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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I super industrial sized heart the fact that this book exists, has a somewhat mainstream audience and won awards. I laud and celebrate the
While I liked the characters, I disliked/was irritated by the voice. Sometimes it was spot on, but often it grated on me. I appreciated the basic bits in the back, and I will for sure put this in my library.
Liz/Gabe is a biological female, gendered male who is obsessed with music. This is the story of the very beginning of his transition while still living in his small town. It was an ok book, but I felt it may have been on the ALA list simply for the subject matter rather then the excellent story line. I've read other books that I felt handled this issue in a more realistic way. Overall, it would be a helpful book for any teen looking for a book with a transgender protagonist.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
was recommended this book 10 years ago by a librarian at seattle pride. it's a bit outdated but it's sweet. reminds me of how i think and feel about music
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Violence
An adorable novel for young adults. The protagonist is perhaps 17 or 18 years old (sorry, I'm not so sure about the ages people in the US go to different grades and schools) Gabe, a trans man. His dream is to be a DJ and he has his own show in the local radio every Friday night. This book made me want to listen to music, I might just try to find a playlist for Spotify of the songs mentioned in this book when I get home. Gender is, in my opinion, well constructed and written in the novel, we don't see Gabe at his most vulnerable, figuring out his gender identity or coming out to his parents or his best friend, but we do see the consequences of coming out to a larger audience. I found the characters quite well constructed, they had more than one dimension. Some of the plot twists, mostly financial ones, were a bit too much in my opinion, but they are small things in the larger picture this novel offers.
A good read, I liked it very much. A feel-good novel, I think, although it does have some quite dark themes, too. I just got the feeling that the book had to end well, and I trusted my gut and remained positive even though bad things happened to the characters. Perhaps feel-good is a bit too much, it makes the novel sound too light. It is light enough, but not unrealistically so. I would definitely recommend this novel to my hypothetical 15-year-old.
Shelved as "opiskelut" because I'm thinking about analyzing this novel in my Bachelor's thesis. We'll see.
First read: 25/07/2014.
A good read, I liked it very much. A feel-good novel, I think, although it does have some quite dark themes, too. I just got the feeling that the book had to end well, and I trusted my gut and remained positive even though bad things happened to the characters. Perhaps feel-good is a bit too much, it makes the novel sound too light. It is light enough, but not unrealistically so. I would definitely recommend this novel to my hypothetical 15-year-old.
Shelved as "opiskelut" because I'm thinking about analyzing this novel in my Bachelor's thesis. We'll see.
First read: 25/07/2014.
This is a fast little read about a high school senior who is transitioning from being Liz to being Gabe. What was the most interesting to me was some of the smaller details about the day to day hassles and very real pains that the character lived as he was becoming himself. Also included was a very thoughtful author's note about sex, gender and culture.
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children drew me in with a fantastic title and gorgeous cover, plus I’m a big sucker for LGBT+ books. I wanted to like this book. I really wanted to like it, but in the end the writing was just too poor to pass go. The writing was childish, the emotions were thin and flimsy at best, and all of the characters were incredibly stereotypical. This book was the first of its kind and received a lot of praise for bravery and honesty and I can appreciate that, but I think that this is one of those subjects that is going to have to be written about with more depth than this. While I felt for Gabe and the problems he faced, they all seemed very predictable. I didn’t like the way the book ended and or how the book breezed by some transgender issues that need to be discussed more than dating and appearance. I had high hopes for this and in the end I was let down by the childlike and surface level writing.
Pros: Transgender lead
Cons: Predictable, poorly written, surface level, difficult to connect to main character
Triggers: Bullying, abuse
Rating: ⅖
Pros: Transgender lead
Cons: Predictable, poorly written, surface level, difficult to connect to main character
Triggers: Bullying, abuse
Rating: ⅖
As a music hound, this book spoke so much to me, and to the person I was in high school. I already look forward to reading it again.
As a librarian, I am beyond thrilled not only to have such a beautiful novel with a transgendered protagonist, but that this book has also spoken deeply to my students who have read it and has really pushed them to think outside the parameters of their experiences so far.
As a librarian, I am beyond thrilled not only to have such a beautiful novel with a transgendered protagonist, but that this book has also spoken deeply to my students who have read it and has really pushed them to think outside the parameters of their experiences so far.