‘David Inside Out’ book a lovable, inspiring tale of coming of age

As a writer, I get most of my inspiration from fellow authors.

For me to fully enjoy a book, however, the story must be wonderful and the story must make me feel either a single emotion, or a mixture of many. And this is the reason why I’m picky with my reading choices.

But one story has stood out among the rest. So much so that I checked it out at least once a month every year I was in high school before finally purchasing “David Inside Out” by Lee Bantle for myself.

I have never felt such a connection to a writer, to a character or to a book.

The story focuses on a 16-year-old boy, David Dahlgren. As he reaches age 16 he becomes torn when he starts having feelings for one of his male classmates and goes through an emotional roller coaster trying to come to terms with his sexuality.

First of all, Bantle definitely knows how to voice a 16-year-old boy. He is one of the most annoying, irresponsible, disrespectful and rude characters I have ever read about in my life, and I love that.

A character must have a story, and they must grow with it through conflict, which is exactly what happens with David. He is wonderfully constructed from that annoying character to a lovable guy who grows as a person.

David hides his sexuality by dating a girl and forcing himself to not have thoughts of him potentially being gay, even though he knows he is. But during the middle of the book, he has a secret affair with his crush, who is basically toying with him.

It’s absolutely perfect how he transitions to the accepting, self-defensive and caring boy toward the end, because that is exactly how a character should develop.

David’s love life is heartbreaking and during some moments I wanted to punch him and tell him to get over his crush, but then I sympathized with him when I realized that he had no other person he felt he could trust. His hormones get the better of him and he enters into a severely abusive relationship.

The story itself is wonderful. It is a typical high school story, but at the same time, it isn’t.

It’s typical in a sense that there is a teenage boy going through a tough time and wants to come to terms with himself. But being that it focuses on his sexuality, it changes the aspect, since there aren’t too many mainstream stories that deal with homosexuality.

“David Inside Out” has put me through a world of pain, happiness and sadness, and that all on its own declared it a win, and it is now my all-time favorite book.