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Description
Fourteen-year-old Alex, who has male and female sexual body parts, and has been raised as a boy, stops hormone therapy and decides to live as a girl. The plot contains profanity, sexual situations and negative stereotypes.
Quick Summary
If you or your teen are looking for a book that tackles identity in a raw, honest way, this one's worth picking up. Alex is fourteen and figuring out some really big stuff about who she is after being raised as a boy, she decides to stop hormone therapy and live openly as a girl, which means navigating tough conversations with family, friends, and herself. The writing feels real and a bit messy in the way teenage thoughts actually are, not polished or preachy, which makes it easier to connect with Alex's journey even if you haven't been through something similar yourself. That said, parents should know it does contain profanity, some sexual situations, and deals with heavy topics like bullying and medical decisions, so it's probably best for older teens who can handle mature content. It's a quick read despite the heavy themes, which makes it approachable even for reluctant readers who might shy away from chunky books. If you've already read something like "The Art of Being Normal" by Lisa Williamson, this has a similar heart and sense of figuring out your own truth, though Alex's story brings a different and less commonly explored perspective on intersex experiences. It's the kind of book that sticks with you after you close it not because it's easy, but because it makes you think about how much courage it takes to just be yourself.