Callum McLaughlin's Blog, page 43
April 24, 2018
Let’s Recommend | Gothic Fiction
Let’s recommend some gothic fiction
Gothic fiction is perhaps my favourite genre of all, so it feels long overdue that I recommend a few favourites. As always with this series, I invite you all to exchange your own recommendations in return.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
This, to me, is the epitome of the gothic genre at its very best. Secrets, lies, intrigue and mystery seep from the pages, as tension builds throughout. The atmosphere is enthralling and utterly immersive, with a sense of something sinister always lurking just beneath the surface. Plot wise, we follow a newly married young woman as she arrives at her husband’s estate, to find that the presence and influence of his deceased first wife still hangs over the house. At face value, it’s a fantastically gripping story, but there’s also so much else going on thematically if you want to dig a little deeper.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
This book explores notions of madness, isolation, sisterhood and othering, in a subtly affecting and deeply unsettling tale of two sisters who have been shunned from society following the strange deaths of their entire family. The narrator is a fascinating character; one that is as delightful as she is disturbed. There is a brewing sense of unease and an otherworldly tone throughout, and understated fairy tale-esque parallels towards the end that are incredibly effective in ramping up the book’s sinister edge.
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
This fairly recent addition to the genre features many of the classic components that have made it famous, including an isolated rural setting, a grand manor house, and a heroine out of her depth. In many ways, it could thus be seen as a love letter to the genre. There’s an undertone of witchcraft, and a flirtation between outright ghost story and possible madness in the mind of our protagonist, which I thought worked really well. There’s also a literary flair to the writing and a slight sense of whimsy that suited the tone of the novel, as well as a story-within-a-story structure that was implemented very successfully.
The Book Collector by Alice Thompson
Books, fairy tales, madness and murder – what’s not to love? This tale of obsession raises questions about what it really means to be insane, and explores the warped control that men so often had over women in the narratives of classic fairy tales; all with a deliciously sinister and feminist twist. Thompson’s writing is straight forward, and the story has a good sense of momentum and inevitability, which does well to draw allusions to the masterworks of both fairy tales and gothic literature that this book draws from and celebrates.
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What are some of your favourite gothic reads? Let’s chat about them!
April 16, 2018
Highland Fling | Theatre Review
Highland Fling
Show: Highland Fling by Scottish Ballet
Venue: Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Date: 14th April 2018
Director and choreographer: Matthew Bourne
Music: composed by Herman Severin Løvenskiold; performed by The Scottish Ballet Orchestra
Principal dancers: Constance Devernay (The Sylph) & Jamie Reid (James)
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Highland Fling is a reimagining of the original ballet by Filipo Taglioni, La Sylphide, which was first performed in 1832. This new version was created by Matthew Bourne in the 90s, and is set in modern-day Scotland. The story follows a young man, engaged to be married and living a pretty wild life, who attracts the attention and adoration of a mysterious Sylph. She draws him into her world, but their attempts to be together will inevitably end in tragedy.
Seeing this performance so recently after a production of The Little Mermaid made for an interesting contrast. Both present central themes of doomed love and an ill-fated desire to change who (or what) you are, and yet were very different tonally.
This particular show doesn’t feel like a traditional ballet for the most part, and would be more accurately described as ballet-meets-interpretive-dance-meets-comedy-meets-tragedy. It’s highly story driven, and the first half in particular was very comedic (and it’s worth pointing out for those interested that it may not be one for young children, as there are a fair few references to sex and drugs). The second half takes a darker turn, when James enters the realm of the Sylphs. I particularly enjoyed the choreography in this section, with the Sylphs’ movements enhancing their ethereal and alluring nature.
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Production stills, courtesy of Scottish Ballet.
The ability to shift from the comedic, jaunty tone that prevailed throughout the bulk of the performance, to deliver a surprisingly powerful and poignant climax was great – and the latter portion of the show with its haunting final image was definitely the highlight for me.
The setting of 1990s Scotland and various pop-culture references made for a fun and unique set-up, but I appreciated the choice to retain Løvenskiold’s musical score from the 1800s. It was a nice nod to the story’s more classical roots, and it tied in well with the fairy tale-esque elements of the story.
It was altogether very different from any other ballet I’ve seen, but I admired it for its bold, playful interpretation of a classic.
April 13, 2018
One Lovely Blog Award
One Lovely Blog Award
The excellent Amalia @ The Opinionated Reader kindly tagged me for the One Lovely Blog Award. (Her blog is great; you should definitely check it out if you haven’t already). The rules are simple, so let’s just jump right in:
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Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
Display the banner/sticker/logo on your blog.
Share 7 facts or things about yourself.
Nominate up to 15 bloggers that you admire and inform the nominees.
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1. This one is inspired by a recent twitter chat: I have three pets; two cats and one dog. I’m very much a ‘cat person’ in sensibilities, but actually love both species equally. Controversial, huh?
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Oscar
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Barney
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Frankie
2. I’m the youngest of three brothers.
3. My biggest buzzwords for pretty much anything (books, films, TV shows, etc.) are things like ‘gothic’, ‘dark’ and ‘atmospheric’.
4. I live in the Scottish countryside.
5. I won a poetry competition when I was 10 for reciting the Scots poem, A Dug, A Dug by Bill Keys. I still remember most of it by heart now. (But no, I don’t actually speak with an accent like that.)
6. I’ve been working as a freelance writer for about five years.
7. My favourite storybook as a child was The School Cat by Anne Mangan (I was clearly always destined to be a cat person). I couldn’t even hazard a guess as to how many times I asked to have it read to me, and I can picture all the illustrations vividly to this day. In fact, I still own the same old, battered copy now, and will treasure it forever.
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My copy of The School Cat, written by Anne Mangan & illustrated by Jolyne Knox
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I’m going to tag:
Rachel @ pace, amore, libri
Zuky @ BookBum
Hannah @ I Have Thoughts on Books
Alex @ The Paperback Piano
Marija @ Inside My Library Mind
Steph @ Lost: Purple Quill
Ottavia @ Novels and NonFiction
Charlotte @ Charlotte Annelise
Abigail @ Rambling Writer
Izzy @ Thinking and Inking
There is, of course, no pressure to accept whatsoever – just know I thoroughly enjoy all your blogs!
April 9, 2018
Book Review Pet Peeves
Inspired by a great post on Zuky’s blog, I’m going to discuss some of my biggest book review pet peeves. We’re all different, so no offence is intended to anyone who may like these particular things in their reviews. On with the ranting!
1. Rating without reading
I’ve seen this several times now, and I’m always dumbfounded by it. Rating a book on Goodreads that you haven’t even read yet not only doesn’t make sense, but it skews its stats unfairly. It’s weird enough to me when someone rates an upcoming book highly because they think they’re going to love it, but even weirder when it’s a low rating with no justification. As an example, I recently saw a two-star rating accompanied by the text: “I don’t know how I feel about this book as I haven’t read it yet.” *facepalm*
2. Rehashing the blurb
Reviews are all about opinions, right? That’s why I don’t get it when someone includes little or no analysis on the book’s content, and simply recounts details of the plot that the blurb already tells us. It provides no insight, and has nothing to do with whether they enjoyed the book or not.
3. Not marking spoilers
Spoilers are the bane of many a reader’s existence. Sometimes you encounter them accidentally; sure, it’s annoying, but it can’t always be helped. But when it comes to reviews on Goodreads, there’s no excuse. The site literally has a feature that allows you to hide spoilers so that readers will need to click to reveal them, and can’t, as such, accidentally spoil a book for themselves. Even when it comes to reviews on blogs, twitter, etc., I don’t think a simple ‘spoiler warning’ at the top of the post is asking for too much.
4. ‘I don’t like the subject matter’
I want to make it clear that I’m not talking about people who are triggered by specific subjects. If something crops up in a book unannounced that causes you distress, that’s totally fair and valid. What I’m talking about is people who would leave a negative review saying, “I don’t like books set on boats”, on a book that based on its blurb, and cover, is quite clearly set on a boat; or, “I don’t like poetry”, on what is quite blatantly a poetry book. (These are both real reviews I’ve seen.) Perhaps I should be applauding them for trying to read outside of their comfort zone… but I just don’t see how a review that only tells us they knew they weren’t going to like it in the first place is very helpful. Again, triggers aside, I see a similar thing a lot with thriller and horror books, where they are marked down for being ‘dark’, or for having some violent or scary scenes, when it’s made clear in the blurb that’s what you can expect – not to mention that it’s kind of the whole point of the genre in most cases.
5. Attacking readers
We’ve all got different tastes and opinions. Life would be pretty boring if we didn’t. So, whilst it’s totally okay to say you think something is rubbish and to explain why, it’s not okay to say you think people who enjoyed it are stupid or wrong. As long as it’s not hurting anyone, just let people enjoy the things that make them happy, and read on in search of the books you do like.
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What are some of your biggest book review pet peeves?
March 31, 2018
March Wrap Up
All the books I read in March
Time for another wrap up already? Slow down please, 2018. Anyway, throughout March I read 12 books in all, bringing my total for the year so far up to 31. As always, here are some thoughts on each of them, in the order I read them.
The Falconer by Alice Thompson
[ 
] The several strong homages to Rebecca (perhaps my favourite book of all time) instantly drew me in to this strange, dark tale. It follows a young woman trying to learn the truth about her sister’s mysterious death whilst working at a remote manor house. As with all of Thompson’s work, the narrative she creates straddles the boundary between our world and something decidedly more dreamlike. There’s lots going on beneath the surface allegorically, which can be very rewarding if you’re able to suspend your disbelief somewhat. My fifth novel by Thompson, it wasn’t my favourite amongst them, but its ethereal atmosphere did linger with me.
Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski
[ ] This book follows a man’s search for his long-lost son in the aftermath of the war. The emotional depth of the protagonist is fantastic, with our hero torn between his paternal duty to find and save the child, and his fear that the boy in question will indeed prove to be his son. Having suffered great loss, he has become emotionally shut-off from the world, and fears the potential pain that comes with human bonds. In trying to find his son, he must also try to find his capacity to love again. The tension of post-war France trying to rebuild itself after Occupation makes for an excellent and fascinating backdrop, and the story had me utterly compelled throughout. I loved it.
The Doll Funeral by Kate Hamer
[ ] A slightly harsh rating, perhaps; I did get through this book very quickly, and Hamer’s prose was indeed nice in places. Overall, however, I felt the book tried to be too many different things at once, and in doing so, became a bit of a meandering mess. I just couldn’t buy into the story, which meant I had no emotional investment in the outcome by the time I reached the end.
The Bird King by Shaun Tan
[ ] I’m a big fan of Tan’s art, and this book provides a fun glimpse into his creative process, featuring a random selection of his doodles, ideas and early drafts.
The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
[ ] A classy, well written and tightly plotted read, The Blank Wall centres around a woman who becomes embroiled in the death of her daughter’s suiter, who will go to extreme lengths to protect her family’s honour. The focus is less on the crime itself, and more on the psyche of the book’s heroine, whilst also making interesting commentary on several social constructs prevalent at the time, including the position of women, the expectations placed on mothers, the pressure of class, and race relations.
House of Spines by Michael J. Malone
[ ] A down-on-his-luck writer inherits a manor house from a distant relative, and soon becomes convinced it’s haunted. This book promises to be dark and atmospheric, but I found it underwhelming and reliant on clichés, sadly. It also sets out to be like a love letter to gothic literature, but by making so many references to the classics of the genre, it inadvertently suffers by its own comparisons, by highlighting its own shortfalls. I also wasn’t happy that it demonised medication and perpetuated the harmful stereotype that people with mental illnesses are dangerous.
Matilda by Mary Shelley
[ ] This melancholic novella from the author of Frankenstein epitomises the Romantic era of literature, exploring the notions of love, death, suicide and grief. It follows a young woman horrified to learn that her father (absent throughout her childhood following the death of her mother) has developed inappropriate feelings for her. It’s very melodramatic in tone, and not largely plot-focussed, but Shelley’s prose is beautiful, capturing her heroine’s woe and the moodiness of the heaths very well. Written whilst the author was mourning the deaths of two of her children, it’s no surprise the story wallows in sorrow and grief, and explores the idea of holding on to love and familial honour, no matter how much pain it may cause us.
The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
[ ] This was my 8th Christie novel, but my first from the Marple series. It was another fun, escapist read, with great touches of humour, an excellent set-up, and an enjoyable character dynamic. There is definitely some suspension of disbelief required where Marple is concerned, however, with the amateur sleuth making a few implausibly accurate guesses at convenient moments. Not my favourite Christie by a long shot, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.
Saga Volume 7 by Brian K. Vaughan (writing) & Fiona Staples (art)
[ ] It’s been ages since I read Volume 6, so it took me a little while to get back into the swing of everything that was going on, but I did so soon enough. As always, I love the wonderfully diverse cast of characters and the relevant themes this series tackles, all wrapped up in an epic, fantastical saga (pardon the pun).
The Growing Season by Helen Sedgwick
[ ] This is a quiet though thought-provoking look at parenthood and the danger of pushing science too far. It also ruminates on the longing desire for family, and a life lived with guilt. Speculative, with a hint of the dystopian about it, the plot looks at a world in which babies are now grown externally in artificial wombs, eliminating the physical risks of pregnancy and birth, and granting both parents equal opportunities in terms of work and care duties. it looks at the ethical, moral and societal implications of chasing physical equality between the sexes, and I really appreciated the intersectional commentary touched on, and that Sedgwick presented fleshed-out, flawed and sympathetic characters on both sides of the moral argument, not sitting in judgement of any of them.
The Missing Girl by Shirley Jackson
[ ] This little volume contains three short stories. They all have an elusive feeling of the sinister lurking just beneath the surface, blending the strange with the mundane to great effect. All three were excellent in concept, intelligent in execution, and incredibly readable.
From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan
[ ] This is a quietly heartbreaking character study that weaves together the lives of three seemingly disparate men. In structure, it’s a fantastic achievement, and as always, Ryan’s characters feel fleshed out, flawed, emotionally charged and highly believable. It’s ultimately about the harsh reality that we all suffer to a greater or lesser extent, and the need to accept this fact if we are to be able to move on, and perhaps even find happiness again.
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March was another very enjoyable reading month overall, with my favourite read being Little Boy Lost. I look forward to seeing what books April will bring my way.
What was your favourite read in March?
March 25, 2018
The Little Mermaid | Theatre Review
Show: The Little Mermaid by Northern Ballet
Venue: Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Date: 24th March 2018
Director & choreographer: David Nixon
Music: composed by Sally Beamish; performed by Northern Ballet Sinfonia
Principal dancers: Ayami Miyata (Marilla, the mermaid), Nicola Gervasi (Lyr, Lord of the Sea), Matthew Koon (Dillion, the seahorse), Mlindi Kulashe (Prince Adair), Rachael Gillespie & Abigail Prudames (Evelina & Erina, the mermaid’s sisters)
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Northern Ballet’s The Little Mermaid
This ballet was an inspired and beautiful adaptation of the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The way the costumes, lighting, staging and choreography came together to create the sense of an underwater world was incredibly clever and very well executed.
The principal dancers were all wonderful, and though it definitely has to be seen to understand and appreciate its full impact, the way the supporting dancers were used to represent the ever flowing and undulating movement of the sea was a stroke of genius. This was used to particularly great effect in key moments throughout the narrative to enhance both the ethereal and powerful qualities of the water.
Speaking of the narrative, it was easy to follow for those well versed and new to the story alike, and I really respected the choice to represent the darker, more melancholic, though beautiful version penned by Andersen, rather than the ‘happily-ever-after’ of the Disney-fied version.
The classical sense of the seamlessly performed original score helped to emphasise the timeless quality of the story; its central theme of not changing yourself to try and please others one that still resonates strongly to this day.
I’ve seen a fair few ballets over the years, and this one easily ranks amongst my favourites. Intelligent, engaging, moving; I urge you to try and see it if it tours near you.
March 21, 2018
Women in Fiction | Lindsay Denton
DI Lindsay Denton
I started this little ongoing feature on my blog a while back to highlight great female characters in fiction. It occurred to me recently that not all great female characters are necessarily great people. Enter: Lindsay Denton.
Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton appears in the crime drama, Line of Duty, which centres around an anti-corruption department of the UK police force. Denton becomes the subject of their investigations during the show’s second season, when she is the sole survivor of an ambushed convoy escorting someone in witness protection. The investigators are unsure how culpable she may or may not have been in the attack, and the genius of the show is that: neither are we.
A phenomenal example of an anti-heroine, Denton’s erratic behaviour and moral ambiguity mean we’re constantly wrestling with our sympathies (or lack thereof) for her. She’s damn good at her job, but she also does some undeniably bad things in her own quest for justice. Even so, she carries them out with such intelligence, cunning, conviction and resourcefulness that you can’t help but be impressed.
Played brilliantly by Keeley Hawes, the character is consistently able to catch the audience off guard and shift where our loyalties lie. By the end of her story arc, some viewers will love her; others will loathe her. That, alone, is testament to the fantastic realisation of her depth and complexity of character.
March 14, 2018
The Feminist Book Tag
I was kindly tagged by Rachel to do the Feminist Book Tag, which I’m super excited about. So, let’s not waste any time, and just jump right in.
Your favorite female author
I’m glad Rachel mentioned several, because there’s no way I’d have wanted the pressure of choosing just one. Here are a few that instantly spring to mind: Daphne du Maurier, Agatha Christie, Kirsty Logan, J.K. Rowling and Alice Thompson.
Your favorite heroine
There are so many I could choose here. In the spirit of mentioning one of my slightly less obvious favourites, I’ll pick Mary Katherine (Merricat) from We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. She’s easily one of the most delightfully odd, disturbed and fascinating protagonists I’ve encountered.
A novel with a feminist message
Asking for it by Louise O’Neill is all about the poisonous culture of slut-shaming. What’s really interesting is that O’Neill presents us with a very unlikable heroine, and in doing so shows us why people find it so easy to pin the blame on a ‘certain type’ of girl where sexual abuse and harassment are concerned – and why this mentality is so dangerous.
A novel with a girl on the cover
The more the better, right? Here are a few random cover selections from my shelves that I really like:
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The Tidal Zone, Tender Morsels, Real World, Memoirs of a Geisha, Eleanor & The Gracekeepers.
A novel featuring a group of girls
Such Small Hands by Andrés Barba is a quietly sinister tale set in a girls’ orphanage. It captures the cruelty that children are capable of; the confusion and bewilderment that lies on the cusp between childhood innocence and adolescence; the fascination with bodies that emerges with youth; and the doll-like, compliant nature that girls are so often expected to assume.
A novel with a LGBTQIAP+ female character
The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg is a fantastic and beautiful graphic novel about two female lovers using the power of storytelling to outsmart sleazy men so they can be together.
A novel with different feminine POV
Like Rachel, I’m not entirely sure what this question was asking for… The Bees by Laline Paul is literally told from the perspective of a female bee. I actually ended up not liking this book all that much, but a bee is a pretty ‘different’ POV, right?
A book where a girl saves the world
I don’t want to spoil too much, but if you’ve read The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey, you’ll likely know what I mean when I say that the world is technically saved by Melanie and Miss Justineau at the end, albeit in a suitably off-kilter and disturbing way.
A book where you prefer the female sidekick to the male MC
I mean, we all knew I was going to mention Hermione Granger somewhere in this tag. Of all the categories, this one seemed the most appropriate. Sorry, Harry, but Hermione is queen.
A book written by a male author and featuring a female character
Oh, there are lots of great examples. Again, why mention just one?
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Bird Box, All We Shall Know & Tess of the D’Urbervilles.
Malorie from Bird Box by Josh Malerman is a fantastic heroine. She goes through a dramatic development arc, and through her, Malerman explores really great moral questions regarding motherhood and survival.
Melody from All We Shall Know by Donal Ryan is a phenomenally complex and layered heroine. Her emotional turmoil and moral struggles drive the entire narrative.
Tess from Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy is perhaps one of the most sympathetic characters I’ve ever encountered. I mean, this book was written by a dude in 1891, and the whole message of it is basically about how utterly unfair society is, with men consistently treating women like trash and then blaming them for it. I wish we could say everything has changed…
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There we have it! Thanks again to Rachel for tagging me. I invite anyone who wants to get involved to do so.
March 10, 2018
Spotlight | Shaun Tan
Shaun Tan and a selection of his books.
Shaun Tan is an Australian artist and writer. He is, in fact, one of my favourite artists, hence why I had to include him and his work in my spotlight series – in which I highlight my favourite things from the bookish world.
Tan’s work often sits on the boundary between this world and the fantastical, with elements of nature, technology and fairy tales serving as clear inspiration. He writes and illustrates original works, serves as an illustrator and cover designer for others, and also crafts ‘silent graphic novels’, which are stories told entirely through pictures, with no words whatsoever.
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Some examples of Tan’s beautiful art, taken from various works.
In his art, Tan creates ethereal worlds, populated by captivating scenery and dreamlike creatures, but often uses these seemingly bizarre creations to make commentary on contemporary, real world issues (like The Arrival focussing on the immigrant experience, and The Red Tree exploring the feeling of depression). As such, I think he will appeal to those who enjoy surrealist art, but like stories that retain a grounding in our own world.
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Some more examples of Tan’s artwork.
He works in a number of different mediums, and has even adapted his art into an Academy Award winning short film. He is also a skilled sculptor. One of my favourites amongst his books, in fact, is The Singing Bones, which comprises a series of sculptures depicting tableaus of classic tales and characters from the works of the Brothers Grimm.
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Fairy tale inspired sculptures from The Singing Bones.
As with any artist, there’s not much else that needs to be said, other than to let his work speak for itself.
March 5, 2018
Let’s Recommend | Transgender Books
Let’s recommend some transgender books.
For the latest post in my recommendation series, I’ll be highlighting some of my favourite books to include transgender characters, or to explore trans-issues. With discussion on gender at large very much needed, and the normalisation of difference key in opening up those channels of conversation, I think we could all stand to read about experiences that differ from our own. That said, I tried to include a diverse mix of books that will hopefully appeal to a wide readership; trans, cis, young, old, or otherwise.
Trumpet by Jackie Kay
The subject matter explored in Trumpet could very easily have seen the story slip into undo sensationalism, but the care and compassion that Kay grants the characters stops that from ever happening. The story centres around Joss, a publicly respected musician and family-man who is discovered only upon death to have been biologically female. We see the way various people who knew Joss and members of the public react to the revelation, but at its core, this is a heartfelt story about love. Joss’ widow, Millie, is a fantastically well-realised character, and through her, Kay shows us that we fall in love with a person, not the body they are in. The confusion and bitterness felt by their son is also heavily explored, but from an unexpected angle that I really appreciated.
The Gender Games by Juno Dawson
This is a great piece of own-voice non-fiction from a transgender author who is frank, funny and informative. Dawson mixes fact with personal experience in this quasi-memoir, exploring gender as a concept. This includes looking at the ways we subconsciously force expectations on children from birth (and why this is bad for everyone), and sharing honest stories about her own experiences whilst transitioning. She also touches on the differences she has encountered between living as a man and living as a woman. The book educates without ever bogging you down in stats, and has enough cutting-quips and brilliant pop-culture references to keep you laughing throughout.
The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan
An impending Ice Age forms the backdrop of this quiet, character driven tale that is set in a caravan park in Scotland. It focusses on the lives of three lost souls as they strive to find their place in a world they no longer understand. One of those characters is Stella, a feisty, brave, inquisitive, witty and headstrong trans girl. She forms the nucleus of the whole book, and I thought the looming grip of puberty which will transform her body in ways she fears more than anything was mirrored beautifully in the menacing spread of lethal ice and snow across the landscape. She also has a wonderful relationship with her mother, which is another real highlight of the book.
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
As much as it’s important to read books that fully shine the light on trans characters and issues, I think it’s also important that books exist in which trans people (and other minority groups) are simply presented like any other character, in which their gender identity is never the focus or point of the story, and they just so happen to be trans in the spirit of true, reflective diversity. This is very much the case with Eriko in Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen. Though she’s a supporting character with a relatively small role, she’s instantly endearing and charismatic. I loved that both her son and the book’s heroine never question her gender identity, and are instead completely laid-back and accepting about it. It’s simply never an issue. This kind of normalisation through fiction is vital.
George by Alex Gino
Seeing yourself reflected in the books you read as a child can be a profoundly powerful experience. That’s why I’m so glad George exists for young trans kids. The premise is simple but highly effective, in that everyone sees George as a boy, but she knows deep inside that she’s really a girl. With the school play of Charlotte’s Web coming up, she figures that securing the role of Charlotte will be the best way to help everyone else see her for who she really is. It’s a touching story for any age, and one that has the kind of power that could change kids’ lives.
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What are some of your favourite transgender books? Let’s chat about them in the comments.
