Age Group:
Young Adult

Genre:
Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, GLBTQ, Mental Health, Social Commentary

Summary:
J’s not your average 17-year-old. He’s always felt like he didn’t quite fit in. Born female, but indisputably a male at heart, J struggles to embrace his true identity in this coming-of-age novel by author Cris Beam.

I am J is one of the few novels that takes on the challenges of being a transgendered youth. We see J come to terms with himself as he struggles to maintain relationships with both his parents and his best friend Melissa. J’s friends and family are at once understanding, but also troubled and confused about J, unsure that they can ever accept him for who he is. All that J wants to do is start his life over as a man. He finds solace in his photography and anxiously awaits the day he can start taking Testosterone. J is a believable youth, whose inner struggles and perseverance will resound with any teenager, regardless of gender orientation.

My Thoughts:
I am J is a unique, groundbreaking novel on a topic that deserves much more consideration in the popular media. There are so few transgendered voices in modern literature. As the mother of a transgendered youth, Beam felt she needed to share the experiences of these often alienated children. Beam succeeds in providing a glimpse into the challenges of living on the fringes of society.

While the subject matter of the novel is important, I felt the plot lagged at times. The pacing is also a little muddled, tending to jump through time without any segues. But despite these minor flaws, Beam’s book is a crucial addition to any GLBTQ library, providing a voice to society’s most marginalized children.

Borrow I am J from your local Vaughan library today!