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Book Review

Book: The Art of Being Normal, Lisa Williamson

Genre: YA, LGBTQ

Synopsis: David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…

Warnings: Transphobia, underage drinking.

Review: 

I really enjoyed this book. I’m very picky when it comes to LGBT literature on most days of the week, so I have some small gripes here and there but to be honest I’m not going to talk about them because this book is very much worth a read, especially for teens and young adults whether they’re transgender or not. To be honest, I actually think cisgender people could very much benefit from reading this book because it does talk a lot about what it’s like to be a trans teenager. It can be easy and hard and yes, terrifying too. 

The characters are good, a little basic, but for a YA novel they’re certainly three-dimensional enough. I liked the plot, I liked the plot twist, and even though there were fear inducing parts, I like how the main premise was about overcoming the anxiety and stepping out into the world wholly and completely yourself. 

I also loved Leo, he is such a mood, I very much related to his character and I wish I’d read this book when I was in high school because I think I would’ve been like “ah, that’s me.” 

4.5/5 and I recommend others read this too!

[dorididntdie]

I’ve actually read this book and I have some points to add to this already amazing review (I have a positive bias to the book)

The art of being normal is an amazing book in my opinion due to it’s very accurate (to my experience) representation of gender dysphoria. Another thing that makes it great is the use of a stealth (doesn’t openly say they are trans) character and a costed character, this provides a great contrast and makes the story more relatable to a wider audience whilst not making the plot unnatural.

The character development makes me so happy as i love to see what people are going through and how they cope. A good example of this is Leo and how he begins to open up to a new group of friends after originally saying that he was just going to keep his head down.

Critiques’ :

Formatting - I would’ve preferred for it to be more obvious then the text change when perspective were changed but i assume this varies depending on what copy you buy.

Leo’s twin - I would’ve loved to have more of Leo’s twins story to be brought in as this would’ve made the book more relatable to family (especially siblings of) trans* people. I also think that finding out more about her relationship through the book would be interesting.

Diversity - Both Leo and David are from white background and it would’ve been cool to have either David as a POC as that could give more of a link to trans* POC troubles which need more representation.

Conclusion:

I think the book is amazing and if you have the chance to read it then I highly recommend it. Weather you are trans* or not as it gives a great balanced perspective.

4/5 stars

Get your own copy:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Being-Normal-Lisa-Williamson/dp/1910200328

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-art-of-being-normal/lisa-williamson/9781788451338

https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9781788451338?gC=5a105e8b&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzZL-BRDnARIsAPCJs70xMfJ4ZQBwu7SZPNX3mEZzZ_j7WyuXERZRZajyZbZmTjDv0mNcFA4aAtdHEALw_wcB

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excellent addition thank you!

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...and I want to throw up because we're supposed to quietly and politely make house in this killing machine called America and pay taxes to support our own slow murder and I'm amazed that we're not running amok in the streets, and that we can still be capable of gestures of loving after lifetimes of this.

Close to the Knives, David Wojnarowicz

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Book Review

Book: The Art of Being Normal, Lisa Williamson

Genre: YA, LGBTQ

Synopsis: David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…

Warnings: Transphobia, underage drinking.

Review: 

I really enjoyed this book. I’m very picky when it comes to LGBT literature on most days of the week, so I have some small gripes here and there but to be honest I’m not going to talk about them because this book is very much worth a read, especially for teens and young adults whether they’re transgender or not. To be honest, I actually think cisgender people could very much benefit from reading this book because it does talk a lot about what it’s like to be a trans teenager. It can be easy and hard and yes, terrifying too. 

The characters are good, a little basic, but for a YA novel they’re certainly three-dimensional enough. I liked the plot, I liked the plot twist, and even though there were fear inducing parts, I like how the main premise was about overcoming the anxiety and stepping out into the world wholly and completely yourself. 

I also loved Leo, he is such a mood, I very much related to his character and I wish I’d read this book when I was in high school because I think I would’ve been like “ah, that’s me.” 

4.5/5 and I recommend others read this too!

[honest-xpression]

One of the best dance routines I’ve ever watched.

The Nicholas Brothers

[securelyinsecure]

This is incredible

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he way the mucisians lurch out of the way....I wanna know the outtakes

[marauders4evr]

So imagine you’re a gay top, right, and you’re out on a date with your partner, just having a fun time, and you’re about to head home, when you spot this kid passed out on the streets, your partner wants to help him, but you’re obviously a little worried that you could face severe repercussions if you help this random kid, then you realize that he could be a potential ally, so the two of you drag him out of the streets and into a safe space, and when he wakes up, he confesses that he’s homeless, so you and your partner go through the process of adopting him, you two take him home, you two give him a good meal, you two start to teach him some philosophies in life, he slowly grows up, you two help him through his bad dreams, you two help him through his bad memories, you two play games with him, he completely roasts you at an eating contest, he’s extremely active, you’re always on the move, you’re walking everywhere, like literally walking all the time, like so much walking, and you’re there for him and then all of a sudden, his childhood friend shows up on your doorstep and is like, “Your adopted son is really the king.” and then he falls in love with a woman in like 2.55 minutes which is definitely not something you two taught him how to do, so you’re confused, and the weather gets really weird, and you’re even more confused and in the end, all you really want to know is WHO’S THE MONKEY and by the time you’re dressing in drag and doing the hula, you’ve realized that maybe it’s better if you just don’t worry about it…

[newtgeiszler]

i love the aggressively unnecessary decision op made in announcing the fact that timon is a top in this post

[sprotteslaettberg]

Special thanks to the comment above for adding the name and making me realize that this is, in fact, about the Lion King, and not some medieval gay knights AU

[kingscrown666]

“Your adopted son is really the king” is what did it for me

[villainous-queer-deactivated202]

100% thought this was about Elton John until ‘he completely roasts you at an eating contest’ but didn’t click until ‘your adopted son is the king’ lmao

[gahdamnpunk]

American Girl stories were the best tbh

[that-catholic-shinobi]

Dude, read the books, she and her mom freed themselves in Book 1. We don’t disrespect American Girl in this house

[allthefandomss]

Don’t you dare disrespect Addy, or any of my girls for that matter. American Girl used to be legit. Good stories, good dolls, good movies.

[smugkoalas]

Felicity’s story was set in the beginnings of the American Revolution, and addressed the conflict that she faced when her loved ones were split between patriots and loyalists. It also covered the effects of animal abuse, and forgiving those who are unforgivable.

Samantha’s stories centered around the growth of industrial America, women’s suffrage, child abuse, and corruption in places of power. Also, it emphasises how dramatically adoption into a caring family can turn a life around.

Kit’s story is one of my favorites. Her family is hit hard by the Great Depression, and they begin taking in boarders and raise chickens to help make ends meet. Her books include themes of poverty, police brutality, homelessness, prejudice, and the importance of unity in difficult times.

Molly’s father, a doctor, is drafted during the Second World War. Throughout her story, friends of hers suffer the loss of their husbands, sons, and brothers overseas. Her mother leaves the traditional housewife position and works full-time to help with the war effort. They also take in an English refugee child, who learns to open up after a life of traumatic experience.

American Girl stories have always featured the very harsh realities of America through the years. But they’re always presented honestly, yet in ways that kids can understand. They just go to show that you don’t have to live in a perfect time to be a real American girl.

[chaos-in-the-making]

Dont you fucking dare disrespect the American Girls in my house. ESPECIALLY Addy!! That was my first REAL contact with the horrors of slavery, as I read about her father being whipped and sold and her mother escaping with her to freedom, but also how freedom was still a struggle.

A slave doll. Please. Read the books.

[ironwoman359]

Don’t forget Kirsten, the Swedish immigrant who had to deal with balancing her own culture and learning the english language and customs of her classmates, or Kaya (full name Kaya'aton'my, or She Who Arranges Rocks) , the brave but careless girl from the Nez Perce tribe, or Josefina, the Mexican girl learning to be a healer.

And then there are the later dolls, that kids younger than me would have grown up with (I was just outgrowing American Girl as these came out), like Rebecca, the Jewish girl who dreams of becoming an actress in the budding film industry, or  Julie, who fights against her school’s gender policy surrounding sports in the 70s, or  Nanea, the Hawaiian girl whose father worked at Pearl Harbor.

These books, these characters, are fantastic pictures into life for girls in America throughout the years, they pull no punches with the horrors that these girls had to face in their different time periods, and in many cases I learned more history from these series than social studies at school. And that’s without even mentioning the “girl of the year” series where characters are created in the modern world to help girls deal with issues like friend problems, moving, or bullying. We do NOT disrespect American Girl in this house.

[razzleberryjam]

American Girl is probably going to be the only exposure young girls are going to get to history from a female perspective. This is actually kind of important considering that in history classes we dont really get that exposure. We dont hear about what women felt and endured during these time periods cause schools are too busy teaching us about what happened from the male perspective, which is not unimportant, but we need both. Girls need both.

[star-linedsoul]

These books were such a crucial part of my childhood and shaped my love of history, which still ensures today. These books can be a young girl’s first lessons in diversity and cultural awareness (hopefully burying that insensitive “we’re all Americans” tripe) and looking at history from more perspectives than just that taught in school. They also are an example of how women have ALWAYS been part of history, which some people would rather us not believe.

I think Kit and Kaya were the newest American Girls when I started “aging out” of the books, but hearing about some of these kinda makes me want to revisit them!

[breezeinmonochromenight]

I wasn’t gonna say anything, but you know what?

Nah.

OP (of the tweet thread) was either a actively trying to start shit or is just a huge fucking moron. Probably both.

I’d like to point out that the company that makes American Girl dolls actually doesn’t skimp when doing their research and they don’t make the dolls with the intent to be offensive in any way:

[physicsandfandoms]

And they departed from the norm in Kaya’s doll to fit her culture! The other dolls all show their teeth, and Kaya does not because that is considered rude in the Nez Perce culture!

It is absolutely true that these books covered the stuff in history that was absent from our history books. I still distinctly remember reading about Addy being forced to eat bugs she missed on tobacco plants, and that started me out from a different perspective and made it easier for me to know to reject the sanitized version of the slave trade we’re taught in school. And these books are targeted at ages 8+, which is a pretty critical time for developing your own thinking and morals.

[lunacorva]

Reblogging for general awesome

[hey-marlie]

when i was in 3rd grade i was reading the Meet Addy book at school & a couple boys made fun of me for reading a “doll book” - my teacher overheard & started reading Meet Addy to the class after every recess. everyone became extremely invested & by the end of the year we had read the entire collection of Addy books & did a presentation on the civil war at the end of the year that we all presented to the class one by one.

i think back on this & realize that as third graders we were talking about how awful slavery was & because we were simply innocent kids without any societal or institutional influence yet, all of us could kept saying “why would you treat a HUMAN like that ?!” this one girl for her birthday invited all of us for her party & she got the Addy doll - every single one of us (boys included) held her & was in awe of this doll - it was such a touching experience.

i went back home about a year ago & ran into my third grade teacher in the grocery store. she said that year opened up a whole new teaching structure for her. she now reads american girl stories to her students starting day one of class every day to calm them down after recess & she’ll get through maybe four or five sets of books a year. she has the dolls in the room with packets on information from the doll’s time period that her students can “check out” to take home for weekends to care for them.

we oftentimes overlook how powerful toys can be in influencing young children & american girl honestly knew that kids could read intense moments in history & synthesize the issues to learn how to be a better person. my grandma bought me my first doll, molly, when i was only six & the dolls became a huge part of my childhood. when i turned 21 a couple years ago - we were living in minneapolis - she took me to have lunch for my birthday at the american doll place in the mall of america & bought me the Addy doll for my birthday. it was such a powerful moment i hasn’t expected.

i’ve since gotten rid of majority of my childhood toys, but i still have every single one of my dolls & all the books that i plan on gifting to my future children.

[iamthecutestofborg]

I’m white and my first real introduction to slavery and the underground railroad was Addy. She was a young girl like me I could connect to and care about her story. American Girl does a great job of making history relevant to kids.

[boldlygoing-nowhere]

Also American Girl sells all sorts of books unrelated to the dolls. The Care and Keeping of You books were super important as I started puberty and were the most comprehensive, non judgemental account of what was going to happen.

They also have “the smart girls guide” series which covers topics like crushes, worry, middle school, drama and gossip, sports, friendship, the digital world, communication, money, confidence, etc.

[iamthecutestofborg]

Oh I had those too and I loved them!

[fishfrommars]

I want to say I think there was an American Girl Doll magazine series that came out, but don’t quote me on that. there were lots of helpful girl guides that used the American girls as examples for doing good or learning lessons or trying to understand why girls did what they did

I learned a lot of my core beliefs from these girls.

I remember being very invested in Molly, Addy, and Kaya. Mostly cuz I look like Molly, and the other two had a lot of information on two of my favorite time periods. But I owe a lot of my personality to these lovvely girls

[villainous-queer-deactivated202]

Chiming in here with more on how AG is so important:

My school only had a few books for each of the original set of dolls but we had Addy’s first book and I was a white kid from the middle class going to private schools and I read this book and started sobbing over the enormity of what the books revealed about slavery–something I, as a fucking 8 year old white girl–did not know ANYTHING about. That experience has never, ever left me; and was the thing that opened the door to my educating myself about racism. It is very important to teach children about these things especially since many children (like me!) did not grow up in a time or place where they will learn about it from school or family or anybody in their life.

Samantha’s books radicalised me against factories and got me extremely passionate about child labour and I still fucking am to this day. Kirsten’s books made me more sensitive to the racism immigrants–all immigrants–face, and from then on I wanted to know more about my immigrant family members rather than scorning them just because my WASP family did.

The books aren’t just the story–every one had a section in the back of real history that taught me just. SO much. And got me really interested to know more. And I was part of the fan club for a while and they had books with period recipes and crafts as well.

These books matter. They were the only history books that weren’t about war and dates and really abstract untouchable things that had no girls or kids my age in them, when I was little. They were about actual life and got me into living history and recreation and just. History generally and how important it is. And that more than anything has actually helped me in so many ways. This is really important given how shit the history curriculum in most schools is–even fancy private schools!

American Girl has representation in their dolls for disabled kids too–and they’ve always had really good solid books about life skills and everything, as other people before me have said. I wish they still sold ALL the dolls and ALL the doll stuff because god I really wanted everyone’s furniture and stuff as a kid.

[kodigriffinofficial20]

Very good advice for both the writer and the critiquer.

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Looking for Interviewees!

If you’re not interested, please consider reblogging! 

I need two sets of people for two separate interviews, and you probably fall into one or the other: transgender (included non binary people), or cisgender.

The questions shouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes to answer for each and are pretty standard questions. 

The brief I have is building a website, and app, that catalogues information to do with transgender people so that cisgender people and transgender people who are looking for information, can access it easily and quickly. 

Why? Mostly because I always get asked so many questions about being transgender but I can’t reach everybody!

For cisgender people: The questions pertain to how you currently access education on transgender people, such as answering questions you may have, or maybe you’re educating a child or family member, or just looking for a general education. 

For transgender people: I’m interested in knowing what sort of information should go into the site, so it’s not just my vision of it. 

So please, reblog this if you see it, and if you wouldn’t mind being interviewed let me know!

[villainous-queer-deactivated202]

I would love to be interviewed, you can contact me via my discord spiderheart#2469 if you can’t reach me on tumblr.

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It won’t let me send u a friend request or send u a message but mine is cecil8555

[slaughter-books]

Day 20: JOMPBPC: Kickass Characters

This series is filled with kickass characters! 💕

[noortjelanterfanter]

Today, my students (who are non-native to the Dutch language) figured out that the second part of my name is used to make things small (’tje’ is added at the end of words to signify their small size) I am a brutish 185 cm or 6′1. Some find this very funny. One refuses to call me Noortje and has now decided that I shall be called Noort, Miss Noort to be exact. Which is all types of wrong

[textured-pages]

I love the Dutch language but you just know somewhere along the line, someone in your ancestry was such a tiny person they decided to make it part of his name

[spectrophobick]

not so gentle reminder that academia belongs to the queer, the weary, the women, the people of color, the poor, the ill just as much as it does the rich, the white, the privileged. if your academia isn't accessible, i don't want it.

[kyber-kisses]

[fluerallinmylis]

How DARE YOU post this picture of my thought process.....

[jewish-tutter]

i’m 14 and kinda want to convert, but i’m a bit scared. am i too young? also, i live in alabama so there (probably) aren’t many jewish resources near me, do you have any advice? should i even try to convert at all at the moment?

Hello, Anon!

It’s fantastic that you’re interested in Judaism, but you’re also in such a transitional period in your life (adolescence). What you want now may be completely different than what you want in four or even eight years. How long have you been considering Judaism? Give yourself a year or two to deeply contemplate this change, possibly longer, because Judaism will always be there for you. Start off by reading (I suggest To Life by Harold Kushner), and then start attending Shabbat services to see how they feel. Study the different denominations. Most importantly, give yourself time. Don’t rush.

To answer your question, you’d need a parent’s permission to begin any conversion classes. Conversion is an intensive (and individual) process that demands a large sum of time, dedication, even money. Here are some factors to consider for anyone who wants to convert:

Mobility–do you have reliable transportation?

(With school), will you have enough time to complete required reading, attend events, go to synagogue, etc?

You will often need to spend some amount of money during the conversion process, be it synagogue dues, book fees, etc, but you can absolutely talk to your Rabbi about this if you aren’t in a position to spend this money.

Are you in a safe environment, physically and emotionally, to pursue conversion? 

Here are some resources I personally used when I first started learning about Judaism:

BOOKS // nonfiction

Choosing a Jewish Life - Anita Diamant

Living a Jewish Life - Anita Diamant

To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking - Harold Kushner

Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs & Rituals- George Robinson

To Be a Jewish Woman - Lisa Aiken

What is Kosher?: An Introduction to the Laws of Kashrut - Dr. Juan Marcos Benjarno-Gutierrez

Is It Kosher? - Rabbi Eliezer Eidlitz

How to Keep Kosher - Lise Stern

The Sabbath - Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Jewish Holidays - Michael Strassfeld

Finding God: Selected Responses - Rifat Sonsino

The Shabbat Table Companion - Rabbi Zalman Goldstein

The Jewish Study Bible - Adele Berlin

BOOKS // fiction

The Chosen - Chaim Potok

My Name is Asher Lev - Chaim Potok

Davita’s Harp - Chaim Potok

The Red Tent - Anita Diamant

PODCASTS

Stuff Jews Should Know

Judaism Unbound

The Jewish History Podcast

Jewish History Podcast by Mottle Wolfe

On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah 

WEBSITES**

http://www.chabad.org/

https://reformjudaism.org/

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/

http://www.jewfaq.org/ 

**The information on these websites may differ with denomination

I hope this helps!

[saint-rouge]

PETITION HERE

[ratherinterestingmilkshake]

what the FUCK

HOW MANY FUCKING HERITAGE SITES DO THEY WANT TO DESTROY THIS YEAR?

[cryptidyuu-boo]

Please, please, PLEASE help sign this petition! You can sign even if you’re outside the UK!

[dissonant-aria]

WHY IS THIS A FUCKING OPTION?! FUCK EVERYONE INVOLVED WITH MAKING DECISIONS LIKE THIS.

Its like bulldozing the pyramids for a stripmall

[theycallme-mssunshine]

I was sure this was fake news but looks like it's not???? https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/12/stonehenge-road-tunnel-given-go-ahead-despite-backlash

Wtf!!!!!

[strangesigils]

I had to look this up because I was like "nah, theres no way this is a thing"

Guys this is a thing

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oh what

[textured-pages]

Looking for Interviewees!

If you’re not interested, please consider reblogging! 

I need two sets of people for two separate interviews, and you probably fall into one or the other: transgender (included non binary people), or cisgender.

The questions shouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes to answer for each and are pretty standard questions. 

The brief I have is building a website, and app, that catalogues information to do with transgender people so that cisgender people and transgender people who are looking for information, can access it easily and quickly. 

Why? Mostly because I always get asked so many questions about being transgender but I can’t reach everybody!

For cisgender people: The questions pertain to how you currently access education on transgender people, such as answering questions you may have, or maybe you’re educating a child or family member, or just looking for a general education. 

For transgender people: I’m interested in knowing what sort of information should go into the site, so it’s not just my vision of it. 

So please, reblog this if you see it, and if you wouldn’t mind being interviewed let me know!

[stories-by-rie]

Just as a small reminder for people doing nano:

As the half of the month draws nearer, so does the time where many tend to get stuck and troubled to continue writing.

This is normal.

Nano is a challenge, it is totally fine if you struggle. That’s basically what’s supposed to happen.

Just keep writing.

Fight for those words! Write!

BUT

Do not push yourself over your own well-being.

Take a break if you feel like it.

You can still catch up later.

You can just stop. Seriously, just quit if you want to? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

People who draft a novel in one month and people who draft a novel in ten years are equally beautiful.

You come first, not the words.

Take care <3

[clovencraft]