Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family
Amy Ellis Nutt
ISBN: 9780812995411
Read August 21
The only downside to this book is that while it's about Nicole and her journey, the majority of the book is told from the perspectives of her relatives: her mother and father, and her identical twin brother. I found that less disturbing during the narration of their early lives, but once Nicole was into the 5th grade, it was odd to read snippets from her journal, but have the bulk of the narrative driven by the experiences of her parents, or from case-notes from a therapist. I really didn't feel like I ever got to hear Nicole's story, just the story of her family. Which, ok, that's the title, I know. But I somehow thought it would be both. I was interested to see how her family developed and coped (especially her dad, who was portrayed as sensitively as possible, but was still massively hung-up on his ideals and his pre-determined thoughts about what was appropriate for a really long-ass time) and her brother, who had what seems like a fairly normal bout of teenaged/college "what is life really all about" slump, made worse by all the attention paid to his suddenly-famous sibling.
Regardless, it was a very moving and interesting story, and I still hope that perhaps Nicole will take some time from college and theatre to work with another ghostwriter and tell HER version of the story we got here. I'd love to hear her words.
Showing posts with label transgender. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transgender. Show all posts
Monday, August 29, 2016
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Magical Western: Wake of Vultures, Lila Bowen (Delilah Dawson)
Wake of Vultures
Lila Bowen
ISBN: 9780316264310
Read January 31, 2016
Nettie is half-black and half "injun" and she's been treated like a slave all her life, but that all changes when she stakes a lecherous vampire one night.
First off, Lila Bowen is actually Delilah Dawson, who I've had the pleasure of meeting a few times, and also have read her YA books HIT and Servants of the Storm. With this pseudonym, she heads out into slightly (only slightly) grimmer territory with the magical western story of Nettie Lonesome, who discovers that the black and white "facts" she learned from her disreputable and abusive "adoptive parents" don't match reality all that well.
The night Nettie dispatches a fearsome predator in the back yard, her eyes are opened to the wild and demanding magical world. She'll have to stretch and grow and learn a whole lot to make it through to the classic western showdown.
I sadly can't say a whole lot about this book without giving bits of it away, but I have to say that having Nettie so backwards and isolated and fundamentalist in her thinking gives Bowen a great way to "tell" about the weird west that she's created without it being an "as you know, Bob" situation. Nettie truly doesn't know a damn thing, but she's been tasked with a terrifying mission, and if she doesn't figure out what's going down pretty quick, she's sunk.
The supporting characters are believable and most are carefully drawn to be at least somewhat three-dimensional, given limitations of space. No one (with the positive exception of a mentor, and perhaps unsurprisingly the negative portrayal of the "adoptive parents" and big bad at the end) is presented in an unremittingly good or bad light - people have their positive and negative traits without those traits becoming shorthands for identifying white or black hats. Nettie herself finds her prejudices and stereotypes challenged and countermanded constantly through the book, and other characters have their own assumptions shattered as well. Sometimes they react positively, occasionally not. Despite the grim nature of the quest narrative, the overall sense of the character base is supportive and caring, which I figure is probably the most magical aspect of the whole story, but I'm not going to complain too hard, because it really becomes necessary to balance out the grim and gruesome evil that Nettie is forced to confront.
Also, can I say how forever grateful and happy I am that this is the first book in a series, but the storyline is totally and completely resolved. There IS a cliffhanger, but it's one that I don't actually mind. You'll have to read it to get the joke. :)
Lila Bowen
ISBN: 9780316264310
Read January 31, 2016
Nettie is half-black and half "injun" and she's been treated like a slave all her life, but that all changes when she stakes a lecherous vampire one night.
First off, Lila Bowen is actually Delilah Dawson, who I've had the pleasure of meeting a few times, and also have read her YA books HIT and Servants of the Storm. With this pseudonym, she heads out into slightly (only slightly) grimmer territory with the magical western story of Nettie Lonesome, who discovers that the black and white "facts" she learned from her disreputable and abusive "adoptive parents" don't match reality all that well.
The night Nettie dispatches a fearsome predator in the back yard, her eyes are opened to the wild and demanding magical world. She'll have to stretch and grow and learn a whole lot to make it through to the classic western showdown.
I sadly can't say a whole lot about this book without giving bits of it away, but I have to say that having Nettie so backwards and isolated and fundamentalist in her thinking gives Bowen a great way to "tell" about the weird west that she's created without it being an "as you know, Bob" situation. Nettie truly doesn't know a damn thing, but she's been tasked with a terrifying mission, and if she doesn't figure out what's going down pretty quick, she's sunk.
The supporting characters are believable and most are carefully drawn to be at least somewhat three-dimensional, given limitations of space. No one (with the positive exception of a mentor, and perhaps unsurprisingly the negative portrayal of the "adoptive parents" and big bad at the end) is presented in an unremittingly good or bad light - people have their positive and negative traits without those traits becoming shorthands for identifying white or black hats. Nettie herself finds her prejudices and stereotypes challenged and countermanded constantly through the book, and other characters have their own assumptions shattered as well. Sometimes they react positively, occasionally not. Despite the grim nature of the quest narrative, the overall sense of the character base is supportive and caring, which I figure is probably the most magical aspect of the whole story, but I'm not going to complain too hard, because it really becomes necessary to balance out the grim and gruesome evil that Nettie is forced to confront.
Also, can I say how forever grateful and happy I am that this is the first book in a series, but the storyline is totally and completely resolved. There IS a cliffhanger, but it's one that I don't actually mind. You'll have to read it to get the joke. :)
Sunday, January 17, 2016
2015 Review Round-Up: Juvenile Fiction: George, Alex Gino
George
Alex Gino
ISBN: 9780545812542
George (who really knows she is Melissa) uses the school production of Charlotte's Web to help correctly identify herself to her school and family.
Read October 2015
This is a really powerful book, and it does a great job explaining something that most people will (luckily for them) never have to worry about experiencing in their own lives.
Alex Gino
ISBN: 9780545812542
George (who really knows she is Melissa) uses the school production of Charlotte's Web to help correctly identify herself to her school and family.
Read October 2015
This is a really powerful book, and it does a great job explaining something that most people will (luckily for them) never have to worry about experiencing in their own lives.
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