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melsage1823 's review for:
Jamie
by L.D. Lapinski
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
Disclaimer: This is an own voices review by a Nonbinary person but I'm only one person so please make sure to find other own voices reviews if you can.
A Powerful, Brave And Bold, Middle Grade That Centres Nonbinary Youth And Perfectly Represents Their Struggles.
Wow this was quite the emotional reading experience. Jamie is quite something indeed and it is a nesscary novel for Nonbinary and Trans Youth out today. It humanises Nonbinary struggles and perfectly shows how hurtful and damaging it is to be shoved into a box you don't belong. I also loved the positives message and hopeful message at the end despite (as of this review) how bleak the future of Trans Rights looks. As a Nonbinary person myself I found Jamie likeable and relatable and found their identity wasn't a gimic tagged on. You can tell it was written by a queer person due to the fact it's written with so much love, care and thought for Nonbinary Youth.
Now I am fully aware that as a Nonbinary adult this novel does not have me in mind and I'm also aware that it might be a bit too harsh but there was an element that did take me out of the story a little bit. Jamie's friends felt very hallow and one dimensional and they didn't feel fleshed out, same for the rest of Jamie's side cast. Of course it might be hard to cram in subplots but it might have been nesscary to help flesh out all the other characters. The only other character that felt truly fleshed out was Jamie's brother Olly. Whilst Daisy and Ash's one dimensional hollowness did bother me Jamie's parents bothered me more. I feel like Jamie's parents had a lot of internalised Transphobia and it was brushed off way too quickly as oh they were scared which is not exactly the best message to send to the reader as there are many reasons for Transphobia.
Apart from that though I really enjoyed this novel and think that despite it being a middle grade its perfect to read at any age. There's so many things I could praise about this incredible novel but there's a few things that standout to me.
First the breaking of massive Nonbinary stereotypes. A lot of Nonbinary representation has the characters gender assigned at birth matter but in Jamie it doesn't at all which is absolutely brilliant. Throughout the novel there are not even any hints that could help you figure out Jamie's gender which is so clever. Despite the conflict of the story Jamie themself that it doesn't matter. Unfortunately the binary society has decided that in order to understand Nonbinary people you have to sort them into AMAB and AFAB even if some Nonbinary people loathe that. What Lapinski has done is allow the reader to accept the fact that Jamie is Nonbinary and that is the only thing that matters in the story. It also kicks bigotry out of the younger generation and allows them to accept the fact that Nonbinary people are Nonbinary.
Secondly the definitions at the end of each chapter. Normally something like that would annoy me but for a middle grade novel like this it felt very important and it also felt like Jamie's attempt at connecting with the reader. Although I personally myself knew alot of the definitions myself it might be helpful for your average middle grade reader as well as any non queer folk that will be clueless about any of the terms that come directly directly from the lgtbq+ community. It's a creative way to be inclusive and think about all your possible readers. Not only that but it's a really good teaching tool for queer kids who might want to learn more about all the complicated definitions and big words commonly thrown about in the community. This a really good resource that should be used in schools.
Finally the themes of acceptance and belonging. Another big theme of this novel is to not exclude out of pride. Wether Nonbinary or another identity there are a lot of people who are told they are not welcome or don't belong in the lgtbq+ community but Jamie directly confronts that beautifully not only through the two schools plot but also by showing how different characters react to Jamie's identity. I don't want to spoil but there's also a beautiful moment of disbelief from Daisy when Jamie despite their conflicts choses to welcome everyone into their mission. Whilst it mainly addresses how Nonbinary folk are treated as goofy when they shouldn't be it also shows the important of welcoming everyone into pride and not being hypocritical.
Overall a beautiful and hopeful love letter to Nonbinary and Trans Kids as well as just Nonbinary folk in general. Wether at a middle grade reader or an adult, there is something to a hundred percent take from this book.
A Powerful, Brave And Bold, Middle Grade That Centres Nonbinary Youth And Perfectly Represents Their Struggles.
Wow this was quite the emotional reading experience. Jamie is quite something indeed and it is a nesscary novel for Nonbinary and Trans Youth out today. It humanises Nonbinary struggles and perfectly shows how hurtful and damaging it is to be shoved into a box you don't belong. I also loved the positives message and hopeful message at the end despite (as of this review) how bleak the future of Trans Rights looks. As a Nonbinary person myself I found Jamie likeable and relatable and found their identity wasn't a gimic tagged on. You can tell it was written by a queer person due to the fact it's written with so much love, care and thought for Nonbinary Youth.
Now I am fully aware that as a Nonbinary adult this novel does not have me in mind and I'm also aware that it might be a bit too harsh but there was an element that did take me out of the story a little bit. Jamie's friends felt very hallow and one dimensional and they didn't feel fleshed out, same for the rest of Jamie's side cast. Of course it might be hard to cram in subplots but it might have been nesscary to help flesh out all the other characters. The only other character that felt truly fleshed out was Jamie's brother Olly. Whilst Daisy and Ash's one dimensional hollowness did bother me Jamie's parents bothered me more. I feel like Jamie's parents had a lot of internalised Transphobia and it was brushed off way too quickly as oh they were scared which is not exactly the best message to send to the reader as there are many reasons for Transphobia.
Apart from that though I really enjoyed this novel and think that despite it being a middle grade its perfect to read at any age. There's so many things I could praise about this incredible novel but there's a few things that standout to me.
First the breaking of massive Nonbinary stereotypes. A lot of Nonbinary representation has the characters gender assigned at birth matter but in Jamie it doesn't at all which is absolutely brilliant. Throughout the novel there are not even any hints that could help you figure out Jamie's gender which is so clever. Despite the conflict of the story Jamie themself that it doesn't matter. Unfortunately the binary society has decided that in order to understand Nonbinary people you have to sort them into AMAB and AFAB even if some Nonbinary people loathe that. What Lapinski has done is allow the reader to accept the fact that Jamie is Nonbinary and that is the only thing that matters in the story. It also kicks bigotry out of the younger generation and allows them to accept the fact that Nonbinary people are Nonbinary.
Secondly the definitions at the end of each chapter. Normally something like that would annoy me but for a middle grade novel like this it felt very important and it also felt like Jamie's attempt at connecting with the reader. Although I personally myself knew alot of the definitions myself it might be helpful for your average middle grade reader as well as any non queer folk that will be clueless about any of the terms that come directly directly from the lgtbq+ community. It's a creative way to be inclusive and think about all your possible readers. Not only that but it's a really good teaching tool for queer kids who might want to learn more about all the complicated definitions and big words commonly thrown about in the community. This a really good resource that should be used in schools.
Finally the themes of acceptance and belonging. Another big theme of this novel is to not exclude out of pride. Wether Nonbinary or another identity there are a lot of people who are told they are not welcome or don't belong in the lgtbq+ community but Jamie directly confronts that beautifully not only through the two schools plot but also by showing how different characters react to Jamie's identity. I don't want to spoil but there's also a beautiful moment of disbelief from Daisy when Jamie despite their conflicts choses to welcome everyone into their mission. Whilst it mainly addresses how Nonbinary folk are treated as goofy when they shouldn't be it also shows the important of welcoming everyone into pride and not being hypocritical.
Overall a beautiful and hopeful love letter to Nonbinary and Trans Kids as well as just Nonbinary folk in general. Wether at a middle grade reader or an adult, there is something to a hundred percent take from this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Gaslighting
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Cursing, Toxic friendship