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apostrophen's review
4.0
I was lucky enough to meet [a:Bridget Birdsall|4684295|Bridget Birdsall|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] this past week at the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival - we were on a YA panel together, alongside [a:Jeffrey Ricker|4022611|Jeffrey Ricker|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1413754729p2/4022611.jpg] and [a:Greg Herren|231967|Greg Herren|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1310010283p2/231967.jpg]. I try to do my homework, and read books by authors when I'm going to be speaking with them, and I'm so glad I got pegged for the YA panel - not only was it a fantastic panel, it meant I bumped into this book.
On the basis of character alone, this book was worthwhile. Alyx is the first intersex teen I've ever read, and that she has such a genuine voice is a credit to Birdsall's effort. Alyx is facing a struggle I can only begin to imagine: upon reaching puberty, Alyx, who has been living as a boy (thanks to her parents, mostly her late father) despite her protestations that she is a girl, begins to stick out even more than she already did. When her transgender nature is exposed, the bullying drives her to a new town in a new state for a fresh start.
This time, Alyx is going to be who she knows she is - a girl. That she is a girl with ambiguous genitalia is only part of her struggle - she continues to feel like a freak (even moreso than a typical teen), wishes she could have the surgery she so desperately wants, but is stymied for another two years before she can do so - though she begins the hormone treatments she needs to even out her puberty. She joins the basketball team, and is soon a star athlete. She worries about boys. She worries about how girls act. Basically, she's a teen.
Of course, small towns aren't good places to keep secrets. This was one of the only criticisms I can put forth about the book - Alyx is a smart girl. She's clever, knows what's at stake, and is given information early on about another character that she should really have prepared for. Instead, the big bad moment sneaks up on her and her family and it jarred me a bit out of the narrative to have Alyx seem to actively lose her way for a bit. It speaks to the strength of her characterization otherwise that it bothered me, and soon Alyx is back on track.
That small issue aside, I loved the adults in this book as well - they are not perfect, but Alyx does have the support and love of the adults in her life (even if they don't quite "get" her). That was a refreshing change from Queer YA that can sometimes get bogged down in the "everyone is against me" tone. This is not to say that tone is unrealistic, but it can feel as relentless as real life, and sometimes you just want the kid in the story to catch a break with their family. Alyx has a great family, and there's no pulled punches in the reality of how much that means to her.
Ultimately, this is a hopeful book, and I'm glad to have read it.
On the basis of character alone, this book was worthwhile. Alyx is the first intersex teen I've ever read, and that she has such a genuine voice is a credit to Birdsall's effort. Alyx is facing a struggle I can only begin to imagine: upon reaching puberty, Alyx, who has been living as a boy (thanks to her parents, mostly her late father) despite her protestations that she is a girl, begins to stick out even more than she already did. When her transgender nature is exposed, the bullying drives her to a new town in a new state for a fresh start.
This time, Alyx is going to be who she knows she is - a girl. That she is a girl with ambiguous genitalia is only part of her struggle - she continues to feel like a freak (even moreso than a typical teen), wishes she could have the surgery she so desperately wants, but is stymied for another two years before she can do so - though she begins the hormone treatments she needs to even out her puberty. She joins the basketball team, and is soon a star athlete. She worries about boys. She worries about how girls act. Basically, she's a teen.
Of course, small towns aren't good places to keep secrets. This was one of the only criticisms I can put forth about the book - Alyx is a smart girl. She's clever, knows what's at stake, and is given information early on about another character that she should really have prepared for. Instead, the big bad moment sneaks up on her and her family and it jarred me a bit out of the narrative to have Alyx seem to actively lose her way for a bit. It speaks to the strength of her characterization otherwise that it bothered me, and soon Alyx is back on track.
That small issue aside, I loved the adults in this book as well - they are not perfect, but Alyx does have the support and love of the adults in her life (even if they don't quite "get" her). That was a refreshing change from Queer YA that can sometimes get bogged down in the "everyone is against me" tone. This is not to say that tone is unrealistic, but it can feel as relentless as real life, and sometimes you just want the kid in the story to catch a break with their family. Alyx has a great family, and there's no pulled punches in the reality of how much that means to her.
Ultimately, this is a hopeful book, and I'm glad to have read it.
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