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emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A wonderful and informative experience that dives deep into the lives that transgender children (and LGBTQ+ people in general) have to live.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Body shaming, Homophobia, Transphobia
Minor: Sexism, Sexual assault
I read this book very soon after I learned about what it means to be transgender. I found this book to be very eye opening. I think any teen who has a friend or relative who is transgender or are just curious about this topic, should read it.
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I am J falls into that "difficult to read" category that Freaks and Revelations falls into, particularly if you've never had those questions about your identity before.
J identifies as male, and has since he was young. Problem is, he's genetically female - naturally, this causes problems. He's not gay, or bi, just trans. Setting this in NYC means that J can experience the problems of being part of a Puerto Rican/Jewish household and attend a "normal" school where people like him are not welcome and find a kind of sanctuary in the school set up for students like him.
His "passing" becomes better and better, and by the end of the book you sense that he's at peace with himself; his friends and family take longer to get there. My guess is that in another setting this might not have been the case. It was also a little too convenient that his BFF, Melissa, was/is a cutter (her recovery seems a little too quick, although it's not really explored in depth; she also seems to have some eating disorders, again not explored).
One quibble about the ending: would any college really refer to their program as "prestigious"?
J identifies as male, and has since he was young. Problem is, he's genetically female - naturally, this causes problems. He's not gay, or bi, just trans. Setting this in NYC means that J can experience the problems of being part of a Puerto Rican/Jewish household and attend a "normal" school where people like him are not welcome and find a kind of sanctuary in the school set up for students like him.
His "passing" becomes better and better, and by the end of the book you sense that he's at peace with himself; his friends and family take longer to get there. My guess is that in another setting this might not have been the case. It was also a little too convenient that his BFF, Melissa, was/is a cutter (her recovery seems a little too quick, although it's not really explored in depth; she also seems to have some eating disorders, again not explored).
One quibble about the ending: would any college really refer to their program as "prestigious"?
I was bored with the first 150 pages, it seemed to be a lot of angst and it wasn't really going anywhere, but it made the other half of it seem far more uplifting. And that's life, sometimes it's just a load of unhappiness that slowly progresses to something more positive.
I just like the idea that there is no perfect fix to any problem. And that what some people view as problems are not really problems at all, they're just a state of mind that someone else cannot understand. These are just some things I Am J has made me think about, I just wish it wasn't presented in a way that will probably be forgettable.
I just like the idea that there is no perfect fix to any problem. And that what some people view as problems are not really problems at all, they're just a state of mind that someone else cannot understand. These are just some things I Am J has made me think about, I just wish it wasn't presented in a way that will probably be forgettable.
I understand that there are reasons that this book is important. The experience of trans youth of color is not often centered in any kind of media. I think that this book could be helpful to a young trans person who feels alone and hasn't had much exposure to other queer and trans people. At times this book read like a step-by-step guide on how to "transition".
That being said, I didn't enjoy this book. There was very little that felt authentic about the voice of the main character, J. While reading this story, I was always acutely aware of the fact that it was written by a non-trans person who has worked with queer and trans youth - that is, that the author didn't have direct experience as a trans youth of color. And while I do believe that it's sometimes possible to "write the other" effectively and well; this book really missed the mark for. I felt like Beam didn't capture the depth of J's experience well; that the author didn't really write J as a full and complicated person. Additionally, I didn't love the writing.
Despite my critiques, I'm ultimately glad that this book exists -- and I hope that it generates more writing that centers the experiences of trans POC.
That being said, I didn't enjoy this book. There was very little that felt authentic about the voice of the main character, J. While reading this story, I was always acutely aware of the fact that it was written by a non-trans person who has worked with queer and trans youth - that is, that the author didn't have direct experience as a trans youth of color. And while I do believe that it's sometimes possible to "write the other" effectively and well; this book really missed the mark for. I felt like Beam didn't capture the depth of J's experience well; that the author didn't really write J as a full and complicated person. Additionally, I didn't love the writing.
Despite my critiques, I'm ultimately glad that this book exists -- and I hope that it generates more writing that centers the experiences of trans POC.
This story of a young woman transitioning to a young man was interesting, but not incrediblely compelling. I felt preached at some of the time. I also had to push myself to finish. This is another of those where I really would rate it "ok."
I'm happy that there is another fiction book out there for trans teens, I just wish I had liked this one a little more. Maybe it was the third person (which isn't my favorite perpective) maybe it was J himself who was a frustrating character, and maybe it's just that I enjoyed Julie Anne Peters' Luna so much.
Average writing, but fills a much needed niche.
I received this book for free from the publisher
Average writing, but fills a much needed niche.
I received this book for free from the publisher