Slater, Dashka. The 57 Bus.

Slater, Dashka. The 57 Bus. Macmillan/Farrar Strauss  2017  300p.  $17.99  ISBN 978-1-374-30323-5  hs  Nonfiction  E-BN           

Sasha is agender, a term referring to people who do not identify as either male or female. Born as a boy named Luke, Sasha picked their own name, loves wearing skirts and has found a wonderful group of friends at their private high school. Notice the use of “their” instead of “he” or “she”: Sasha prefers these pronouns. Richard is a 16-year-old African-American boy whose mother had him at the age of 14, who has been locked up once for fighting, but who has a good heart and wants to do better. When Sasha falls asleep on the bus and Richard’s friend suggests lighting their skirt on fire, Richard does it, thinking it will be a harmless prank causing no real damage. Subsequently, when Sasha needs several surgeries and Richard is incarcerated, the story may seem to be over.

But it is not over, for this book goes into detail about the types of people Richard and Sasha are. Their background stories at the beginning will lead readers on a journey that is much different from simply hearing that “a black kid set a white boy in a skirt on fire on a bus”. Because this is a true story, the ending is no secret, but getting to know Richard and Sasha through short chapters that touch on many aspects of their lives and of the case will make readers look at the world differently. Slater has written something that will inspire readers to stop judging, to forgive, and to hope.

Summary: The 57 Bus is the true story of an agender teen whose skirt was set on fire on an Oakland public bus.

            
Gender identify, hate crimes, law                                     --Erin Daly

Slater, Dashka The 57 Bus

Slater, Dashka            The 57 Bus    Macmillan/Farrar Strauss    2017   300p   17.99  978-1-374-30323-5            hs                    E-BN   

The true story of an agender teen whose skirt is set on fire on an Oakland public bus. Sasha is agender, meaning they do not identify as either male or female. Born as a boy named Luke, Sasha picked their own name, loves wearing skirts and found a wonderful group of friends at their private high school. Notice the use of “their” instead of “he” or “she”: Sasha prefers these pronouns. Richard is a 16 year old African American boy whose mother had him at 14, has been locked up once for fighting, but has a good heart and wants to do better. When Sasha falls asleep on the bus and Richard’s friend suggest lighting their skirt on fire, Richard does it, thinking it will be a harmless prank causing no real damage. When Sasha needs several surgeries and Richard is incarcerated, the story may seem to be over. But this book goes into the detail of the type of people Richard and Sasha are. Their background stories at the beginning will lead readers on a journey that will be much different than simply hearing “a black kid set a white boy in a skirt on fire on a bus”. Because this is a true story, the ending is no secret, but getting to know Richard and Sasha in short chapters that touch on so many aspects of their lives and the case will make readers look at the world differently. Slater has written something that will inspire readers to stop judging, to forgive and to hope.
Daley, Erin            Gender identify, hate crimes, law

Schmatz, Pat. Lizard Radio.

Schmatz, Pat.  Lizard Radio.  Candlewick Press  2015  280p.  $16.99  ISBN 978-0-7636-7635-3  jr/sr  Science fiction  VG-BN     

Kivali Sauria Kerwin (aka “Lizard”) is sent to camp at a very young age because she is a “bender,” and does not conform to any gender.  In fact, Kivali struggles not only with gender identity, but also with a conviction that she is not human, but saurian (hence her nickname).  The story explores the fact that not all things are binary and how all things are part of a spectrum.  Each person shares a connection to everything.  In the end, choices about identity and sex should matter only to the individual making the choices.

Young adult readers will find that gender queerness is handled with deft sensitivity.  Kivali ultimately comes to consider gender and sex as two separate things.  Gender identity is defined as one's internal sense of being a woman, man, both, or neither, while sex refers to an individual's enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction to others.

As an infant, Kivali was wrapped in a t-shirt with a lizard print on it and abandoned.  She is rescued and fostered by Sheila and Korm, two single women living on the fringes of society.  It is unclear whether Kivali is an “otherkin” by congenital condition or for other reasons.  As an otherkin, Kivali identifies as partially komodo dragon in spirit if not in body.  After a passionate encounter with Sully, a girl Kivali meets at camp and comes to love, Kivali “sheds” her lizard “skin” and for a while becomes a vulnerable, emotional human being.  Kivali clings to a small komodo dragon talisman to ground her secret “saurian” identity, indulging in magical thinking and supernatural beliefs through “lizard radio,” using meditation to connect with a lizard state of being.

Camp is conducted against an idyllic pastoral backdrop.  Campers learn to care for crops, planting seeds, nurturing the seedlings, and weeding out the weak plants so the strong ones thrive.  Not everything at camp is as peaceful as it appears on the surface.  For example, Kivali observes one young man as he “vapes,” a disturbing event where the young man literally disappears before her shocked gaze.  It is unclear whether he has committed suicide and is dead, or if he still exists, but as “waves” rather than “particles.”  The camp director is there but lies to campers about the young man’s fate.  Kivali soon learns that the director is hiding other secrets, too.  It becomes clear that those young people who are followers are being drugged into compliance, while leaders have more autonomy and can choose whether to take the government-endorsed medication called “kickshaw.”

The camp administrator identifies Kivali and her campmates as natural leaders, despite the cohort’s disregard for rules and authority.  Kivali, especially, has been singled out as a change agent with the potential to affect all of society. When the friends refuse to comply with the director’s scheme to control them, they are threatened with expulsion, not just from camp, but from society. Surviving with no resources, skills, or connections in the “Blight” is difficult for adults scraping out a marginal existence.  What will happen to the teens if they are tossed into that mix to fend for themselves?  The open ending in this novel suggests that a sequel is sure to follow.    

Summary: In a near-future world, Kivali struggles with gender identity in this coming-of-age story.   Lizard Radio is set in a near-future world, controlled by a totalitarian government that expects teens to attend camps that provide young people with a place to make the transition to the norms it sets for conforming adults.                      

Gender identity-Fiction, Fantasy-Fiction              --Hilary Welliver

Clark, Kristin Elizabeth. Freak Boy.

Clark, Kristin Elizabeth.  Freak Boy.  Macmillan/Farrar Strauss  2013  432p  $18.99  ISBN 978-0-374-32472-8  jr/sr      Conflict  E-BN   

Brendan is dating Vanessa, who is puzzled when he becomes distant, since they have always clicked on all levels, including sexually.  Brendan is afraid to tell Vanessa about his sexually conflicted thoughts.  He rejects the term “gay” since he likes sex with Vanessa, and he wonders if he may be transsexual.  As his mind grapples with who he really is, by chance he encounters Angel, a transgender, who works at the local LGBTQ center.  Alternating chapters detail the backgrounds of Angel, Vanessa, and Brendan, written in free-flowing verse that explores the depths of their inner feelings of insecurity and abuse.  This book will remind readers of Ellen Hopkins’s novels.  The free-flowing verse includes short verses hidden within longer verses, verse arranged to become pictures on the page, and succinct writing that will remain with the reader long after the novel is finished.  Words like “gay”, “transgender”, “transsexual”, “genderqueer” and “genderfluid” reveal the vast number of words applied to people who do not fit the “norm” as defined by society.  This is a book that will reassure sexually conflicted teens that they are not alone in their questioning.  And for other teens exploring their sexual selves for the first time, this book demonstrates that insecurities and conflicts exist in all types of sexual relationships.  A list of online and print LGBTQ resources is appended at the end of the novel.

Summary: Brendan is an outstanding wrestler, and his long-running relationship with his girlfriend, Vanessa, is reaching a crossroads.  This is a compelling novel in verse that explores the thoughts of a boy wondering if he is a transsexual.  No graphic sex scenes. Gr 7-12. 

Transgender teens-Fiction, Gender identity-Fiction                --Lois McNicol