Author: Kristin Elizabeth Clark
What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Jess has been estranged from her father since he left her mother (for her mom's best friend!) and was not supportive of Jess's transition from male to female. Now Jess's dad is getting remarried, and Jess decides to drive cross-country with her friend Chunk to crash her dad's wedding--and force her dad to accept her as the girl she knows she is. Along the way, Jess and Chunk learn more about themselves and their friendship.
What I think: Road trip books are so fun because real road trips (in my experiences) are boring, and book road trips always become extended metaphors for becoming mature. Seriously, who hasn't gone on a road trip that you've secretly wanted to be like Perfect Summer? (Probably none of you, but I've never outgrown my love of that particular SVH story.)
Jess's road trip fits right into the awesomeness of book road trips. Along the way, she and Chunk encounter the requisite book road trip plot elements: experiencing car trouble, being saved by new friends, sleeping in sketchy motel rooms, fighting and making up, striking off on their own temporarily, learning lessons about each other and life.
The lesson Jess needs to learn via the magical book road trip is to consider other people's feelings. Jess does not mean to be selfish, but she is a teenage girl, and self-centered behavior is developmentally appropriate for teenagers. Plus, she has been through a lot: her father has left and moved across the country, she's been depressed and suicidal, and has finally started hormone therapy.
Jess's father loves her but does not understand her transition and therefore is not as supportive as Jess wants him to be. Usually, I have ZERO sympathy for nonsupportive parents, but in this case, I did feel some sympathy for Jess's dad. She crashes his wedding, accuses him of not supporting her, and then pulls the "Well, if you don't know why I'm mad, I'm not going to tell you!" defense. I hate that.
Yes, Jess's dad is misguided and ignorant, but he does love Jess, and that is where you need to start sometimes. Jess needs to give him some time. She is luckier than many other people who have come out as trans.
Jess's friend, whom she still calls by his childhood nickname Chunk, has his own character arc in this book that I appreciated. Poor Chunk. He feels unappreciated and misunderstood by Jess, and for good reason--she takes him for granted and rarely thinks of his feelings. She tells herself that she's thinking of him, but she's really thinking of him in relation to herself.
Since we as readers don't know a whole lot about Chunk, I think we are just as surprised as Jess is when Chunk kind of tells her off right before the wedding. I think the resolution of the whole Chunk plot (ha, that sounds funny) comes out of nowhere--but still gives me all the warm fuzzies.
This book is on the 2017 Rainbow Book List.
My final takeaway (in 75 words or fewer): I enjoyed this book very much and thought Jess's voice was that of an authentic teenage girl. And I do love the book road trip and all its tropes.
In the intro to the book, Clark mentions that she has a transgender daughter, which I thought was exciting, but I was disappointed to find out that Clark doesn't seem to be on social media much. I always enjoy connecting with other trans-parents.
Memorable quotes/passages from the book:
- "In any case, better a sterile adult who's mad at you than a dead kid" (hardback edition, pg. 26).
- "He's wearing his favorite shirt. It has a bunch of ones and zeros on it. He once told me it says 'you are stupid' in binary code.
I told him the gender binary code was even dumber.
Such compatible nerds (hardback edition pg. 77). - "I slogged through a gut-twisting amount of trans hate and fetishism to find information. What I learned mostly was to stay away from online comments sections for anything having to do with gender nonconformity" (pg. 137).
- "Spiritual forgiveness definitely takes a hike when someone hurts your child" (pg. 244).
Other reviews: GLBT Reviews and The YA Kitten
This book is available in the Greensboro Public Library.
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