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A review by goblingirlreads
Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I LOVE DEAN!!
I'm a drama educator and this story is really special to me because theater can be a really oppressive place for trans youth or it can be an affirming place. It's up to every theater person to help make theater an affirming place for trans people and I think Dean's story is an amazing example of that. There were so many elements of this story that I loved. There were really heartbreaking sections about acceptance, bullying, dysphoria, even a mention of suicide that gutted me but this book was also full of hope. Not everything is perfect for Dean but there is so much possibility for what's next for him. The parts of the book where he finds kinship and found family from other queer and trans people were some of my favorite parts. In adulthood, I discovered that my whole friend group in high school was queer and trans. We probably gravitated to each other for that reason and didn't know it, none of us were out. I sometimes wonder how high school would have been different if we were. I'm not trans - I'm cis and bi - but having queer friends in my adulthood is so affirming and one of the best parts of my life. At the end of the book, it felt like Dean was at the cusp of that very exciting adulthood and that ending could not have been better for me.
I'm a drama educator and this story is really special to me because theater can be a really oppressive place for trans youth or it can be an affirming place. It's up to every theater person to help make theater an affirming place for trans people and I think Dean's story is an amazing example of that. There were so many elements of this story that I loved. There were really heartbreaking sections about acceptance, bullying, dysphoria, even a mention of suicide that gutted me but this book was also full of hope. Not everything is perfect for Dean but there is so much possibility for what's next for him. The parts of the book where he finds kinship and found family from other queer and trans people were some of my favorite parts. In adulthood, I discovered that my whole friend group in high school was queer and trans. We probably gravitated to each other for that reason and didn't know it, none of us were out. I sometimes wonder how high school would have been different if we were. I'm not trans - I'm cis and bi - but having queer friends in my adulthood is so affirming and one of the best parts of my life. At the end of the book, it felt like Dean was at the cusp of that very exciting adulthood and that ending could not have been better for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Bullying
Moderate: Suicide