David Curtis (3)

I’m going to apologize in advance, because it will be a full on miracle if this review turns out to be anything else but a babbling mess. I only just turned the last page of All Kinds of Other, and I am full of so many emotions that it feels as if there is no more space in my brain for anything else today. All I know is that I want to shove a copy of this story into as many hands as possible, and hover uncomfortably over them until they finish reading. Perhaps occasionally throwing in a show more “RIGHT?” now and then as they hopefully come to the same revelations that I did. It has been such a long time since a book made me feel this way.

I have been separated from the world of new release books for a fair amount of time, so this is the first time that I have discovered a story featuring a relationship between a cis and a trans boy. However I can say for certain that James Sie handles this with the utmost love, and respect. Jules and Jack are two very different people, with two very different life experiences. Although they both fall into the same ever-widening umbrella of the LGBTQ+ community, there is never a push to make it feel as though that is the one thing that defines them. Sie writes characters that have such depth. They are real people, real teens, struggling to navigate in a world that is ever changing in the way that it handles acceptance and allyship. There are parts of this story that might be hard for some people to read, because of triggers like transphobic violence, outing, and misgendering. I will warn of that ahead of time. Still, I think it’s important to remember that these are all very real things that are faced daily by so many people.

What really hit me hard was the vast divide between how Jules and Jack were accepted, by literally everyone they met. It never occurred to me that transphobia existed even in the “safe” spaces. I don’t want to spoil anything big, but one of my favorite parts of this novel was when the GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) realized that they weren’t actually being inclusive. That by the very name of the club they were choosing to invalidate those that did not fall on that very small spectrum. By this point in the story there had been multiple examples where Jack was alienated simply because he didn’t fall in that neat little set of boxes. These few paragraphs just really ran that home for me though. No wonder Jack was trying to fly under the radar. How hard it must be to be yourself, when who you are is only accepted in pieces.

Ah, I could talk about this book for ages. In fact, if anyone wants to have a discussion about this after you read my review and this book, please let me know. This is such an excellent story, that I truly feels need to be read by the masses. There are some parts that are tough, and those that are dark. There are missteps by adults, hurtful things said by loved ones, and the kind of pain that can only be understood by those who are trying to carve out a big enough space for themselves in world that wants to keep them small. There are also bright spots. Words of encouragement and love, true gestures, and the kind of relationship that comes from truly finding what it is that you want. That’s what life is though, isn’t it? A little messy. A little beautiful. All part of the process.

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All Kinds of Other by James Sie is the kind of book that I love to discover in the YA genre. The story is important, nuanced and emotional. The characters are great. James Sie doesn't gloss over things that are hard-hitting because they actually happen to people.

Jules just wants to play basketball at his new school. Yeah, he's also trying to figure out his sexuality, but that's not his priority. He's not uncomfortable in his skin - he's just trying to figure things out without his friends show more deciding for him.

Jack is new in town. His Dad is on a mission to potentially change his life by having a go at being an actor and Jack is along for the ride. From Jack's perspective, it's a new beginning at a new school where he can be the guy he wants to be with no questions about his past. Jack is still reeling from a breakup with his best friend, so it seems like a good time to flee.

One of the main characters is cisgender and one is trans. Both young men are learning about themselves and learning about their friends and families at the same time. Isn't that the way it goes? As we reveal pieces of ourselves, sometimes we find that people support us unconditionally, sometimes, sadly, we find that people don't "approve".

There's a lot going on in this story, but the author manages it sweetly and with a splash of humour. When the two young men become close and begin to realize that they may be more than friends everything is derailed when old YouTube videos surface that outs one of them as being trans.

The outing is significant for a few reasons. In this day and age, it's so easy for us to put things on social media that we think will never come back to haunt us. The problem is that once things are online… there's no way to ever be certain that they are gone. Outing is something that many people simply don't understand. Outing is a horrible thing to happen - in particular to a young person. No one should have to reveal anything about themselves unless they are willing and ready to do so. Being outted can scar people emotionally and it can put them in very dangerous situations.

Sie explores a lot of things in this book. I can't speak to Sie's personal experience with issues faced by trans folks, but the book read as authentic to me. One of the main characters discusses a lot of issues and emotions with respect to being trans and this book would be a great way for someone to begin to understand what it might be like to be a trans teen.

This book is a lovely combination of funny moments, love, awesome friends, and some hard-hitting issues. Sie achieves a great balance of things and the novel never feels overwhelming even though some of the things that happen to the characters are difficult to read. show less