Wherefore Art Thou Romeo? Well, He Doesn't Have To Be

"Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet has defined tragic young love for centuries: Boy and girl from feuding families fall in love. Boy slays the girl's cousin for killing his friend in a duel. Girl swallows a sleeping potion. Boy thinks she's dead. Boy swallows poison. Girl wakes, sees boy dead, and stabs herself. They're both really dead. Families mourn and reconcile."

"But what if it didn't have to be that way? In his new Romeo and/or Juliet, author and cartoonist Ryan North has set up the story so a reader can make choices in the plot— veeeeeery different choices than Shakespeare's 'star cross'd lovers.' North tells NPR's Scott Simon he calls it a chooseable path book, "meaning the reader is in charge of what happens. So you'll reach many points in the story where the book will say, okay, you're playing as Juliet, now, if you want Juliet to kiss Romeo, turn to this page, but if you want Juliet to slap him across the face, go to this page instead."