Review: None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

Review: None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio
Published by HarperCollins on April 7th 2015
Pages: 352
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Edelweiss

A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex . . . and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned--something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

reviews

None of the Above is one of those rare books that is not only important for its subject matter, but is a genuinely high quality entertaining book with a character I couldn’t help but adore and root for. I fear that nothing I say can do it much justice, because it was just lovely, and necessary, and so incredibly well done.

When we meet Krissy, things are going pretty great. She’s doing great in sports and school, has a close group of friends, and a boyfriend who she is thrilled with. So thrilled, in fact, that she is thinking she’s ready for some sexy time. But that’s where things start to unwind for Krissy, because things don’t really go as planned. I have to say, before moving on, that this was handled incredibly well. The author could have glossed over it, and then had Krissy end up at the gynecologist, but she didn’t. And that is one of the things that makes this book so incredible: It is honest, and it is real.

Of course, as we know by the synopsis, it turns out that Krissy is intersex, due to a condition that causes her to have male chromosomes, but a mainly female appearance. Her whole life she has identified as female, and her doctor assures her that she is female, because that is how she identifies. Between the doctor and her incredibly supportive father, Krissy is able to find a group of women with the same diagnosis.

Krissy is obviously nervous about the aftermath of her diagnosis, and when word gets out around school, her greatest fears come to life. Most people in school are completely ignorant about what it all means, and are also very hateful toward Krissy. I won’t lie, this is hard to read. The author does such a tremendous job connecting the reader to Krissy, that my heart was absolutely breaking for her as she was rejected by her jerk of a boyfriend, and all the people she had thought were her closest friends. And these aren’t just rumors, or talking behind her back, etc. We’re talking straight forward hate and nastiness, and it is so hard to swallow.

Of course, as much as Krissy wants to go to her room and hide, she must eventually go on. There are so many questions brought up along the way, from whether she should be allowed to compete in sports as a female (and some really amazing examples of Olympians and high level athletes who’ve been through this), to how she will go about navigating her romantic life in the future.

The thing about this story that absolutely gutted me was that I don’t think there was a single bit of it that was exaggerated for the benefit of the story. I do think that a lot of people would act like Sam and the rest of the school did. I do think that opposing teams would try to get Krissy banned from competing. I do think that the aftermath would be incredibly psychologically damaging, because how could it not be when not only has your whole identity been uprooted, but a majority of the people who you thought were on your side simply are not?

None of the Above manages to do several things with a ton of grace and class:

  • It sheds a light on what being intersex actually entails. The author is a doctor, and it shows. But it also shows that she is a tremendously skilled author, because she is able to really define the condition in a way that absolutely everyone can understand. In a way that Krissy can understand. To be able to explain the condition from the point of view of the person who has it? That is pretty fantastic.
  • It also really delves into how bullying can affect someone, not just an intersex person, but anyone perceived as “different”. I find it so frustrating that this stuff still even happens, but sadly, it does. And while in this case, it is Krissy’s intersex diagnosis that takes the brunt of the bullies, for so many young people, anything perceived as “not normal” can be fodder for bullies. Since we are getting an inside view of Krissy’s thoughts, it’s so very clear how hard the bullying is on her. It should make anyone stop and think about how they would behave toward someone who was going through a life changing event.
  • There’s a very uplifting message for anyone who has been through a traumatic experience: life will go on. Krissy’s journey doesn’t end with her diagnosis. She has choices to make, things about herself to uncover, lessons to learn. She finds people both inside and outside the intersex community who love her because she is Krissy, regardless of her DNA.

Bottom Line: Read. This. Book. I cannot really say it enough. It’s more than just a great story (though it is that indeed): it’s the absolute epitome of what a book about diversity should entail. 5str

Posted April 6, 2015 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Review , / 25 Comments

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25 responses to “Review: None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

  1. Wow. This does sound really amazing. I actually have an ARC of it but I’m kind of afraid to read it. The feels terrify me because I know this is going to be an amazing book. Sometimes important issues scare me off a bit at first though.
    I did not know that the author was a doctor though(I do all the research on books obviously). Krissy sounds like kind of an amazing character and I hate your review only because it makes me really want to read the book when I was working on procrastinating it! 😉

    Great review, Shannon.

    • Hahah I did the same, to be honest! I avoided it for awhile, because I knew what it was about and was kind of scared about the whole thing. What if I was the jerk who DIDN’T feel anything? That sort of thing. But then I was so glad I read it. It is really good, and even though some of the feels are hard, some of them are really hopeful too. Off you go to read it now 😉

  2. Oh oh I want to read this though it does sound like it’d be reeeally hard to read. I hate bullying. :'( Why are humans so mean? Sheesh. And I also find it incredibly interesting and cool that the author is a doctor and uses her knowledge in the book. THAT IS GOOD. If there’s one thing that gets my goat, it’s when a book doesn’t feel like it’s been researched enough. Least to say I WANT TO READ THIS.

    *dashes to goodreads* My TBR may or may not be glaring at you. Payback for last week’s TTT, right?! XD

    • RIGHT!? Humans need to stop with the bullying. It was so infuriating, mostly because it IS so realistic. MUAHHAH I have payback! 😉

      And yes- the author just does this so, so much justice. A book like this NEEDED an expert to do it, but an expert who also has the writing chops, which she does. How is that fair- a surgeon AND an amazing writer? ::Grumbles off to my corner, where I am neither of those things::

  3. I LOVE this review!! This one has been on my TBR ever since I first heard about it, but I hadn’t seen any reviews about it yet. The premise is so interesting and I am so glad the topic was handled well. I can’t wait to read this one!

    • Aw thanks! It was handled so beautifully. I was so nervous, because of the subject matter, but really, I think the author did a fantastic job. In fact, I really can’t think of a way she could have done it better. I hope you enjoy it!

  4. This does sound like an amazing book! I’m so glad to hear the author handled the topic of intersex incredibly well and it sounds like this book will break my heart. I had no idea the author is actually a doctor but that’s nice to know and I can imagine it would make all the scientific aspects of intersex more believable. I’m super excited to read this now 🙂 Great review!

    • Yep, she is a surgeon (how fair is that- amazing author AND doctor!?) and she just does such a phenomenal job working both the medical stuff AND an amazing book together. Thanks so much, I hope you enjoy it!

  5. I am so torn right now, I’ve read a few reviews so far and all have been positive so makes me want to read it, buuuuuut, the bullying. Honestly, like you said, it is such an important book and issue to shed light upon, in a blunt and honest way, so it being hard to read and swallow, it’s done it’s job well. I don’t think I can do it though because I’d get so mad (I mean, I’m getting mad at just reading that, never mind the actual book) and even more so because it sadly is realistic and the way people react to things they don’t understand. Can we just really hug the father though? I love him already.

    • Honestly, you WILL get mad. And the dad is AWESOME. The mom died, years ago, of cervical cancer, and he is just so THERE for her. And he is like, giddy with excitement when he finds out she will never be able to GET cervical cancer- it was a really sweet moment. I think if you can deal with the bullying, it’s worth it for the sweet, hopeful moments.

  6. Great review! This isn’t my usual type of read and I think that the bullying would make me incredibly angry, so don’t think I’ll be able to read this one. Glad to hear that the author was talented enough to handle such a sensitive subject!

  7. Love, love, LOVE this review Sharon. ♥ Being a teenager and going through high school and trying to fit in is hard enough, but I can’t imagine having to experience high school in Kristin’s shoes. Hopefully the teens that do have to go through something like this on a daily basis can find this book and realize they’re not alone, you know? Definitely going to give this a try. Thanks for the heartfelt and beautifully written review!

    • Aw thanks! That is exactly it- how bad it must be to not only go through the typical teen awfulness, but then add in something so life changing. I do hope you love it if you read it!

  8. YES, you totally nailed this book with your review – I’m so glad to hear you loved it as well! Isn’t the concept so unique and wonderful? The characterization was pretty amazing as well, there’s nothing about the novel that I actually disliked. Beautiful review Shannon 🙂

    • Aw thank you so much! It really was so, so unique. And even though not everyone is intersex, there is something that everyone can take away from it, which is the genius of it!

  9. I really want to read this one! I hope it is as amazing as everyone is making it sound. I like how even though the main character situation is unique, it seems like we can all relate with her struggles. It seems like it will be painful though – those bullying stories always make me angry, yet I can’t seem to stop reading them. Great review!

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