This latest didn't quite hit the spot for me. Readers looking to understand how discrimination against transgender people can affect siblings will no doubt be interested to read this one. All our books are covered with a clear, removable, chemically inert, protective wrapper before being securely bubble wrapped and dispatched in strong corrugated cardboard boxes. It's rather limiting to restrict authors of fiction to their own personal experience, and I don't see anything wicked in a writer considering what it might be like, to experience a major alteration in family dynamics, complicated in this household by press intrusion. Review: My Brother's Name is Jessica by John Boyne. When we do get it, we feel for her, but I would have liked much more. Would you like it if people called you by the wrong name and gender because "it's catchy? "
150 years ago, it was the blacks. If I wanted a few thousand words of cis people talking about how confusing and difficult trans people are, I don't have to read this book. And until he visits their aunt, there is really no adults who can offer Sam any kind of useful direction on how he can best support Jessica. Sam idolises Jason, who seems to have life sorted – he's kind, popular, amazing at football, and girls are falling over themselves to date him. Sam Waver has always been a loner: bullied, struggling at school, with parents who have very little time for him. Something to think about when looking at reading about experiences different to our own. Straight off, seeing the title and blurb, I can see issues. My brothers name is jessica adams. I've already gotten rid of several and frankly I have better things to do. Ok, below here is the stuff about trans representation in the book. I am not looking for a debate, I am simply expressing my opinion.
John Boyne is a brilliant author and this view into a family turned upside down is one of his best novels for young people yet. Shipping calculated at checkout. Although clearly written for a younger audience, and while I found it a more or less "easy" read, in places I found that ideas and phrases were repeated too often, and to a degree that felt as though the author himself, wasn't really sure who he was writing for. None of the characters, with the exception of Sam were developed enough and even Sam had the potential to be a little irritating. My brothers name is jessica lewis. I myself am not convinced and would like to dig into it and figure out what I think about it myself (as a cis, I might add) for the simple reason that I believe there isn't any book which should be instantly dismissed because it would be like dismissing a person's opinion as soon as they open their mouth. In UK, a man pretended to be gay on FB and raped 3 women( not gay)!
We shall always find someone to find different, freakish, someone we can bully. Am I, a known trans, being overly sensitive? An already volatile family is thrown into chaos when Sam's older brother, Jason, gains the confidence to tell her family that she is actually Jessica. You would have seen how acceptance comes from most unlikeliest of sources such as the MC's football coach or his aunt. One kid, struggling, and often sadly failing, to understand just how difficult life is for another. I'm very disappointed in Boyne. Luckily for Sam, his older brother, Jason, has always been there for him. I'm not trans; I can't understand what trans people go through. While I do think it was written with the best of intentions, in my opinion, it just doesn't hit the mark. So how long can they keep pretending? Can't find what you're looking for? My Brother’s Name Is Jessica – John Boyne – A Discussion –. So moving, beautifully written.
This young man's desperation to reveal his true self to his family is heartbreaking. Sam is basically invisible. And how long can they ignore her pain? It is about people not understanding THINGS THEY DO NOT KNOW. My brothers name is jessica stroup. We're recommending this for 11/12+ but it can definitely be read by younger readers who are curious about the topic and are okay with discussions of pornography - although many of the political jokes will go over their heads. As a transgender author who is neck-deep in a community of other trans writers, seeing this book--that makes money off us, centers the cis experience, and does it WRONG all the while--get good ratings, bring in money for a cis writer, and be PUBLISHED by a substantial publisher, all while my trans siblings--writing about their trans experiences respectfully and honestly--struggle to be seen in traditional publishing spaces, is a knife through the heart. A fine, unread copy of a first edition, first impression hardback in a fine, unclipped dustjacket.
This is not good trans representation, and it's not a good book to give to a young adult who might be in a similar situation to the main character. And while I was actually planning on reading A Ladder To The Sky during my trip this weekend, I'm not planning to do so anymore. After reading John Boyne's transphobic article promoting this forthcoming book, it's apparent how ever much research he did, it wasn't nearly enough. There were several people on goodreads who claimed to have NOT read the fucking book yet they rated the book one star as the book was "transphobic". ISBN: 9780241376164. I can only imagine how the trans community feels right now. In fiction, this power should be wielded carefully and only with the knowledge of the damage they will do. We are terrified of cruelty, rejection and, in some situations, death. Everything about the outside of this book is a huge red flag for trans readers. Now, some of you may have read this and think I'm completely wrong, or I've completely missed the point, and I'm open to a discussion in the comments.
If you really want to be a good ally, don't write stuff like this. She teaches them tolerance at her own expense. What is the problem, you ask? Not just in terms of how they behaved, which was certainly awful, but the way they were written was so 2 dimensional that they came across as almost parodies of 'parents who don't accept their trans child'. Sam takes a lot of flak, losing his protector at school, bullied on account of his non-conforming sibling, and now a sideline for his parents. Not only is the title a trash-fire, it's also the line used in the emotional climax of the novel, the moment in which the brother, on behalf of his family, publicly accepts his sister's identity in front of the media (the mother is running for PM, it's at a press conference). No one needs another book about cis people "struggling" to deal with having a trans family member. So yeah I am an asshole in the making, just like everyone else. While hurt is often valid, this setup overshadows the fact that society is NOT fair to trans people, who face struggles that cis people don't. The one person he has always been able to rely on is his beloved older sibling - but when they announce that they are transitioning, Sam''s life is thrown upside down. There are no big name trans books by trans authors. It is about people being ASSHOLES, BIGOTED AND PREJUDICED.
Edit: After a discussion, I have removed my rating of this book, leaving only my comment. What happens when, one day, your older brother announces that he is actually your sister? Normalize the acceptance and existence of trans people. My 14th adult novel, ALL THE BROKEN PLACES, a sequel and companion novel to THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS, will be published in the UK on September 15th 2022, in the US and Canada on November 29th, and in many foreign language editions in late 2022 and 2023. Now let's be clear - misgendering by family is something which happens to trans people. If you feel I have misunderstood something feel free to point it out to me, as long as you have read the book. At thirteen, I felt he should have been more worldly, their parents definitely so, in the world of government and political posturing.
'A story with so much heart that the pages practically pulse. The title and the blurb scream that this is yet another story that uses our lives and struggles as the backdrop to talk about how ~hard~ it is for the cis people in our lives to deal with us. Narrated by: Joe Jameson.