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A review by victinerary
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
My first finish for the #TransRightsReadathon 2023: what a beautiful start!
This book addresses so much. First and foremost we get a look inside the mind of Spencer, a trans high school soccer star, as he navigates a new school, complicated family life, and his first crush. Those would be a lot of things to deal with for any kid... but Spencer also has to deal with the daily challenges of existing in a society that can be everything from dismissive to downright dangerous for a boy like him.
We get to see daily choices and actions made by Spencer, his family, and his friends and how differently the reality of those choices and actions effect Spencer. Everything from being able to pass as a boy at school to the challenges of navigating gendered bathrooms and locker rooms, it was definitely eye opening to see the thought behind so many situations most people would just take for granted as being easy.
While this could have just been a book about a trans kid navigating "normal" high school challenges (which would be difficult enough!), the author did a beautiful job of adding so many layers to Spencer's story to help illustrate the additional multi-faceted challenges that so many trans kids face. From growing up in a multi-racial household to having a sibling on the autistic spectrum, we learn how difficult and sometimes invalidating it can feel to interact with loved ones, even in an "accepting" family.
Then we meet Justice, Spencer's crush and fellow soccer teammate. They bond over a shared love of the beautiful game, but Justice comes from a very conservative, religious family who see the LGBT community as sinful. Through Justice and interactions with his family and church, we see how difficult it is for Spencer to separate Justice and his (more open-minded) beliefs from the hateful rhetoric most of his family believes in. Justice is on his own journey of self discovery and acceptance, and the connection between these two is beautiful, and also important to their individual and collective growth.
But don't worry, this isn't all intense emotional journey stuff. Shout out to great side characters like the soccer coach, the school GSA (gay-straight alliance) club, Spencer's rocker best friend, and of course, the boys on the soccer team. They all provide some endearing scenes, and the comic relief.
I hope this book can find it's way into the hands of trans and other lgbt youth across the country because it gives a voice, and a validation, to so many diverse aspects of the queer experience and how challenging it can be, especially in your teenage years. This is a beautiful story about community, love, and acceptance overcoming bigotry. I can't recommend it enough.
Some notes & TWs:
❤️ 🏳️⚧️ Trans MC
🧡 Gay MC
💛 Multi-racial family
💚 Autism rep (family member)
💙 Non-binary side character
💜 Little bit of side character bisexual rep
- TW: un-accepting church culture
- TW: drug use & death (discussion of past event / not current characters)
My first finish for the #TransRightsReadathon 2023: what a beautiful start!
This book addresses so much. First and foremost we get a look inside the mind of Spencer, a trans high school soccer star, as he navigates a new school, complicated family life, and his first crush. Those would be a lot of things to deal with for any kid... but Spencer also has to deal with the daily challenges of existing in a society that can be everything from dismissive to downright dangerous for a boy like him.
We get to see daily choices and actions made by Spencer, his family, and his friends and how differently the reality of those choices and actions effect Spencer. Everything from being able to pass as a boy at school to the challenges of navigating gendered bathrooms and locker rooms, it was definitely eye opening to see the thought behind so many situations most people would just take for granted as being easy.
While this could have just been a book about a trans kid navigating "normal" high school challenges (which would be difficult enough!), the author did a beautiful job of adding so many layers to Spencer's story to help illustrate the additional multi-faceted challenges that so many trans kids face. From growing up in a multi-racial household to having a sibling on the autistic spectrum, we learn how difficult and sometimes invalidating it can feel to interact with loved ones, even in an "accepting" family.
Then we meet Justice, Spencer's crush and fellow soccer teammate. They bond over a shared love of the beautiful game, but Justice comes from a very conservative, religious family who see the LGBT community as sinful. Through Justice and interactions with his family and church, we see how difficult it is for Spencer to separate Justice and his (more open-minded) beliefs from the hateful rhetoric most of his family believes in. Justice is on his own journey of self discovery and acceptance, and the connection between these two is beautiful, and also important to their individual and collective growth.
But don't worry, this isn't all intense emotional journey stuff. Shout out to great side characters like the soccer coach, the school GSA (gay-straight alliance) club, Spencer's rocker best friend, and of course, the boys on the soccer team. They all provide some endearing scenes, and the comic relief.
I hope this book can find it's way into the hands of trans and other lgbt youth across the country because it gives a voice, and a validation, to so many diverse aspects of the queer experience and how challenging it can be, especially in your teenage years. This is a beautiful story about community, love, and acceptance overcoming bigotry. I can't recommend it enough.
Some notes & TWs:
❤️ 🏳️⚧️ Trans MC
🧡 Gay MC
💛 Multi-racial family
💚 Autism rep (family member)
💙 Non-binary side character
💜 Little bit of side character bisexual rep
- TW: un-accepting church culture
- TW: drug use & death (discussion of past event / not current characters)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Minor: Death, Deadnaming, and Drug use
Deadnaming - only past descriptions of it happening, not current
Drug use / death - character related to a side character, story told about them but the events do not happen in the book.