Every Day: Torn from the Girl You Love

Every Day by David Levithan 

Why did I read it?

Because I'm a fan of Quantum Leap and other similar sci-fi shows, and the synopsis made it sound super interesting!

What happened?

For as long as he can remember, A has borrowed someone else's body for the day, and then bounced to someone else the next day. He can remember what happened the day before, but he can also remember past experiences from the person he is currently borrowing from.

When he was younger, this quick attraction and then swift separation was devastating. His 'parents-for-the-day' couldn't figure out why their 'child' didn't want to go to bed at night. But, A has since accepted his fate, and actually finds some amazement in the everyday occurrences that are so similar and yet so different. Every day he does his best to leave his host's life in as close to the same shape as he can, and he has gotten pretty good at it. 

That is, until he borrows Justin's life for a day and meets his girlfriend, Rhiannon. There is something about her perseverance, love of life, and inherent sweetness that A can't ignore. So instead of acting like Justin for the day, A hopes that she can somehow see past the outside and see the real him on the inside. Just like every other day, A jumps to someone else the following morning. But, he refuses to lose the connection, the enormity, of what happened with Rhiannon.

What did I like or not like?

This book was just ridiculously readable. All of the every day events could happen in someone's life, but through it all you know it isn't normal because A is experiencing these things for people, and this gives the book a unique voice and perspective. While the world events seem commonplace, the way they combine to complicate A's life is really fascinating.

I started this book really excited, couldn't put it down because it kept me gripped the whole time, and thought it followed through on its promising story line all the way to the ending. Read it!

P.S. There is very slight cussing, and one scene with some sexual content.

I Am J: A Boy's Story (who was born as a girl)

I Am J by Cris Beam

Why did I read it?

I just started another library science class this summer, and it is Children's Literature for a Diverse Society. I am J is a new book that just rolled across my desk, and it fits right along with the themes of my class.

What happened?

J might have been born a girl, Jeni, but he has known his entire life that it was a mistake. He knew that if gender was assigned, that his was assigned incorrectly. J has plodded through his life, stuck with a body that he hates and that continues to betray him. But that is all about to change.

After a certain incident with his best friend, J starts to question how he's been living. Instead of existing as a head trying to avoid his body, he wants to start making changes to his body so it is closer to what he knows he is.

But, that decision starts to dissolve his relationships with his friends, his family, and the future that he had initially planned. While that is the case, J knows this is something he has to do, and while he will try to get those other pieces back, he knows he has to be himself.

What did I like or not like?

My first assignment for my summer class is talking about books on diversity and whether they serve as a window to another culture, or a mirror about myself. These kinds of books do both for me. I am not very familiar with the LGBTQ world, so Will Grayson, Will Grayson and I Am J were a very eye-opening window into how this community thinks and exists.

But on the other hand, both books made me think about my own ideas on these topics, and how we all question who we are and who we are going to become. So, they also served as a mirror.

P.S. This book deals with a transgender main character, discussions of sex and sexual identity, and has some cussing.