially on target. . . . Walker's style and characterization will appeal to readers.

The Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 1990
It's not always easy to find sympathy for Albie—like many 15-year-olds, he brings trouble on himself with a blend of insensitivity and awkwardness—but he is a believable character who manages to learn from his painfully realistic mistakes....A pungent, unsentimental picture of an immature but talented boy at a pivotal time.

Selected Works

American History / Photography
REMEMBER LITTLE ROCK: The Time, the People, the Stories
The 1957 desegregation crisis at Little Rock Central High School, told through eyewitness accounts and contemporary photographs.
REMEMBER THE ALAMO: Texians, Tejanos, and Mexicans Tell Their Stories
The story of the battle in the context of the Texas Revolution, told through eyewitness accounts and powerful historical images. Ages 10 and up.
REMEMBER LITTLE BIGHORN: Indians, Soldiers, and Scouts Tell Their Stories
The compelling story of the battle told though eyewitness accounts and striking historical images. Ages 10 and up.
TRUE TALES OF THE WILD WEST
Ten true stories of the American western experience written in an appealing narrative style. Ages 10-14.
THE SOUTHWEST: Gold, God, & Grandeur
Eleven thousand years of human history among the sun-baked deserts, canyons, rivers, and mountains of what is now the American Southwest.
*Narrative Nonfiction
THE FEUD THAT SPARKED THE RENAISSANCE: How Brunelleschi and Ghiberti Changed the Art World
The story of two brilliant artists whose lifelong conflict jumpstarted the Renaissance in Quattrocento Florence.
Educational Publishing
AMERICAN FOLKTALES series
Five folktale collections representing five regions of the United States
Biography
PRIDE OF PUERTO RICO The Life of Roberto Clemente
The inspiring story of a Hall of Famer who rose from poverty in Puerto Rico to set new standards of excellence and integrity on and off the field. Ages 8-12.

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