A review by lprongs
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense 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

Honestly, I did not have high expectations when I picked this up for my book club, but it blew me away. It has amazing rep (autism, enby, lots of queer side characters including bi, lesbian, Black male aroace(!), adoption, etc.), manages to be extremely informative without being preachy or info-dumpy, and does a heckin' good job of normalizing a ton of stuff that should be normal.

The plot itself is gripping and so very queer, and by about two-thirds of the way through, I couldn't put it down. But I think what really gets me is how this book perfectly encapsulates the adage that trans people just want the chance to grow up - that trans kids deserve to live to an old age just like anyone else, just like they deserve a happy-but-awkward high school experience just like everyone else. There are so few trans elders in the world today because of too many early unnatural deaths, and Sam becomes obsessed with the idea that they'll die before their 19th birthday just like all the kids throughout history that they've researched. Even though these kids aren't necesserily trans or even queer, I see that parallel very strongly. So yeah, the ending made me cry.
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