Reviews

I am J by Cris Beam

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heathercottledillon's review against another edition

3.0

I haven't seen any other books from the perspective of a transgender teen, so I think it's great that this book is out there. It seems like the author did her research and has some knowledge about what it would be like to be in J's shoes. On the other hand, the main storyline is fairly predictable and I'd like it more if the pace was a little faster. Also, the ending is too perfect and fairy-taleish for me. Despite all that, it still held my interest and I'm happy to see a book that touches on this topic.

earlysunsetsmp3's review against another edition

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2.0

hella good

bookwormicah's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

reader4evr's review against another edition

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2.0

This book was just kind of blah to me. I didn't like J at all but I felt bad for him with everyone that didn't really get him. Melissa was so annoying and she was I guess a good friend but I did like Chantelle.

Wasn't a fan of his parents.

I think teens will be able to relate to this book but not sure if all will like it.

lbarsk's review against another edition

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3.0

I think this is a really important book for young people, it was just personally really hard for me to watch a young transmasculine person go through a lot of hurt and personal struggle on his journey over the course of a year. I think maybe if I had read this... NOT during Extremely Bad World Events I would've reacted less strongly to the hardships in the book?

I read this following Kheryn Callender's FELIX EVER AFTER, which mentions I AM J as a resource and book that was eye-opening, gender-wise, so again I think it would be really helpful for lots of people! It was just tough for me personally to read at this moment.

rainbowbookworm's review against another edition

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3.0

This is a simple story which helps in illustrating some of the struggles transgender teens face. It's target audience is young adults which means you won't find too much on genderqueer (or however you call it) politics in it. It addresses some issues teenagers face, but very lightly and it doesn't explain the resolution of certain conflicts in a satisfactory way.