Anomaly
By Thea Atkinson
Copyright 2010 by Thea Atkinson
ASIN B004C0542S, ISBN NOOKbook 2940011157271,

Anomaly by Thea Atkinson is a thought provoking look into the life of J, a transgender person struggling to find an identity to cling to while trapped in a male body that doesn’t normally feel as though it is his own. J’s life will undergo more changes than he thought possible in the space of one short week. Not only will his identity go from masculine to femme in that time, but he’ll find someone he could care for, maybe. Go through hell to help a next door neighbor he just meets. And try to help out his dearest friend, only to discover that in the end, he’s the one with the real problems.

J is a rich and multi-faceted character. He comes across so well on the page. Kind, infinitely human, with just enough smart ass thrown in to cause him trouble. He’s flawed. He’s put himself through all kinds of torment, but in the end he’s a decent person you can really like. I feel as though I should be alternating pronouns between “he” and “she” as I describe J because ultimately J is both masculine and feminine. As a man J describes himself as a “pretty boy,” as a woman J feels ugly and incomplete without her makeup on, just like most other women I know. J’s character just feels ‘real’.

I recommend Anomaly by Thea Atkinson. It puts a name, face and personality on an individual’s struggle to be recognized for who he or she is regardless of the gender presented. It brings light to where we as a society fail transgendered people.