Symptoms of Being Human

Symptoms of Being Human, by Jeff Garvin

Publication Information: New York : Blazer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublisher, 2016

Summary:  A sharply honest and moving debut perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Ask the Passengers

Riley Cavanaugh is many things.  Punk rock.  Snarky.  Rebellious.  And gender fluid.  Some days Riley identifies a boy, and others as a girl.  But Riley isn't exactly out yet.  And between starting a new school an dhaving a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure ==media and otherwise--is building up in Riley's life. 

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it's really like to be a gender fluid teeenager.  But just as Riley's starting to settle in at school--even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast--the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley's real identity, threatening exposure.  And Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created--a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in--or stand up, come out, and risk everything.  

From debut author Jeff Garvin comes a powerful and uplifting portrait of a modern teen struggling with high school, relationships, and what it means to be a person. 

Author Interview:

Read-a-Likes:

Brooklyn, Burning, by Steven Brezenoff

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

The Distance Between Lost and Found, by Kathryn Holmes

If I was Your Girl, by Meredith Russo

What We Left Behind, by Robin Talley

 

Links of Interest:

Author website:  jeffgarvinbooks.com    

Educator Guide:  HERE

Gender Identity:  genderspectrum.org

Youth Pride RI:  youthprideri.org

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