An advanced reading copy from the Amazon Vine program to read and review.

I make a conscious effort to periodically read books that are written by authors from outside my white male, cis-gender life perspective. And so I chose this book to read because it is written by two authors who would challenge my worldview and force me to look at the world from very different perspectives.

This book is the story of Marizol Leyva, of her childhood as a foster child, raised by the Leyva family, raised as a boy, the gender assigned at birth. It is her story of self-discovery, of coming, eventually, to understand that she identified herself as female, an her decision to transition to life as a trans-woman.

But it is also the story of her older sister Selenis, who, in spite of the struggles of her own life, tried to understand and support Marizol through the struggles, triumphs, and setbacks of her transition. It is a story about family learning to accept that their loved one is different than they expected.

There is a lot of heartbreak in this story. Marizol's life had no shortage of heartbreak, and as readers we get a front row seat to a lot of it, both from Marizol's point of view and from her sister's. And while much of this story is difficult to read, they are important because they highlight the challenges that young trans-gendered people face. Marizol's story is exceptional largely because it isn't an exception. Instead, this story is relatively typical, and it is important for those of use outside this world to understand how had this kind of life can be, and recognize the ways that we contribute to that difficulty.

I added this book to the BookCrossing virtual convention Book Buffet, and it was selected by GoryDetails, so I'm dropping this in the mail, on its way to New Hampshire.

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DEAR FINDER,
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I hope you enjoy the book!

The book arrived safely on this surprisingly snowy day - many thanks! (Not kidding about the snow; I had to shovel a couple of inches of heavy wet slush off of my porch.)

Later: I appreciated the dual-viewpoint aspect of this book, showing Marizol's struggles and transition alongside her sister Selenis' own difficulties - with examples of the ups and downs of sisterly relationships, family and cultural expectations, and the ongoing stresses of life. In some places it's painful to read, but ultimately rewarding. The epilogue has some words of wisdom as well, including "healing is not pretty"...

Guidelines for safely visiting and stocking Little Free Libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the LFL site here.

I left this book in this new-to-me Little Free Library on my first visit to family since COVID; hope someone enjoys the book!

[See other recent releases in NY here.]

*** Released for the 2021 LGBTQ+ Pride challenge. ***

*** Released for the 2021 Allergic to A challenge. ***

*** Released for the 2021 Keep Them Moving challenge. ***