The Art of Being Normal: A Novel by Lisa Williamson
Product Details
Web ID: 15419691Misleading story
While I can appreciate someone trying to write about the trans experience, I feel like the author did not consult with a single trans person before publishing it. I understand that there might be a cultural difference as well, (I'm American, the author us from the UK), but(SMALL SPOILERS) the trans character gets misgendered constantly even after deciding to outwardly present as femme. While the plot is okay, the characters don't have much development in the book and are subject to both external and internalized transphobia. Also huge trigger warning for the middle of the book when the characters come out to each other, one of the characters is assaulted. I will not be recommending this book to anyone, the only reason I got it at the store was that the back cover made it seem like it was going to be a trans coming of age/out of the closet story, this was not it.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Needs some Work
It was great to see trans characters dealing with realistic situations. But some of the writing could've been changed. The trans femme gets deadnamed and misgendered by the other trans character until the last 7 pages, which you would hop you wouldn't see.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Honestly a disgusting book
I bought this book because I wanted to read more books with lgbt characters and a friend recommended it to me. Throughout the book characters that are MINORS get sexualised and one of the main characters gets deadnamed and misgendered even after she comes out. Honestly, as a transmasc reading this book it made me so furious, buying the book is not worth it.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Many relatable elements, but old school in terms
So, as a trans person I did find many parts of this book were relatable, plus it included trans masc experiences I rarely see represented in literature (relating to harassment on the premise of being a straight trans man by cis het people, especially in a school setting). But it uses old-school and at times bio essentialist terms, the kids in the book are represented as ignorant of both themselves and other trans people (which I don't wholly dock points for because I've experienced and seen that in real life, so it might not be done out of ignorance). I do have problems with Kate's chapters remaining the same title after she finally states her name, parts of it I understood as it's framed like even she doesn't know how to think of herself or how her life might look as anyone other than how she's been raised, but it doesn't help the reader and the flow of her journey for it to remain the same after thar point. Otherwise, I do appreciate this book, just remember going into it that it's written by a cis person and the characters are largely somewhat ignorant kids going into it.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
amazing!
This book was so good. It was one of my favorite reads. It was hard for me to put this book down lol.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The Caitlyn Jenner of queer books
As a trans masc person myself this book was just awful. To start off, the book refers to one of the main characters (a trans girl) by her deadname and by he/him until the last SEVEN pages of the book. Even the other trans person in the book refers to his friend as a guy EVEN AFTER she comes out to him and tells him she prefers to be called Kate (the only exception when he was literally drunk). While still on this topic, ever time that Leo was deadnamed (which was way too often) could have been worded differently or wasn't needed at all. Now I could continue ranting about how much this book brought me pain from the over-sexualization of character (which wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that they are all MINORS) to how it caused the worst anxiety attack I've had in months, but I do not want to even think of this train wreck of a book any longer.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
hi!
it's really great (coming from a trans person) it may not be the most soft and easy read, but these things happen and its nice to see on paper!
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Not Accurate to the Trans Experience
From the blurb on the back to the last few pages, this book is pretty transphobic for a book that's supposed to frame two trans characters positively. For starters, one main character, Kate, is referred to as her deadname and with male pronouns until the final chapter of the book. This even happens when she tells the other main character, Leo, who is a trans man. He knows how much it hurts to be misgendered, and yet even after Kate tells Leo her pronouns and preferred name, Leo still refers to her in the narrative as "he" and by her deadname. He doesn't refer to her as Kate and "she" until seven pages away from the end. Additionally, when Leo reveals to Kate that he is a trans man, she asks, "You're a girl?" She claims to have done research online, but if that were true, she would know that Leo is not a girl, just like she is not a boy. I started out wanting to like this book, but it let me and other trans readers like me down. This is a book about trans people by a cis woman, for cis people. She may claim that she wrote it for trans teens, but ultimately this book perpetuates harmful misconceptions.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com