Cannonball passport- New author
How lovely is that cover? Self-Made Boys is a retelling of the Great Gatsby by Anna-Marie McLemore. I picked this up from the library after it was recommended on the podcast Worst Bestsellers. At the end of the year they do a compilation of the best books they read that year, probably to combat all of the terrible books they read for the podcast.
So in this retelling, Jay and Nick are trans. I’m sure this book has been banned or there have been attempts to ban it in many libraries. I inhaled this. I loved it so much, and cried tears of happiness at the end. It was so great. Go read it.
Also in this version of the story, Daisy is trying to pass herself off as white, and while Nick is her cousin, she claims he is the help for her family. So yes, Daisy is kind of flighty and not that great for a lot of the book just like in the OG version, but she turns things around to redeem herself much better than in the original. Jay also comes off as a much more decent human being than in the classic version. Tom is still completely worthless and a racist pig, so that is the same as the original. I really liked the plot points that are changed in this version, class is explored in Nick and Daisy’s character, and not Myrtle, who is a tiny footnote in this book. I loved that Daisy had much more agency in her own storyline. Oh, and Jordan is great. Nick’s business partner is a lesbian. This story is very gay! It’s a very immersive look at gay culture in the 1920’s.
I loved this book and cannot recommend it enough. Read banned books! You will not regret reading this book, it is a joy. If I could give it ten stars I would.
