John Boyne

My Brother's Name is Jessica

Jasmin 

** spoiler alert **
           "The worst piece of advice anyone can give a writer is to write about what they know. [... ]" Boyne, p 245
In the following pages of the afterword, Boyne writes about himself being gay and talking to transgender youth.





And yet, I (from an outsiders perspective) would consider this book as quite damaging. Jessica constantly gets misgendered. She even leaves her home to live with her aunt to escape the transphobia she hast to face at home where everyone insists on he/him pronouns and calling her Jason. Reasoning that the narrator is just too young to know better does not work in this case - Sam is 13 when the story starts and does only in the last few pages change in a matter of pages. Sam is ddpicted as the poot kid in the center oc his schoolmates bullying him for Jessicas comeing out. 
All of Jessica's family make an unrealistic development in the end, they turn from transphobic and trying to fix their child to being super supportive. If I had been able to see that development I would be more than happy with it, but as it was handled off screen it doesn't reallybfeel natural. 

Reading the book it is very clear that it was written for middle grade readers - what lead to it being quite a fast read. I am not at all mad about that thoug. 

I really wanted to like this book but I can't really. Neighter the writing style nor how the topic was handled conceived me

Sam Waver's life has always been pretty quiet. A bit of a loner, he struggles to make friends, and his busy parents often make him feel invisible. Luckily for Sam, his older brother, Jason, has always been there for him. Sam idolises Jason, who seems to have life sorted - he's kind, popular, amazing at football, and girls are falling over themselves to date him. But then one evening Jason calls his family together to tell them that he's been struggling with a secret for a long time. A secret which quickly threatens to tear them all apart. His parents don't want to know and Sam simply doesn't understand. Because what do you do when your brother says he's not your brother at all? That he thinks he's actually . . . your sister?

My Brother's Name Is Jessica

Laura Mitchell Hutchinson

I loved this book. It really honestly deals with the emotional issues of identity and family, speaking through the voice of the younger brother who absolutely adores his older brother... now sister. 

I recognise that some LGBTIQ+ activists struggle with this book because of the pronouns used and the negative way that the family initially reacts to the situation. However this book is written for cis gendered people who are looking to gain a greater understanding of gender issues and how it affects not only the transgender person but also those who love them deeply. It does not take you inside the mind of the transgender person but rather through the journey of shock, confusion then understanding and acceptance of the people around them. I thought it was a really beautiful story and would highly recommend it to anyone.

My Brother's Name is Jessica

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