The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

Some trans people only figure out they’re transgender much later But some transīoys like make-up and knitting and some trans girls like cars and video Way of thinking of how trans people experience the world. People do experience the above and it’s certainly become the dominant Gender identity are rarely that simple, although some transgender She liked fairy wings and Barbies, and Leo really knew he was a boyīecause he wanted a toy garage for Christmas. Transgender from a young age, David knows she’s really a girl because Very traditional narrative: David and Leo have known they were Now, I think it could help teenagers who are still trying to come to Isn’t about characters who happen to be transgender – it all revolvesĪround transitioning and being transgender in a brick-to-the-head sort Way Leo is revealed to be transgender makes me feel like the novel They’re too young to start HRT or surgery.) This in combination with the Mostly about settling into their life post-social transition (since Should-they, shouldn’t-they/planning to transition and the other is So we have two characters and one of their lives revolves mostly around Without context, keeping in mind that Leo didn’t know that David was a Trans person I’ve met who would tell someone this way, especiallyĬonsidering binders can look like sports bras or lycra vests to anyone T-shirt to show off his binder – er, what? I can’t think of a single But when Leo comes out to David, he genuinely lifts up his There was a little foreshadowingĪnd it was a mid-way twist to surprise the reader and Alicia herself.įine, okay. Trying to keep mystery and pull off reveals. Secondly, I feel like the book comes off as a little voyeuristic in

Leo, meanwhile, is a new transfer to David’s school who comes from the local council estate and things are left vague about why he’s switched schools in an attempt to build up mystery.

David (later named Katie, but blurbs and interviews insist on using her old name and male pronouns so I’ll stick to David so no one gets confused) is a trans girl wanting to come out to her parents and the typical worries faced by teens – school bullies, crushes, being unpopular – and the not so typical that transgender kids experience, like bodily dysphoria. The novel is set up in first person narrative using two characters: David and Leo. One is that I really don’t feel this book was written with transgender people as the key audience in mind. I didn’t hate this book – in fact, I quite liked large parts of it, but there are a few issues that drag it down.

CW: There’s one scene with sexual assault, general misgendering, slurs and bullying.įirst thing’s first, I’m transgender myself and I work with transgender youth, so of course I’m bringing that to the table.

Posted on Wednesday, Februat 10:34 PM with 10 notes

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson