The Passing Playbook

by Isaac Fitzsimons

Hardcover, 2021

Status

Available

Publication

Dial Books (2021), 304 pages

Description

"Fifteen-year-old Spencer Harris is a proud nerd, an awesome big brother, and a David Beckham in training. He's also transgender. After transitioning at his old school leads to a year of isolation and bullying, Spencer gets a fresh start at Oakley, the most liberal private school in Ohio. At Oakley, Spencer seems to have it all: more accepting classmates, a decent shot at a starting position on the boy's soccer team, great new friends, and maybe even something more than friendship with one of his teammates. The problem is, no one at Oakley knows Spencer is trans--he's passing. So when a discriminatory law forces Spencer's coach to bench him after he discovers the "F" on Spencer's birth certificate, Spencer has to make a choice: cheer his team on from the sidelines or publicly fight for his right to play, even though it would mean coming out to everyone-- including the guy he's falling for"--… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member greeniezona
This is a YA novel whose protagonist is a young trans teen starting over at a new school after his transition was met with threats of violence at his old school. This book is all about what it takes to come out, with our trans protagonist, his non-binary friend, and the cis gay boy he has a crush
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on all on different points of their coming out journey, with different levels of support and different motivations for being out or in. This was a debut novel that felt a little rough in places, but first, I am not the target audience, and second, the last few chapters had me crying (in a good way) nonetheless. I think this walked the line pretty successful of addressing the difficulties of encountering/fearing bigotry while still managing to feel overall like a warm hug. Definitely a book I probably would not have picked up had I not seen it recommended a few times for the Trans Rights Readathon, but I enjoyed it!
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2021

Physical description

304 p.; 8.63 inches

ISBN

1984815407 / 9781984815408

Barcode

106
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