Hard Love

Infobox Book
name = Hard Love
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Original paperback cover of "Hard Love".
author = Ellen Wittlinger
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Young adult novel
publisher =
pub_date = 1999
mediatype = Print (Paperback) & AudioBook
pages =
isbn =
preceded_by =
followed_by = Love & Lies (Ellen Wittlinger)

"Hard Love" is an award-winning young adult novel written by author Ellen Wittlinger. It was published in 1999.

Plot introduction

John, untouchable since his parents' divorce six years ago, and Marisol, who's recently come out as a lesbian, meet through their interests in writing zines, personal homemade magazines into which they pour their life stories.

Characters

;John Gallardi Jr.John is a 16 year old boy, immune to emotion, partly because his father cares more about himself than John, and his mother is very emotionally distant due to his supposed resemblance to the aforementioned absentee father, who divorced 6 years ago. Quiet, reserved and intellectual, John is different from most of the boys in his high school due to the fact that he isn't attracted to girls or boys. His best (and only) friend's name is Brian, who is very different from him. In his spare time, John likes to write zines and write about his parents divorce and all the stuff happening in his life.

;Marisol GuzmanMarisol is a lesbian who has accepted herself for what she is. She is short and wears what would be describes as gothic attire (black nailpolish, black clothes) etc. She is a reserved person and doesn't like people to get too close to her; by choice, she has only a few close friends, notably Birdie, her close confidante and homosexual friend, and John. She writes 'Escape Velocity', a zine which John likes very much and which leads to a meeting between them. A surprising friendship develops between her and John.

;BrianBrian is Johns best friend, however they are both very different. Brian is already into girls and is awkward around them. He ends up dating a girl named Emily, a freshman he meets while trying to make his existence known to Violet Neville, a girl he has been obsessed with for over 6 years but who he eventually turns from after finding she is rather shallow.

Critical acclaim

*Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book, 1999
*School Library Journal Best Book of 1999
*Booklist Editor's Choice, 1999
*School Library Journal Starred Review, 2000
*Booklist Starred Review, 2000
*Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up Award for Young Adult Novels, 2000
*Lambda Literary Award, 2000
*Printz Award Honor Book, 2000
*New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list, 2000 and 2001
*International Reading Association Young Adult Choice, 2001
*Pennsylvania School Librarian’s Association list, 2001-02
*A YALSA Quick Pick for Young Adults, 2000
*A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, 2000
*A YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults, 2002
*YALSA's 100 Best of the Best for the 21st Century, 1994-2003