I. W. Gregorio

None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio which is about a beautiful and popular 18 year old girl who finds out she has AIS, androgen insensitivity syndrome. It's not literature but is a good novel about gender. The girl also happens to run track, so there's a discussion Caster Semenya. All the "bathroom bill" people think sex is simple and is the same as gender - you're either male or female, that's it. This is a gentle way of explaining some of the variations in life and how people see show more themselves. I just found the author's page, she describes the book as Middlesex meets Mean Girls. http://www.iwgregorio.com/ show less

There are many reassuring truths to be learned from This is My Brain in Love. I’m not sure how the author crawled into the heads of these characters, but it’s spot-on the way teens think. And make no mistake - I was very willing to visually eavesdrop on their thoughts! My own long-past teen insecurities came rushing back around Page 192, and I felt the shadow of my teen years sneak up on me. I couldn’t wait to see how these two handled it.

This wonderfully written book offers more than show more the obvious story lines. With underlying and intuitive sensitiveness to the characters, the author showcases honesty, compassion and understanding in the telling. Along with the growing trust between Will and Jocelyn comes permission to finally say the Unspeakable Word - because depression doesn’t discriminate. Of course I knew this, but I’d forgotten until I read this book.

As much as the dialogue in this book focuses on the story line of Will and Jocelyn’s relationship, the message that resonated with me, as I am sure will with the YA audience, is the reassurance that those coping with mental health issues on a daily basis have untold company. Even the most casual Reader will understand that as paralyzing and isolating as the feelings of a mental health diagnosis can be, there is treatment that can help. And there need be no shame in asking for help.

How I wish this book had been written when I was a teen! show less

The time is ripe for a book of this caliber with all the changes occurring on political levels as well as within society itself. People talk more today and at younger ages about what gender means and how it defines their identity. I.W. Gregorio’s novel takes this societal shift and built her story around it to create a very personal outlook on something that even with all the progress still makes people uncomfortable.

Her writing evokes this intense emotional response as you sit on the show more front lines to watch the heartbreaking challenges her character Kristin faces. In some ways Kristin undergoes her own version of the Stages of Grief as the ‘normal’ life she thought she was living gets upended with a difficult diagnosis. Then before she truly has time to process what this means on a personal level her private life is leaked on a public level.

You can’t help but ride the emotional spectrum of anger, sadness and betrayal at what is done to this amazing and sweet character particularly as reality hits and you realize this could very well be a mirror to what is happening in society today. This book needs to be read, shared and remembered so that society can advance to where treatment like what Kristin faces in this book will become only a memory in history books. show less

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A provocative, engaging novel that left me thinking for days afterward.

Opening Sentence: Dawn is my favorite time of day.

The Review:

Kristen has got it all figured out. Despite the gaping hole left by her mother’s death from cancer years ago, she’s managing to recover and thrive. She’s a beautiful, popular all-American girl with a scholarship for track and an amazing boyfriend – so amazing, in fact, that she’s ready to take it to show more the next level with him. But something goes painfully awry that leads her to go get checked by a doctor, where she discovers she’s intersex.

Though she has the appearance of a girl, her chromosones are male, and she’ll never be able to have her own children. Before she’s even given a chance to process it, the school finds out, and she is left doubting her own identity as a stream of hateful comments and nasty rumors cause her to hide in her home. Suddenly, Kristen is losing everything – her track scholarship, her boyfriend, her every friendship.

The whole concept of being intersex was a super complex one, and I thought that the author (a surgeon) managed to convey well. She truly showed every angle, in a way that was thought-provoking and interesting. I hadn’t known much about this before, and now I feel fully informed in the subject, because she covered all the bases. She allows us to empathize with Kristin and her sudden discovery, and watch as it affects her. I liked how although she showed that being intersex was not without its risks (bullying, hate crimes, depression, possible cancer risk), she also proved that those who were could lead perfectly normal lives.

Kristin was an awesome character. She had just the right mix of strength and all of those vulnerable emotions that made her relatable. I truly connected to her and how she was feeling, and felt her pain and awkwardness at the whole situation. She started out doubting everything she ever knew about herself, and for awhile, she hated her stomach, her running style, everything she had been so proud of before. As time went on and she forged new friendships, she grew stronger and began to accept herself as a real girl, no matter her chromosones. The love story was also super cute and I loved the message the author conveyed with it.

Altogether? I really enjoyed this book. I flew through it super quickly. It was incredibly unique and addressed something that’s never been addressed in a YA book before. The characters were complex, interesting, and relatable. Kristin’s voice was believable and I really enjoyed her character. There were multiple storylines going on in this book at the same time – her mother’s death and how it affected her, her relationship with the love interest, her self-pity, her accepting herself, her father-daughter relationship, her friendships . . . I enjoyed them all. I definitely think that this novel has made me more aware of the problems that intersex people face in bullying and hate crimes, and just intersex in general. Reading this book, I felt that the author themselves could have had this condition, the emotions felt so raw and real. I would recommend this, for sure!

Notable Scene:

He turned to me, pointing his index finger at my mouth. “You stay away from me, you hear?”

“Oh, no, are you breaking up with your boyfriend, Sammy? Maybe I can make it up to you tonight.” Bruce gave Sam the goose and Sam elbowed him in the neck. “Ooh, come on, baby . . . “

His friends walked toward the gym, and as Sam turned to follow, I grabbed at his arm again. This time, when he pulled away, a thread of his sweater caught in his fingernail. He rounded on me. I could feel the muscles in his arm spasm.

“Sam, please. . . ” I begged. “Let me explain.”

“What the fuck is there to explain?” Sam said. His eyes were bright, like there were tears hovering in his eyes. He leaned in, and I allowed myself to hope that he was going to listen. But instead he just whispered, “I thought I loved you, you fucking man-whore. And you’ve been lying to me. I have nothing to say to you. Ever. Again.”

FTC Advisory: Balzar+Bray/HarperTeen provided me with a copy of None of the Above. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less