Freakboy

Freakboy:

Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark ISBN 978-0374324728, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013

Plot Summary:

Freakboy begins with Brendan, a seemingly typical high school student who has a girlfriend, a place on the school’s wrestling team, and a sometimes contentious relationship with his parents. Brendan’s main struggle in the book is his gender identity. He doesn’t feel at home in a boy’s body, but he’s not sure he belongs in a girls’ body either. The book eventually divides itself into two more sections with the story’s shared narrators: Vanessa, Brendan’s girlfriend, and Angel, a transgender LGBTQ teen center employee. Vanessa’s arc concerns her lack of understanding about Brendan’s growing distance. She’s not sure what keeps him so far away, but she always suspects that he’s keeping some kind of secret. Angel’s story revolves around her work at the teen center, as well as her continuous adjustment to life after transition. The three characters take turns telling the story through their specific point of view. Each character faces conflict with the issue of gender in their own unique ways.

Critical Evaluation:

Clark writes the unique perspectives of each of these characters to show the reader that gender identity is not an issue that affects only someone who feels trapped in the wrong gender. Clark uses the character of Vanessa to reflect the unease that some can feel when presented with the idea that someone close to them is transgender. The author uses Brendan and Angel as a kind of mirror effect, almost like a before and after picture. The imagery is strong in the noel. Clark writes in verse and allows certain paragraphs to become a shape on the page that symbolizes what that particular section is about. The mood of the book is solemn, especially given that the narrators are all in their teens and early 20s and each is living through (or remembering) a rough time in their lives. Clark creates a portrait of gender dysmorphia that shows that it can affect any person in any community at any age.  

Reader’s Annotation:

Brendan has a secret that he can’t tell anyone. Is being known as a freakboy really worth it?

Information about the Author:

From Clark’s website: Kristin Elizabeth Clark lives and writes in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Northern California. She hikes with her dog and reads to her cats… but she’s not one of THOSE people. Really.

She has worked as a child advocate within the juvenile justice system, as a children’s theater producer, and is a proud volunteer at Project Outlet in Mountain View, California.

Her young adult debut, Freakboy, was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) on October 22nd, 2013.

Genre:

Fiction, Friendship, Teen Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

LGBTQ issues

Challenge Issues:

The book could be challenged because of its depiction of transgendered teens, talk of suicide, and mild language.

Creating a Defense:

• Make sure you have thorough knowledge of the library’s selection policy as well as a copy on hand. Your insight as well as pointing out specific portions of the policy will be helpful in discussion with the patron.
• Always have the library Bill of Rights close to show the patron your library’s commitment to providing all kinds of information.
• Have some reveiws on hand, both good and bad, from respected sources like YALSA or Amazon so both you and the patron can gain an understanding of both sides of the issue.
• Make sure you’re familiar with the books that might be challenged. Be prepared to discuss the book’s intended audience, its educational significance, purpose, and also some alternative titles to read.
• Don’t get defensive. The librarian can’t take the challenge personally and either party getting upset will cause the discussion to devolve into a fight.
• LISTEN. Even if you don’t agree with the patron, their views are as valid as yours and should be respected.

Reading Level:

Grades 7+

Booktalking Ideas:

Have you ever felt like you had a secret you couldn’t tell anybody? Who would you talk to if you had such a secret?

Why is the material included?

We read this book for class and I loved it. Transgender issues are a hot button topic in this country right now and I think it would be good for people to read a personal story that could foster more honest conversation. 

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