Reviews with content warning for Deadnaming - Obie Is Man Enough

Obie is 13, Korean American, and trans. He is a competitive swimmer and this story follows him through his exploration of identity. This is a BEAUTIFUL story... Obie has some amazing supportive folks in his life who help him through some very traumatic moments. That being said... check trigger warnings!

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gabriellelow's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This was such a beautiful story and I definitely cried reading it. Obie's journey of accepting all facets of his identity was executed so well and I think the biggest strength of this book was having the perspective be from a middle schooler. Transgender athletes, specifically swimming, has been in the news a lot lately and so much of it has been negative, so giving a voice to a younger generation of athletes who are also transgender was amazing.

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margaret_rose_reads123's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

Obie is Man Enough is a phenomenal and important story of a trans athlete, competing in the boys division for the first time. It is obviously emotional and I went from sobbing to laughing out loud, and everywhere in between. The story of friendships, relationships, and belonging really touched me. Also, it’s set in Boston, and I thought it was captured well for the setting!!!

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robinks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-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? No

5.0

This was such a beautiful story about growing up, becoming more confident in yourself, and finding your people, through all the messy complications of human relationships. It was also so heartwarming to see supportive family, friends, and community.

I loved seeing Obie being on a team doing something he loves, turning to his older brother for advice, staying connected to his family culture, and going on dates - all things that teens experience. His essay for the contest was also so beautifully written, so I’m glad we got to read it.

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siriface's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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aspring's review against another edition

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if it’s the second time i’m dnfing the book. it’s probably not a me thing.

i couldn’t get passed the ridiculous use of slurs every page, and unnecessary deadnaming. there are ways to make the points you want to make without ostracising your transgender audience. it is painful and a gut punch everytime you see someone treated that way, especially a child. and especially when there are ways to do it that aren’t so graphic (it’s not the word i’m looking for but it’s the only one i’ve got)

this book tries to teach good lessons but i think the intentions were a lot more well done than the book itself. i don’t know what child id recommend this book to, why would anyone want their reading experience to be filled with abuse? especially young transgender kids. this book is definitely more for the cisgender community to take as a lesson i think.

i’m definitely in the minority on this opinion so idk keep your options open

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