None of the Above

This is one of those books that a reader can learn from. This is the first YA book that I read that talks about being intersex. And I think that's special.

We have Kristin, the popular homecoming queen who's actually nice. And I like that she was characterized like that because it has that hero-to-zero troupe kind of thing. And we don't see that too often. I really like how the story goes and how she handles it.

I also have to mention all of Kristin's relationships in this book. Her relationship with her father, friends, boyfriend, new people she meets, her doctors, like everything was very well put together.

This book really thought me a lot about intersex and how they see themselves. And how it could be so difficult navigating through something like this. I really liked the book.

If anything, I did think the book kind of ended abruptly... Like the ending was rushed in a way. And I'm stil confused as to how every person in her school learned about Kristin being inetersex.

I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator did such a good job with it. I really like how she brought the emotions to the book and how she voiced Kristen.

MY THOUGHTS
Krissy is a normal girl. She's popular at school, has a great boyfriend, and she's an athlete with full scholarship coming her way. But a visit to the doctor changes her life forever when they tell her that's she's intersex, meaning that she's outwardly a girl, but has boy parts on the inside. Krissy tries to deal with this new information, keeping it underwraps, but the news gets out to the school anyway. Now, her entire life in unraveling and she has to deal with bullying everyday. All the while, she has to convince everyone, including herself, that she's still a girl.

I picked up this book mostly because I have never heard of the term intersex, I didn't even know that this was a thing that existed. I was curious and wanted to understand this more. I think this is one of the reasons why this book needs to be important. I had no idea this existed, and I know other reviewers also didn't. This book does not only a great job at explaining what it means to be intersex, but gives a realistic look at what it's like.

This book is also very sad and made me incredibly angry. The main focus is on Krissy and dealing with being intersex, but there's also a focus on bullying. High School kids can be so horrible! The bullying that Krissy had to go through was cruel and no one should have to go through that. That's the sad and realistic thing, though. Many kids have gone through similar types of bullying and I wish that it wasn't like that!

What really does define this book is how realistic it is. I keep using that word in my review, over and over, because this book is so very real! The characters, the plot, the entire book was done so it does not feel fictional, it felt like we were watching Krissy's story. I would also like to mention how this book is very emotional, but it's not all anger and tears. There are bright spots in the book and the entire time we're watching Krissy deal with this, we see Krissy grow and deal with this change in her life. Even though it's a bumpy road.

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, this was such a realistic read and I was invested in Krissy's story. I do want more people to read this book. It will give more insight on what it means to be intersex and even talk about other harsh topics that I really think people should be more aware of. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to what else I.W. Gregorio writes.

Kristin Lattimer has it all. She's a championship hurdler, has a full-ride scholarship to college, a terrific boyfriend she's in love with, and she's just been voted homecoming queen. One visit to the doctor changes everything she's ever known. Kristin is intersex. It's hard enough for her to try to process and deal with this information, but when it gets leaked to the whole school, she finds out just how quickly people can turn on you.

I admit, I went into this book a little nervous. Not because of the subject matter but because I was expecting, and received, a lot of medical information and it could have turned into a medical textbook with a side of Kristin, instead of Kristin's story with medical facts. I was nervous for no reason. The medical facts, all the information, fit so well into the story without making it dry.

I really liked Kristin as a character. She was really sweet and caring and there was a reason she was voted homecoming queen so when people who she'd been nothing but nice to turned on her so quickly, it made me so angry for her. Her whole journey was very hard to read but also very powerful and necessary to read. She was almost completely ignorant before she was diagnosed so we saw the process of her learning and all the questions she suddenly had.

I loved the inclusion of the support group. It was nice to see the good side of the internet, connecting Kristin with people who knew what she was going through and who could offer advice. Also, all the research Kristin and her dad did, all so easily accessible to them. I appreciated that the school counselor was nice and wanted to help and do her job. I also appreciated that there were a few classroom discussions held, as in actual schoolwork.

The plot was mainly about Kristin and her dealing with her diagnosis, but also about everything that came with being labeled as different. The bullying, the harassment, the loneliness, the anger, the denial but it wasn't just about the negative. There was acceptance, there was new friendships, there was understanding. The book included a hopeful message and it did so without sounding like an after school special, which I thought was important. This is a message that needs to be heard.

As I said, the book was hard to read because what Kristin was going through was so unfair. It was also very informative and insightful. This is the type of book there needs to be more of, the kind that gets people talking about it. Maybe if there's more talking, there will be more understanding, and if there's more understanding then we'll have more acceptance.

Originally found at: http://www.tween2teenbooks.com/2015/03/none-of-above-by-iw-gregorio.html

First Impressions

This is like the year of diverse books, and boy, this didn't disappoint. I got a copy of the ARC from The Regulator. None of the Above does not shy away from details or skim over things. It feels very real. Plus, the author is a surgeon, so I trust a lot of the medical facts. The book is a quick read, and on that I'm now loaning to all my friends.

Characters

Kristin is pretty cool. It's nice that she's not super confident about everything. She gives her best friend more trust than she deserves, especially after everything that happens. Kristin reacts badly, as anyone would, and really freaks out. While I can't relate to Kristin in intersex terms, I feel like I would act similarly to how she did. You know a book is good when, even if you are very different from the main character, you can still relate and empathize with them.

I can't believe just how mean and nasty her school is though. At least with the environment I've grown up in, I can't believe that that would happen. Ignorance causes people to do crazy things, but I can't believe it would be that crazy.

There is a little bit of romance in the book, which I like. It's also interesting to see people try to understand, but because of their own prejudices, etc, simply not be able to, but do still try to treat Kristin with respect.

Writing

I read this a while ago, so I don't remember much about the writing, sadly. I know I enjoyed it, and it was very to the point.

World-Building

There's a very big world in this story, and after Kristin gets her diagnosis, it gets even bigger. Kristin discovers ways to cope through help on the internet, and even makes some new friends. It is a contemporary book though, and so much of the world we already know. I've never read a book about an intersex character before, but this did not disappoint!