Coffee, Books, and Kittens

Okay, I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I'd like to point out that the only reason I picked this book up was because the author shares my first name. That's a little lame, right? But whatever, because when I got home and pulled it out of the Barns & Noble bag I read the inside cover and was nearly brought to tears. That's right, nearly brought to tears just because of the description on the cover sleeve.

Let me explain why. Because this book is about a girl named Alex who had been called and been told that she is actually a he. Because this book is about a 16-year-old transgender kid. Because this book might be the hope for some kids out there struggling like Alex is. Because they could be dealing with a family like Alex's. Because this book is about a topic that people like to avoid because Alex is different and that's scary in this world. It's something we don't get to read a lot about. It's like trying to find books with gay main characters. Except so much harder.

I liked the book because even though I would never compare my struggles to the struggles Alex went through I can still find connections with her. I feel like she was forced to grow up too bad, she was forced this load on her shoulders that she wasn't ready to carry, but she carried it anyway.

I liked this book because Alex knew what she wanted and she knew who was was despite the fact that everyone told her otherwise. Because she fought for who she was.

And the book made me angry. I read it within three hours and I was furious with Alex's mom and some of her internet friends or whatever they were.

I was furious because when you have a child you have to be ready for whatever. Being a parent is a full-time job. You have to love your child twenty-four-seven and it shouldn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl or if your child likes boys or girls or both. You have to be totally okay with the fact that you could possibly be a parent to a transgender child.

And with that, you're not allowed to 'take some time off' and go to the island of Fiji for a couple of day's. Parent's don't get breaks. They don't get vacations away from kids because they just can't just stop saying 'he' and start saying 'she.'

The whole time I could understand that it could take some getting use to and that it might be hard for Alex's parents to... Comprehend some of the stuff. But it just didn't settle well with me. Alex say's she's a girl. Alex... Alex is a girl whether you want her to be or not. Why was that so hard for them to get? Why did her mother keep referring to her as him/he/his. She's 15... Nearly 16 and you're forcing her to take hormonal pills (literally, she tries to force Alex to eat some pancakes because she found out she stopped taking the pills and she had put them into her pancakes (French Toast maybe?) without telling Alex.) that will make her into more of a dude than a chick.

I don't know. That screams SHIITTY and, as Alex once put it, ABUSIVE.