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A review by thebooknerdscorner
Obie Is Man Enough by Schuyler Bailar
4.0
A middle grade novel about a trans boy by the name of Obie who just wants to enjoy his time swimming and have the bullies that torment him finally leave him to exist in peace.
After his transition, Obie was kicked off of his old swim teach by his transphobic former coach. It's all worth it because Obie finally gets to compete with the other boys. Unfortunately, his old teammates are less than amicable about the switch which leads to Obie being constantly bullied and living in a state of continuous fear. Luckily, Obie has many people in his corner who are willing to support him every step of the way. Desperate to prove to himself that he can keep up with the boys in the pool, Obie pushes himself harder than he ever has before and encounters plenty of new best friends who accept him for who he truly is, no strings attached.
After reading Schuyler Bailar's short story in the anthology "Fresh Ink," I have been quite curious to check out some of his longer work. Let's just say, he did not disappoint! "Obie is Man Enough" is a wonderful middle grade book that talks about intersectionality and what it means to be a half-white, half-Korean trans boy who is also a swimmer. Every part of Obie helps make up who he is, and this book does an amazing job showcasing how our various identities connect and make us into the interesting individuals that we all are.
I think swimming is such great topic matter for a book and I have enjoyed novels involving this topic in the past. Pairing this with the struggles of switching teams, losing old friends, and learning how to compete in a new league, made this an engrossing read. Obie's love for the sport is extremely evident, and I love seeing his passion shine through everything else he is grappling with.
Another huge topic in this one is bullying and discrimination. Obie's former best friend, Clyde, is extremely transphobic and constantly berates Obie. This leads to discussions about bullying and harassment in sports and in the classroom. These are important things for kids to learn that it's not okay to do from a young age, so I appreciate when books make this so glaringly obvious. Obie's other former best friend, Lucy, is also verbally harassed by a few girls who call her some pretty awful names. Note that this book uses some harsh language against trans people and young girls, but nothing that children can't handle. Just make sure to look into the language if some of these things are triggering to you personally.
This book uses Jason Reynold's "All American Boys" to showcase parallels between police brutality and racial discrimination and Obie's situation involving transphobia and harassment. It does go into great detail about the book at times, so if you haven't read it, there may be some big spoilers. However, the way that Obie learned to feel empathy towards the "bad guys" and came to realize that nobody is the villain of their own story through Reynold's book was done quite well. I think this added to the story immensely, but I have read "All American Boys" myself, so I'm not sure what others that haven't read it yet thought of this tidbit.
I honestly was not expecting this book to have a romance element due to the fact it's a middle grade book, but I actually didn't mind it. Charlie is a quirky young girl who loves to ramble, sing, and solve Rubik's cubes. She is such a sweet and understanding girl who helps Obie through many situations that he goes through, so it would be hard not to support the blossoming relationship between these youths. They are still so young, so who knows if it will last, but it is cute in the meantime regardless.
The way that Obie bonds with the Korean side of his family is quite precious. He makes kimchi with his grandparents, speaks to them in Korean, and goes over to their house quite often for dinner. It's unfortunate that many Asian families are still less accepting of queer children, but that is not the case at all with Obie's family. They are one hundred percent in support of their grandson, they just remind him that since his parents have no daughters, he has to remember to take care of them.
Overall, "Obie is Man Enough" is a stellar middle grade novel that trans kids may immensely relate to that should also teach cis kids how to approach certain topics with respect. The discussions about intersectionality, queer culture, bullying and harassment, as well as transphobia are all very powerful and handled quite eloquently. I thought learning more about competitive youth swimming was also fun and I actually came to enjoy the slight romantic subplot. I really enjoyed this one, so I look forward to checking out more of Bailar's work in the future!
After his transition, Obie was kicked off of his old swim teach by his transphobic former coach. It's all worth it because Obie finally gets to compete with the other boys. Unfortunately, his old teammates are less than amicable about the switch which leads to Obie being constantly bullied and living in a state of continuous fear. Luckily, Obie has many people in his corner who are willing to support him every step of the way. Desperate to prove to himself that he can keep up with the boys in the pool, Obie pushes himself harder than he ever has before and encounters plenty of new best friends who accept him for who he truly is, no strings attached.
After reading Schuyler Bailar's short story in the anthology "Fresh Ink," I have been quite curious to check out some of his longer work. Let's just say, he did not disappoint! "Obie is Man Enough" is a wonderful middle grade book that talks about intersectionality and what it means to be a half-white, half-Korean trans boy who is also a swimmer. Every part of Obie helps make up who he is, and this book does an amazing job showcasing how our various identities connect and make us into the interesting individuals that we all are.
I think swimming is such great topic matter for a book and I have enjoyed novels involving this topic in the past. Pairing this with the struggles of switching teams, losing old friends, and learning how to compete in a new league, made this an engrossing read. Obie's love for the sport is extremely evident, and I love seeing his passion shine through everything else he is grappling with.
Another huge topic in this one is bullying and discrimination. Obie's former best friend, Clyde, is extremely transphobic and constantly berates Obie. This leads to discussions about bullying and harassment in sports and in the classroom. These are important things for kids to learn that it's not okay to do from a young age, so I appreciate when books make this so glaringly obvious. Obie's other former best friend, Lucy, is also verbally harassed by a few girls who call her some pretty awful names. Note that this book uses some harsh language against trans people and young girls, but nothing that children can't handle. Just make sure to look into the language if some of these things are triggering to you personally.
This book uses Jason Reynold's "All American Boys" to showcase parallels between police brutality and racial discrimination and Obie's situation involving transphobia and harassment. It does go into great detail about the book at times, so if you haven't read it, there may be some big spoilers. However, the way that Obie learned to feel empathy towards the "bad guys" and came to realize that nobody is the villain of their own story through Reynold's book was done quite well. I think this added to the story immensely, but I have read "All American Boys" myself, so I'm not sure what others that haven't read it yet thought of this tidbit.
I honestly was not expecting this book to have a romance element due to the fact it's a middle grade book, but I actually didn't mind it. Charlie is a quirky young girl who loves to ramble, sing, and solve Rubik's cubes. She is such a sweet and understanding girl who helps Obie through many situations that he goes through, so it would be hard not to support the blossoming relationship between these youths. They are still so young, so who knows if it will last, but it is cute in the meantime regardless.
The way that Obie bonds with the Korean side of his family is quite precious. He makes kimchi with his grandparents, speaks to them in Korean, and goes over to their house quite often for dinner. It's unfortunate that many Asian families are still less accepting of queer children, but that is not the case at all with Obie's family. They are one hundred percent in support of their grandson, they just remind him that since his parents have no daughters, he has to remember to take care of them.
Overall, "Obie is Man Enough" is a stellar middle grade novel that trans kids may immensely relate to that should also teach cis kids how to approach certain topics with respect. The discussions about intersectionality, queer culture, bullying and harassment, as well as transphobia are all very powerful and handled quite eloquently. I thought learning more about competitive youth swimming was also fun and I actually came to enjoy the slight romantic subplot. I really enjoyed this one, so I look forward to checking out more of Bailar's work in the future!