Reviews

If I Can Give You That by Michael Gray Bulla

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danimae1981's review

5.0

First off, I'll admit that I'm not exactly the intended audience of this book as a 40-something cisgender heterosexual female - but as a mom to a trans/nonbinary child, I enjoy reading books that can help give me a better perspective of their experience. This book is written well, and I really enjoyed reading it. I think it would be a great book for teens to read.

The story follows Gael, a teen boy who is transgender, but I love that there is a whole cast of characters representing different parts of the LGBTQ+ community who have their own stories to share. I found Gael to be a very relatable character, especially since I experience some similar anxieties that he does. I especially found it interesting to follow Gael's exploration of his sexuality, since I know there can be a lot of stigma about this topic for trans people, even within the LGBTQ+ community. I also think Gael's perspective was good because it helped me gain a better understanding about gender dysphoria. I enjoyed watching Gael grow considerably over the course of the story in a realistic way.

This book is so much more than just a transgender story though, which gave it a lot of depth. Gael lives with his mom, who struggles with mental illness, and some difficult topics are encountered along the way. It also takes a close look at family bonds, as Gael holds some strong feelings toward his father, who he hardly has any contact with since his parents' divorce. Plus, there's all the experiences that many teens face in high school, like planning for the future and submitting college applications.

A special "thank you" to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book. I really enjoyed reading it, and all opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.