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bickie's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully done. Significant challenges encountered by Obie as he transitions before 6th grade. There is a lot going on in this book - competitive swimming, first romantic relationship (7th grade), cruel bullying (both of Obie and of his previously best friend Lucy). New friendships are formed, old ones changed. The reactions of the school principal and teacher-mentor Mrs. Salmani (Persian-American) to bullying at school are unwaveringly firm. Obie's family and new swim team and coach are also completely supportive. There is even a point where a side character provides the kind of little-but-huge detail support that means the world to Obie - .
Some of this feels a bit more aspirational than realistic, and since it's fiction, I am glad for it. It shows a model of how things could be (less the vile bullying) rather than reinforcing other models as "normal." The support Obie receives should be normal and expected by all.
Trans kids considering reading this should definitely read the content warnings at the beginning of the book. If they have not experienced this kind of violent hate - or even if they have - they might not want to read about it. It is intense. At the same time, the hate is primarily perpetrated by the previous swim coach and his son, one of Obie's previously best friends, and the rest of the characters are generally overwhelmingly supportive, reinforcing messages to Obie that 1) he doesn't owe anyone any explanations or information and 2) any problems people have with Obie are their problems, not Obie's.
Cis kids, teachers, parents, and any others who wish to have more models of what trans allyship looks like will get a lot out of this book.
Be sure to read the author's note to both cis and trans readers at the end, and look at the resources he provides. They are excellent.
CW: Physical assault requiring stitches (includes hospital scene), verbal bullying including the f*g word (and an explanation at one point about the meaning of the word and how it got to be a slur - pretty chilling) and slut-shaming, deadnaming, outing, transphobia, homophobia, death of parent/grandparent, brief story of war violence (Korea), fear of divorce...
One of Obie's grandparents "escaped" from Germany during WW2, but she also has a Bible. That story is not explored. Obie's other grandmother walked from Pyongyang to Seoul during the Korean war after having lived under Japanese occupation for her whole life before that. She is devoutly Catholic.
Spoiler
the owner of a deli where Obie has been going pretty much is whole life talks about how he has known Obie since "he was a little boy"Some of this feels a bit more aspirational than realistic, and since it's fiction, I am glad for it. It shows a model of how things could be (less the vile bullying) rather than reinforcing other models as "normal." The support Obie receives should be normal and expected by all.
Trans kids considering reading this should definitely read the content warnings at the beginning of the book. If they have not experienced this kind of violent hate - or even if they have - they might not want to read about it. It is intense. At the same time, the hate is primarily perpetrated by the previous swim coach and his son, one of Obie's previously best friends, and the rest of the characters are generally overwhelmingly supportive, reinforcing messages to Obie that 1) he doesn't owe anyone any explanations or information and 2) any problems people have with Obie are their problems, not Obie's.
Cis kids, teachers, parents, and any others who wish to have more models of what trans allyship looks like will get a lot out of this book.
Be sure to read the author's note to both cis and trans readers at the end, and look at the resources he provides. They are excellent.
CW: Physical assault requiring stitches (includes hospital scene), verbal bullying including the f*g word (and an explanation at one point about the meaning of the word and how it got to be a slur - pretty chilling) and slut-shaming, deadnaming, outing, transphobia, homophobia, death of parent/grandparent, brief story of war violence (Korea), fear of divorce...
One of Obie's grandparents "escaped" from Germany during WW2, but she also has a Bible. That story is not explored. Obie's other grandmother walked from Pyongyang to Seoul during the Korean war after having lived under Japanese occupation for her whole life before that. She is devoutly Catholic.
ximajs's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
3.75
I feel like the main character and his peers often spoke a bit too much like adults, which made it hard to imagine them as 13-15 year-olds. It also seemed like everything worked for him, which felt very optimistic, but in the end I'm glad there wasn't a perfect resolution to everything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Bullying, and Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexism
ninakeller's review against another edition
5.0
I follow the author on social media, and was excited to read this YA book representing a transgender kid with a human, complex identity. The character development and story are strong and there is so much opportunity for any young person to relate to the events, analyze theme, and learn about being an upstander and a confident and fully realized version of oneself.
dominicangirl's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
alittleoverdue's review against another edition
5.0
The beautiful cover first drew me to this book and the description intrigued me. While I can think of a handful of middle grade books that deal with transgender, I'm hard-pressed to think of another fiction book for tweens that specifically features a transgender man. This is a fictional account of a middle school student, Obie, adjusting to a new school and swim team living as a transgender male, Based on the author's own experience as a champion mixed-race swimmer (and the first recorded transgender NCAA athlete to compete as a man)., the book heartbreakingly explores the obstacles facing trans folks, from bullying to body image to emotional adjustments, on top of the other challenges of growing up. (Trigger warning for intense bullying and anti-trans discrimination and violence).
I devoured this story, simultaneously feeling deeply moved and reaching new understandings. I wish the characters had been more nuanced, though I realize some of this was a conscious choice. While the author is quick to note that Obie's experience of receiving loving support from family, friends, coaches, and classmates is not the reality for most, by depicting supportive characters the novel offers models for caring and helpful behavior for allies. The story provides a window for understanding the intersections of race, culture, and gender identity, and offers numerous resources for further reading. Obie's deeply moving story has stayed with me in the weeks since I've read it, and I'm excited to recommend this important read to parents, educators, and kids.
*Thanks to NetGalley for a free e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review*
I devoured this story, simultaneously feeling deeply moved and reaching new understandings. I wish the characters had been more nuanced, though I realize some of this was a conscious choice. While the author is quick to note that Obie's experience of receiving loving support from family, friends, coaches, and classmates is not the reality for most, by depicting supportive characters the novel offers models for caring and helpful behavior for allies. The story provides a window for understanding the intersections of race, culture, and gender identity, and offers numerous resources for further reading. Obie's deeply moving story has stayed with me in the weeks since I've read it, and I'm excited to recommend this important read to parents, educators, and kids.
*Thanks to NetGalley for a free e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review*
queenmegzz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
carolineinthelibrary's review against another edition
4.0
I have so many feelings about this book. I think the ending is uplifting and the story is SO important. I love that Obie has such a supportive family and group of friends, as well as teachers and coaches.
I struggled with how graphic and difficult some of the homophobia and transphobia was. Obviously as a cisgender woman, I can’t truly know the experiences of trans folks, especially young trans people, but as a family member of two beautiful, wonderful trans folks, I don’t know that I’d recommend this to them without a major trigger/content warning. Trans people see so much real life hate and violence around them and this book isn’t an escape from that. Not that all books need to be an escape, but I don’t know if trans folks reading this book would feel more seen or more hurt by some of the things Obie has to endure.
As far as the writing, I’ll be excited to read other works by Schuyler Bailar because as a debut novel and one very personal to him, I thought at times the writing was a little disorganized. I think this is so close to Bailar’s heart and own experiences, we get a little lost sometimes. I also was surprised by how much cursing was in the book. I have the mouth of a trucker and have since I was in high school, and obviously I know middle schoolers can have foul mouths too, but this book falls in the middle grade/juvenile category and I worry some folks would get caught up on the language and not appreciate the message of the book.
Overall, a very important read, but one I’d be cautious to recommend, especially to young folks learning about their own identity.
I struggled with how graphic and difficult some of the homophobia and transphobia was. Obviously as a cisgender woman, I can’t truly know the experiences of trans folks, especially young trans people, but as a family member of two beautiful, wonderful trans folks, I don’t know that I’d recommend this to them without a major trigger/content warning. Trans people see so much real life hate and violence around them and this book isn’t an escape from that. Not that all books need to be an escape, but I don’t know if trans folks reading this book would feel more seen or more hurt by some of the things Obie has to endure.
As far as the writing, I’ll be excited to read other works by Schuyler Bailar because as a debut novel and one very personal to him, I thought at times the writing was a little disorganized. I think this is so close to Bailar’s heart and own experiences, we get a little lost sometimes. I also was surprised by how much cursing was in the book. I have the mouth of a trucker and have since I was in high school, and obviously I know middle schoolers can have foul mouths too, but this book falls in the middle grade/juvenile category and I worry some folks would get caught up on the language and not appreciate the message of the book.
Overall, a very important read, but one I’d be cautious to recommend, especially to young folks learning about their own identity.
destinylmw's review against another edition
4.0
I spent so long trying to get a copy of this book and it was so worth it. I loved this and I definitely recommend it. I asked my library to buy a copy!
trking's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia