Well, consider me a Golden Boy pusher — this book was incredible, and I’ve already lent my copy away (read: forced it on my little sister). So, so good.
“It takes strength to be proud of yourself and to accept yourself when you know that you have something out of the ordinary about you.”
Max Walker has always been a good kid — good-looking, athletic, well-behaved. The kind of kid that adults and other kids his age love equally. But he has a secret — he’s intersex, both with both male and female genitalia. In Max’s family, it’s never been treated like some big, dark secret — it’s just the way Max is, and no one talks about it. But when Max’s oldest friend rapes him, Max is forced to face the reality of his body and his mind, and figure out how to live the life that he’s been given.
This book deals with some pretty heavy subject material, obviously, but the author handles it well. It’s aimed at a young adult audience, which is fantastic as there are probably a lot of kids who could benefit from a coming-of-age story like this, but I think any adult would enjoy it as well. There’s no talking down — she confronts the issues of family, sex, friendship, etc. head on as Max deals with each in his life.