I Am J

I Am J


By: Cris Beam
Reviewed by: Teralyn E., 14
Rating: It was amazing!


I got this book from the 'Free Friday' event hosted here on the Fresno Libary's website. I didn't read the synopsis until after I had been declared the winner. After reading what it was about, I thought it would be a little weird (I can't reacall ever reading anything in the category of 'queer lit') but I also thought it would be interesting.

J, formerly known as Jeni, was born as a girl. J never thought of himself as a girl, he always thought as a boy. Until puberty. His body began to (obviously) show signs of the fact that he was a girl, and he began to hate evry inch of himself for it.

During J's senior year, he was finally determined to make his lifelong dream come true- He wanted to be a real boy. Known by society as a male, not just to himself in his head.

This book shows how difficult it is to be accepted for who we really are, it shows the bias of people, and how it affects those who are being biased against. It shows the celebration of gender-differences, not by how we look, but by how we percieve ourselves.

There is some language, and the subject of the book itself may not be appealing to some readers, but this was a really nice book. It let the reader get a glance into the truth behind transgender people, and the process it takes to transition.

Very touching story.


Recommended to: Older Teens