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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