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Parrotfish
"Last week I cut my hair, bought some boys' clothes and shoes, wrapped a large ACE bandage around my chest to flatten my fortunately-not-large breasts, and began looking for a new name."
Angela Katz-McNair has never felt quite right as a girl. Her whole life is leading up to the day she decides to become Grady, a guy. While coming out as transgender feels right to Grady, he isn't prepared for the reaction he gets from everyone else. His mother is upset, his younger sister is mortified, and his best friend, Eve, won't acknowledge him in public. Why can't people just let Grady be himself?
Grady's life is miserable until he finds friends in some unexpected places -- like the school geek, Sebastian, who explains that there is precedent in the natural world (parrotfish change gender when they need to, and the newly male fish are the alpha males), and Kita, a senior who might just be Grady's first love.
From acclaimed writer Ellen Wittlinger, this is the groundbreaking story of one teen's search for self and his struggle for acceptance.
294 pages, Hardcover
First published July 10, 2007
82 people are currently reading
9,324 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Wittlinger
32Ìýbooks270ÌýfollowersEllen Wittlinger is the critically acclaimed author of 15 young adult novels including Parrotfish, Heart on My Sleeve, Love & Lies: Marisol's Story, Razzle, What's in a Name, and Hard Love (an American Library Association Michael L. Printz Honor Book, a Lambda Literary Award winner, and a Booklist Editors' Choice). She has a bachelor's degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop. A former children's librarian, she lives with her husband in western Massachusetts.
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January 13, 2014
GRADY: And yet, things do change, Father. You need only look at me to see the truth of that!
EVE: Yes, this year has seen your Angela become your Grady and exchange her long dresses for his sturdy trousers.
LAURA: And trade her long locks for the haircut of a boy.
According to Ms. Wittlinger, being a boy means wearing “sturdy trousers� and having “the haircut of a boy�, which she described as “shaved at the neck, floppy in the front.� Uh huh because clothes and haircut are the very things that define your gender identity. Wanna become a boy? Shun your lacy and frilly dresses�too feminine—and get yourself a pixie hairdo.
You know, I normally don’t add gif or meme into my review, but this atrocious book just begs for a vivid and succinct visual statement.
Now the verbal version, I was excited at first since it’s not everyday that you can find a YA fiction that features transgender protagonist(s). And I was still very excited at the last page of the book, but only with indignation. I want to celebrate this book but that's just impossible. It shows that Ellen Wittlinger has no substantial understanding of transgender youth, sexuality, and gender equality. For a book that tries to do away with the restriction of conventional gender binary, Parrotfish has done a spectacular job at perpetuating the stereotypical cis het perception towards the institution of sex and gender. Above all, the writing is offensive, insensitive, convoluted, politically incorrect, unrealistic, sexist, borderline misogynist, and undermining the struggle of LGBTQ community.
While I didn’t expect this to be the bible of gender issue or such, I did expect it at least to be informative and educational on its chosen topic, i.e. transgender. Yeah no, the only thing it might be good for is pointing out how NOT to write about gender issues. The story started out fairly strong and decent; then it became unrealistically up-lifting in a Disneyesque manner, and only got increasingly baffling and offensive towards the end.
STORYLINE:
Briefly, Grady Katz-McNair, formerly known as Angela Katz-McNair, struggles to deal with estrangement and bullying when he decides to come out as a trans man. Grady’s effort to live true to himself creates tension in his family and attracts unwanted attention at his high school—his parents are tiptoeing around him in confusion, his sister Laura and best female friend Eve are ashamed to be associated with him, the school kids start to bother him, and half of the faculty makes the situation more distressing.
On the plus side, he gains many unexpected allies and friends—his PE coach Ms. Unger, nerdy and eccentric Sebastian Shipley, and most importantly, wonderful Kita Charles. Sebastian then told Grady about parrotfish which undergo sex reversal during their life cycle as an empowering analog to gender ambiguity/fluidity; thus generating some seriously inept, confusing and disastrous metaphors on sex and gender.
The biggest problem of this book lies in the fact that sexuality and gender discourse have such a large and complex glossary with many umbrella terms, which were then employed by the author interchangeably in many contexts without further explanation or differentiation—‘sex� and ‘gender� are among them.
Now if we get technical, parrotfish do not change their gender as in gender identity, they change their sex, i.e. reproductive organs and thus sexual functioning. Go on, do a search on parrotfish yourself. All the sources I’ve come across—except for one article in National Geographic, which should have used ‘sex� instead—refer to this transformation as ‘sex reversal� or ‘sex changing�. If parrotfish do have gender identities, I don’t think they’re aligned with ours. So the meta is forced at best, inadequate at worst.
Beside confusing terminology, the book also incorporates many bland or distasteful tropes, including POC fetishization, Mean Girl, Special Snowflake Syndrome, slut shaming, to name a few.
On a different note, the story has a very unrealistic development. Acceptance from family always is the top priority for LGBTQ teenagers, and yet this element is pushed to the background of Grady’s struggle, a lot of his battles (I used this word relatively) take place at school; his meaningful moments are with friends and allies. There are only a handful of serious talks between Grady and his parents and siblings, which carry no emotional momentum. Even Grady has to admit many times that the acceptance of his family is rather sudden.
Grady’s past experience of being a closeted trans man was largely omitted. All the reader get is surface stuff like menstruation, chest biding, outfits and hairdo.
CHARACTERS:
For all of its preaching about gender ambiguity, with the exception of Grady being transgender, every character in the book is a cis het and high-school stereotype with some tweaking for the sake of being unique. *cough*Special Snowflake*cough*
Grady himself also claims to be a typical straight man—he likes fixing stuff; he prefers plain and casual man clothes; he’s interested in girls only. But as extra values go, he can be also very attentive, understanding, and a good listener because, wait for it, he has been living as a girl. I don’t follow Wittlinger’s reasoning. Heck, I’ve lived as a woman all my life and can’t even claim I understand other women.
It bothers me to see him being presented as a special individual with extra value for his gender dysphoria or his transgender identity. Putting someone on a pedestal is also a type of alienation, and it can be just as damaging as negating their differences. Unfortunately, this motif keeps happening through out the story. To be blunt, I think Grady is a Larry Stu who happens to be transgender.
On a side note, one of Grady’s quirks is that he often creates scenarios in his head, which is played out in the format of drama dialogues. Some of them are funny, but I found many of them insensitive and offensive. But hey, guys will be guys *sarcasm*
Sebastian is a hodgepodge of all kinds of nerd tropes. He’s smart, well-read, eccentric; but also cool, open-minded and outspoken. I could have been okay with that, but oh boy he just has to display many sexist and male chauvinist behaviors. He once stated that his frail mother was nice but useless because she could do nothing but read. He tried to pair Grady with Kita at the expense of the girl’s feeling. When Kita had a fight with her boyfriend Russell—who was a nice but regular guy—Sebastian blatantly urged Grady to make a move on her. Hey, you like her, and you’re both special! She would be interested. She’s going to break up with her boyfriend soon. Then let’s make your move.
Just no! Please take your male entitlement and shove it where the sun don’t shine. When Grady’s friend Eve was rumored to be a lesbian, Sebastian offered to take her to the dance, apparently, to prove that she’s interested in men. Hahaha ha� hah. So, Sebastian is basically a sexist creep, or a logically inept nerd at best, who is hailed as an awesome and resourceful LGBT ally. Good grief!
Eve is Grady’s former besfriend, who avoids him when he comes out. She’s a push-over and insecure girl. Eve has been Grady’s bestfriend for a long time before Sebastian the jerk appears but her appearance is very scarce. There’s no narrative on how they became friends, what Grady had felt when his best friend treated him as another girl, and how that affected their interaction. Eve is never really fleshed out, but then the majority of the characters aren’t either.
Kita Charles exists solely as Grady’s love interest, and for the sake of racial diversity. We know nothing about her, save for the fact that she’s of Japanese and African American heritage, which dubiously feels like a fetishization of people of color. Scratch it, it definitely is. Grady did fantasize about her in a provocative nature.
KITA: [brandishes a golden fried potato] I like you, Grady. Let’s share.
GRADY: [tongues the French fry, nibbling it out of her fingers] Whatever your say.
KITA: I say, the hell with Russell Gallo. You’re the one I’ve been waiting for all my life. You’re my twin, my perfect match.
GRADY: And you’re mine, Kita.
KITA: Feed me, Grady. Feed me. [opens her mouth]
[GRADY picks p another fry, dips it in ketchup, and twirls it into Kita’s chin, spewing ketchup across her face and blouse.]
KITA: [wipping red goo off herself] Grady! Look what you did! You ruined everything!
[GRADY crawls under the table and curls into a fetal position.]
Am I supposed to think this is cute or funny? Are girls supposed to be flattered or impressed that guys they barely know fantasizing about them that way? No, don’t answer. They’re rhetorical questions.
Kita is supposed to be super cool and nice, and yet her characterization comes off as shallow and self-righteous. She often complains and berates her boyfriend Russel for being selfish and walking all over her. We don’t get to see what he actually did, the extent of his selfishness, as far as I could see, is that he doesn’t share her love of music and he spaces out during her rehearsal. As a result, she chides him in front of Grady and Sebastian, and praises Grady for being attentive. Poor Russell is clearly a plot device to elevate Grady’s specialness. Moreover, Kita spouts out a lot of heteronormative craps.
“Oh, Russel,� Kita said. “Sometimes you are totally normal. I can’t believe you’re my boyfriend.�
----
“He’s so aggravating. One minute he’s a sweet guy, all what-can-I-do-for-you-Kita, and the next minute he’s completely selfish. He hurts my feelings and he doesn’t even realize he did it. He’s such a guy!�
“But girls can be hurtful too. Look at Eve. Look at Danya!�
“Yes, but girls know when they’re being mean� You know, Grady, I think I could tell you spent most of your life as a girl even if I didn’t already know it.�
“You could?�
She nodded. “You pick up on things. You care about other people. You aren’t just thinking about yourself all the time.� She laughed. “Maybe if Russell had been a girl for a few years, we’d get along better.�
*Sigh* Girls can be just hurtful and insensitive as guys, period. And no boyfriend, husband, lover, NOBODY, can be sweet and catering to you 24/7. What is normal? What’s wrong with being normal?
Danya is Mean Girl’s Regina George with no real bite. She only serves as a stand-up antagonist and her downfall later creates a Disneyesque triumph for our underdog protag. Other ‘antagonists� are also just nonthreatening caricatures.
Coach Unger is pretty cool. I think she’s one of a few redeeming qualities about this book. But her appearance is neither here nor there.
Now let’s tackle the critical part of the book.
SEX AND GENDER METAS
The first meta about gender fluidity in the book, brought to you by the courtesy of Sebastian:
“What if you put the most macho guy you could think of—say, Sylvester Stallone or somebody like that—on one end of a football field, and the most feminine woman you could think of—say Paris Hilton or� Jennifer Lopez—on the other end. If you had everybody else on earth lined up in between them according to how masculine or feminine they were, there would be a lot of people in the middle of the field, you know? Not everybody would be standing next to Sly or Paris.�
“And who gets to decide how masculine or feminine everybody is?�
“You decide for yourself.�
“Most people would lie. They’d try to clump up around Sylvester and Paris.�
“Well then, some greater force would decide. The Great Scientist Who Knows Everything would decide.�
Grady’s imagination on that meta:
THE GREAT SCIENTIST WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING: Danya, my dear, you don’t belong at the end with Paris and Jennifer.
DANYA: The hell I don’t.
THE GREAT SCIENTIST WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING: See? With that mouth, I’m putting you down by Stallone.
I had to laugh at the ludicrous choices. That aside, this is the point where I realized how problematic this book is. You see, Wittlinger tries to say gender identities are arbitrary but her analysis strictly abides by the traditional association of gender binary—man and woman are two extremes of either end, man being the ultimate embodiment of masculinity, woman being the ultimate embodiment of femininity. Wittlinger fails to grasp that the concepts of “masculinity� and “femininity� are stereotyped physical attributes and personality structure in terms of sexual category. Traditional “masculinity� denotes qualities such as muscular, strong, buff, violent, aggressive, vigorous, etc. Traditional “femininity� denotes qualities such as weak, fragile, delicate, demure, gentle, caring, virtuous, etc. And these two sets of values are socially imposed on men and women respectively. The author affirms that most people are gender ambiguous, but then slipped in the cliché notion that the most masculine man/person ought to possess an obscene vocabulary. But what does being obscene or blasphemous have to do with being masculine/men or not? If that wasn’t a gender stereotype, I don’t know what else would be.
In the past, sex and gender were used interchangeably in many contexts, but this usage has been advised against in contemporary discourse. Sex refers to biological and physiological characteristics that differ the male from the female in a species. Gender refers to gender roles, social roles or gender identity. Gender is culturally constructed, thus can be learned, altered and changed. I have a vagina and breasts so my sex is female, my gender identity is a cis woman, and my sexual orientation is predominantly heterosexual, or to be specific, demi-heterosexual. Yeah, I know, it can be very overwhelming so many people choose to go without labels. However, certain labels and categories are necessary for critical discourse.
At the present, we have acknowledged that “sex and gender are not inevitably bound in a one-to-one relationship; each may go into quite different ways� (Robert J. Stoller, 1968). Not to mention, the multitudes of sexes don’t necessarily fall between male and female. In other words, intersex, male and female don’t necessarily form a straight procession. Therefore, aligning the transition of masculine-to-feminine with that of male-to-female in Wittlinger’s fashion is completely conventional and ill-advised.
Moreover, scientists have no right to tell me whether I am masculine or feminine, or how should I identify my gender—man, or woman or transgender.
Now to the one-meta-to-rule-them-all with the parrotfish.
[Grady reading Sebastian’s paper on parrotfish]
"Parrotfish exhibit three adaptations that set them apart from other firsh [blah blah fish stuff]. But the third parrotfish adaptation is perhaps the most fascinating. Depending on fluctuation in population density, theses fish may change their gender from female to male."
[Grady’s thinking]
Okay, this is the part for me. I’m liking it that the young female is an undistinguished gray with a red belly, but it turns a beautiful green with a gold-yellow stripe down its face when it becomes male.
The paper goes on to tell about the advantages of being able to switch genders. As Sebastian told me earlier, the females who change to males are called supermales and are dominant over the regular old born males.
The underline is mine.
Oh, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s an imaginative dialogue between Sebastian and Malachite a supermale parrotfish, courtesy of Grady’s overactive mind.
SEBASTIAN: Malachite, what it felt like to change your gender from that of female to that of supermale?
MALACHITE: Felt like a million bucks, lemme tell you. At last I could stop being barefinned and pregnant all the time. I put on those super-tights and I was the alpha dogfish! These days I leave the toilet seat up and everything!
SEBASTIAN: Can you tell us is there anything you miss about being a female?
MALACHITE: Oh, sure, let’s see. I miss sitting around in the algae all day long with a bunch of fishlets hanging on my scales yelling, “Mommy, I don’t want to sleep in my mucus sack tonight!� Or: “Do I have to eat zooxanthellae for dinner again?� Oh, yeah, it’s a ball being female.
SEBASTIAN: Malachite says, no, being male is just fine with him.
MALACHITE: You can say that again, cowboy!
What the heck is that? How should I interpret it? Why does the supermale fish talk like an insolent rapey thug? What should I think of Grady for even imagining that conversation?
Wittlinger just tacks subjective human values to the fish and by a single meta implying that Hey, transgender is better than cisgender, being female sucks ball—you’re plain looking, impregnated all year long, and stuck with scruffy kids. Can’t believe I used to be a woman.
WOW, just wow!
Moreover, last time I check, gender equality is the opposite of putting one specific gender on a pedestal. And gender fluidity means we can and should transcend the culturally constructed connotations and expectation of men and women. Gender identities, gender roles, physical attributes, temperament, behaviors are arbitrary and should not be assigned strictly to one specific sex. We need to re-examine and redefine the concept of “masculinity� and “femininity�, eliminating the idea that they are idiosyncratic to any specific group of sex or gender.
Grady: “What? Fish change from female to male?�
Sebastian: “Stoplight parrotfish do. Actually all parrotfish do.�
FACT: The marbled parrotfish (Leptoscarus vaigiensis) is known to be the only type of parrotfish that do not undergo sex change.
My conclusion, whatever your topic is, whatever your cause or advocate is, a thorough research is a must.
August 11, 2015
I really wish people would stop recommending this book to trans kids, to be perfectly honest. The author very obviously didn't do extensive research, because her portrayal of a ftm teenager is pretty damn inaccurate. She portrays him as binding with ace bandages and no repercussions, a misconception that can actually kill people, as wrapping a "large ACE bandage" around one's chest can lead to severely damaged ribs and/or suffocation. Not as simple as Grady would have it seem. And then we have the very problematic, borderline fetishizing, racial aspect. Is it good to have racial diversity in LGBT+ novels? Absolutely. But not the way Wittlinger does it. If you're looking for a book with a trans guy prominently featured, please love yourself and try Beautiful Music for Ugly Children or Love in the Time of Global Warming.
December 26, 2014
Add this to the list of books with trans characters written by well meaning but clueless cis people.
Meet Grady, the recently out trans boy who is dealing with the fallout of friends, family, and strangers coming to terms with his social transition. His mom and sister are knee deep in the "why am I cursed with a trans family member this is clearly all about me" quagmire, his ex-best friend is now rubbing elbows with the neighborhood transphobe, and he's trying to get everyone to call him by his chosen name.
His grip on gender reads like a painfully bad trans 101. The cringe worthy moments abound. For the sake of argument Grady, equates trans and Two-Spirit identities, "You know in Native American culture, people like me were honored... we were called Two-Spirit." Wittlinger simultaneously ignores that Two-Spirit is a culturally specific identity that shouldn't be adopted by white teens and places that big old monolithic Native American culture in the past, making is seem like there aren't Native American people of a plethhora of nations alive today, let alone contemporary Two-Spirit people. In an imagined dialog between Sebastian and a parrotfish, being female is pitched as a shitty chore of pregnancy and childcare. Not to mention the fact that Wittlinger uses "transgendered" as opposed to transgender (you shouldn't say someone is lesbianed or christianed any more than you should say someone is transgendered) throughout the book.
Add to this the fact that there was one character of color, Kita, the exotified, objectified love interest who doesn't get more personality that that she's really nice and really pretty and so ~exotic~ and you get a novel that comes across as poorly researched, racist, and misogynistic.
Ultimately Parrotfish felt like a mediocre run of the mill YA novel with some poorly done trans content incorporated. There is an abysmally short reading list when it comes to YA books with trans protagonists, and most of them are not selections I would recommend to young trans people or those trying to come to grips with a non conventional gender identity. The best thing I can say is that Parrotfish is slightly less horrific than some of these.
Meet Grady, the recently out trans boy who is dealing with the fallout of friends, family, and strangers coming to terms with his social transition. His mom and sister are knee deep in the "why am I cursed with a trans family member this is clearly all about me" quagmire, his ex-best friend is now rubbing elbows with the neighborhood transphobe, and he's trying to get everyone to call him by his chosen name.
His grip on gender reads like a painfully bad trans 101. The cringe worthy moments abound. For the sake of argument Grady, equates trans and Two-Spirit identities, "You know in Native American culture, people like me were honored... we were called Two-Spirit." Wittlinger simultaneously ignores that Two-Spirit is a culturally specific identity that shouldn't be adopted by white teens and places that big old monolithic Native American culture in the past, making is seem like there aren't Native American people of a plethhora of nations alive today, let alone contemporary Two-Spirit people. In an imagined dialog between Sebastian and a parrotfish, being female is pitched as a shitty chore of pregnancy and childcare. Not to mention the fact that Wittlinger uses "transgendered" as opposed to transgender (you shouldn't say someone is lesbianed or christianed any more than you should say someone is transgendered) throughout the book.
Add to this the fact that there was one character of color, Kita, the exotified, objectified love interest who doesn't get more personality that that she's really nice and really pretty and so ~exotic~ and you get a novel that comes across as poorly researched, racist, and misogynistic.
Ultimately Parrotfish felt like a mediocre run of the mill YA novel with some poorly done trans content incorporated. There is an abysmally short reading list when it comes to YA books with trans protagonists, and most of them are not selections I would recommend to young trans people or those trying to come to grips with a non conventional gender identity. The best thing I can say is that Parrotfish is slightly less horrific than some of these.
March 6, 2008
This book is Friendly and Educational. The author was clearly trying to write a book that encourages trans kids, and because of that it was totally unrealistic, with well-informed and sympathetic allies coming out of the woodwork, the school bullies conveniently dispatched and made to look like ignorant fools, an accepting family and even a kiss from the most popular girl in school. Because of all these happy things, it's pretty adorable, though. It's way better than its transgirl counterpart, Luna, and it's pretty amazing that this book is out there. I heart the character of Sebastian (i have such a thing for book nerds!). I was annoyed that the main character says he's Two-Spirit when he's not Native, though, and the token person of color who was portrayed somewhat exotically was annoying as well. Some truly cheesy writing too. But it's friendly. When there's nothing else out there to compare it to, it's easy to like it, even with its faults.
October 17, 2007
am i allowed to be critical of a book of such monumental importance?
if i am, i have to say that i've read about three hundred books by better writers. but i've never read one about a teenaged ftm who is transitioning with pride and courage.
so, i'm conflicted.
issue driven books. morals. badly written dialogue. woefully pedestrian metaphors about christmas, babies, and napoleon dynamite.
then, pride and courage and sadness and confusion and good friends and family coming around.
what to say?
if i am, i have to say that i've read about three hundred books by better writers. but i've never read one about a teenaged ftm who is transitioning with pride and courage.
so, i'm conflicted.
issue driven books. morals. badly written dialogue. woefully pedestrian metaphors about christmas, babies, and napoleon dynamite.
then, pride and courage and sadness and confusion and good friends and family coming around.
what to say?
January 28, 2015
Ignoring the constant use of "transgendered," the book was still a disappointment in many ways. Sexuality was presented as binary (gay or hetero), with bisexuality being erased, and gender was binary as well (boy or girl). Gender identity and gender expression were treated as synonymous. It encouraged the harmful stereotype of masculine man and feminine woman. It indiscriminately interchanged "gender" and "sex." The story felt very trite and saccharine. Everyone was accepting by the end of the book; students, administration, and family all. The bullies got their comeuppance; justice was served. Race was handled poorly; the crush/love interest was a person of color and fetishized her. She was treated as "exotic," being the only person whose skin color was described.
December 11, 2020
Full Review to Come
Feeling inspired - so there's a this week - all about the most impactful Pride books I have read.
Now that you know this one made list, check out the video to see the rest.
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November 4, 2013
I think this book as far as I know is the first YA book that deals with a female to male transperson as its main character. Another YA book, named Luna by Julie Ann Peters has a male to female transperson as its main character. This book takes place in about a month's time. From the weekend after Thanksgiving till Christmas time. The week before the book starts, Grady has cut his hair in the style of a boy and bought boy clothes. He tells his family and the people in his life that his new name is Grady. He's no longer Angela. He has a younger sister named Laura who is at first mortified by his news. He also as a little brother named Charlie who seems to understand. His dad adapts rather quickly. His mom is angry and dealing. His best friend Eve that he's known for 12 years has more or less abandoned him. She doesn't want to be associated with him in public. Grady does get some support though. His gym teacher allows him to shower and dress in her bathroom so he won't feel uncomfortable and/or have problems with the other kids. He meets a new friend name Sebastian (I've loved that name ever since the Neverending Story) who is incredibly supportive. There's a very pretty girl named Kita who likes him likes him and her boyfriend/maybe exboyfriend/boyfriend again who likes Grady as a friend.
Some of the kids at school try to humiliate him. There's one particularly mean-spirited person named Danya who goes out of her way to make other's lives miserable. Most of his teachers are supportive. There's only one teacher and Grady's principal who decide not to change his name figuring he's just attention seeking or that he should wait till he's older to do this. There's one thing that is missing from this book. The threat of violence. Situations like this at times bring out the worst in people. Grady is truly one of the lucky ones.
I didn't care for the writing style of this book all that much. I also feel that talking a bit more of Grady's thought process of being a boy or his decision process to come out at this time was a missed opportunity. (I really don't like to judge a book based on what wasn't there but here I've done just that) I feel that the supporting characters were more fleshed out and present in the story than Grady was and this is sad because it is told from his point of view.
A cool thing about this book is that there's a list of books that the writer used to help her along listed at the end of the book. There are also organizations and websites for support and further information. I think this book is important for its subject matter and its timeliness. I feel that it is a good book for young people and adults.
Some of the kids at school try to humiliate him. There's one particularly mean-spirited person named Danya who goes out of her way to make other's lives miserable. Most of his teachers are supportive. There's only one teacher and Grady's principal who decide not to change his name figuring he's just attention seeking or that he should wait till he's older to do this. There's one thing that is missing from this book. The threat of violence. Situations like this at times bring out the worst in people. Grady is truly one of the lucky ones.
I didn't care for the writing style of this book all that much. I also feel that talking a bit more of Grady's thought process of being a boy or his decision process to come out at this time was a missed opportunity. (I really don't like to judge a book based on what wasn't there but here I've done just that) I feel that the supporting characters were more fleshed out and present in the story than Grady was and this is sad because it is told from his point of view.
A cool thing about this book is that there's a list of books that the writer used to help her along listed at the end of the book. There are also organizations and websites for support and further information. I think this book is important for its subject matter and its timeliness. I feel that it is a good book for young people and adults.
July 2, 2013
If I were rating this book purely on the writing, characters, plot etc. I'd be giving it 3, maybe 4 stars if it were lucky. But I feel a very strong connection to this book, and feel compelled to say a very very icky cliche thing about it, which is that it changed my life, and so the 5-star rating seems compulsory.
I grew up in small-town New Hampshire and discovered the word 'transgender' at age 14 in the 9th grade and proceeded to have a full-blown identity crisis for the next 2-3 years. I knew of at best one gay person but could name zero trans people. I didn't feel like I could talk to anyone in my family, none of my friends had any idea what 'trans' meant, my guidance counselors were totally useless, and there were pretty much no resources whatsoever that I could access aside from the internet. I was completely freaked out and on my own.
Enter Parrotfish, which showed up in my school library one day because one of the librarians stumbled across it and loved it. I read it in a day and then flipped back to the first page and read it again. I've probably read it at least 20 times by now and practically have it memorized. No, Grady's experiences did not really equate with mine at all, but that didn't matter. The mere fact that this book existed, that there was a book about people like me (my age even!), no matter how well written, gave me more corny hope than anything else.
I managed to make Parrotfish a group read in the school book club, which led to plenty of informative discussion among some of my classmates and allowed me to feel safe enough to come out to both the librarian and my sister. When I came out to my mom over a year later, I had her read it, which opened up better discussion with her. I've had a lot of people read this book. It's not a substitute for a good ole Trans* 101 by any means, but it definitely gets people thinking and opening up, and I think it can begin to ground the concept of being transgender in everyday life for some people who know nothing about it.
Yes, the characters are pretty flat and/or unrealistic, the dialogue's pretty "eh", the whole subplot with his father's Christmas skit thing is weird, and I can't really take Grady's emotions seriously (sorry, but the near-total lack of anxiety and the almost nonchalant way he talks about some pretty serious things strike me every time as unrealistic. I'm sure there are people like him out there but I feel like this book skirts around a lot of stuff about being trans that it would have done well to meddle with). But this book has been instrumental to me in coming out to people and starting conversations, and I think its simplicity is key to that. I'm a senior in college now, and every time I move to a new place this book still goes with me. It's getting outdated now that trans fiction is growing, but it has way more than filled its purpose for me.
I grew up in small-town New Hampshire and discovered the word 'transgender' at age 14 in the 9th grade and proceeded to have a full-blown identity crisis for the next 2-3 years. I knew of at best one gay person but could name zero trans people. I didn't feel like I could talk to anyone in my family, none of my friends had any idea what 'trans' meant, my guidance counselors were totally useless, and there were pretty much no resources whatsoever that I could access aside from the internet. I was completely freaked out and on my own.
Enter Parrotfish, which showed up in my school library one day because one of the librarians stumbled across it and loved it. I read it in a day and then flipped back to the first page and read it again. I've probably read it at least 20 times by now and practically have it memorized. No, Grady's experiences did not really equate with mine at all, but that didn't matter. The mere fact that this book existed, that there was a book about people like me (my age even!), no matter how well written, gave me more corny hope than anything else.
I managed to make Parrotfish a group read in the school book club, which led to plenty of informative discussion among some of my classmates and allowed me to feel safe enough to come out to both the librarian and my sister. When I came out to my mom over a year later, I had her read it, which opened up better discussion with her. I've had a lot of people read this book. It's not a substitute for a good ole Trans* 101 by any means, but it definitely gets people thinking and opening up, and I think it can begin to ground the concept of being transgender in everyday life for some people who know nothing about it.
Yes, the characters are pretty flat and/or unrealistic, the dialogue's pretty "eh", the whole subplot with his father's Christmas skit thing is weird, and I can't really take Grady's emotions seriously (sorry, but the near-total lack of anxiety and the almost nonchalant way he talks about some pretty serious things strike me every time as unrealistic. I'm sure there are people like him out there but I feel like this book skirts around a lot of stuff about being trans that it would have done well to meddle with). But this book has been instrumental to me in coming out to people and starting conversations, and I think its simplicity is key to that. I'm a senior in college now, and every time I move to a new place this book still goes with me. It's getting outdated now that trans fiction is growing, but it has way more than filled its purpose for me.
December 11, 2007
i'm tired of coming out books. sure, it's necessary to explain to folks through fiction what the life of a tranny can be like, but i'd prefer to have tranny people living real lives with other struggles who are totally okay with being tranny. same goes for other kinds of queer. let's have some good love stories or coming of age stories or fantasy stories where the characters just happen to be queer or tranny. so, this book is a good intro for beginners or teens desperate to see themselves (f2m) in a book. Otherwise you have to go to adult fiction.
Read
September 15, 2015I wanted to like it because this is a book that should exist, but it's a book that needs better writing.
March 29, 2018
I'm trans. I read this book a year or two ago and have virtually no memory as to what it was about. I'm sure this isn't the *worst* trans book out there (that bar is set very low/high depending on how you look at it) but it was completely unremarkable.
September 28, 2021
I get that it's difficult for a cis author to accurately describe a trans experience, but Wittlinger did a spectacularly bad job. Besides that, the racial fetishisation is disgusting. Terrible book, wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
August 2, 2012
This was the first Transgender related book that I've read and I personally think it was a very good book. Being trans myself it was really easy to relate to everything going on in the book and it helped me mentally prepare to come out to my family. I love how it also had that little cute love story involved in there but I was sad to see that Grady didn't end up winning the girls heart! I would reccomend this to younger people who are maybe questioning their gender, are transgender, or maybe someone who is just trying to understand what it's like for someone born in the wrong body! There was some negative things about the book though like how easy it was for people to start supporting Grady, it's normally going to take a lot more time for everyone to be supportive! Also I didn't like how Grady kept saying "When I became a boy." Because he wasn't necessarily becoming a boy he was jut being himself. But over all I was very into this book and I couldn't put it down. I read it with in two days and enjoyed it very much!:)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2016
So I'm on the fence about this book. It's great that there is actually a ftm trans book, and it shows some of the struggle people go through, I related to some of the book, which I guess I was looking for. But at the same time it was unrealistic. The family go from disliking the change to not minding so quickly, the kids at school go from taking the piss to everyone being on his side. The cool girl at the school kisses him and says how much she likes him, and then goes back to her ex boyfriend. I'm all for happy endings and everything, but not everything turns out so perfect, let alone so quickly. It was cheesy, and unrealistic. But at the same time I kind of liked it. We all hope for happy endings and I'm glad Grady got most of his. I feel like at one point though, gender and sexuality got a little mixed.
But you know what, I'm so glad this book was written and I would recommend it because it is a subject we need more books on.
But you know what, I'm so glad this book was written and I would recommend it because it is a subject we need more books on.
January 12, 2016
This is a really nice book. It's about a high school kid who's trans and I thought it was well done. It's an upbeat, positive, accessible book with a good message that's nicely written. Yes, I thought it had some flaws--it's pretty superficial, it seems a little unrealistic, and there were a few other things that didn't sit quite right with me--but I celebrate this book's existence because it's a nice, pleasant book about a nice, likeable trans kid who has a nice, easy life and it's just nice and happy all over and I think that's important. Happy, easy stories about trans kids are equally as important as realistic, complex stories and they both have a place. Yes, it's simplistic, but I think that's its strength.
October 24, 2017
7/10 Stars
"Don’t get me wrong, there wasn’t any especially bad about it, but—for me, there was nothing especially great either." - Matt
"While Parrotfish did make me re-live my horrible high school days to some degree, I think, in this case, that’s a good thing." - Leigh
You can find our full reviews
"Don’t get me wrong, there wasn’t any especially bad about it, but—for me, there was nothing especially great either." - Matt
"While Parrotfish did make me re-live my horrible high school days to some degree, I think, in this case, that’s a good thing." - Leigh
You can find our full reviews
June 22, 2022
It's so fun, as well as entertaining I could read it again to realize details that maybe I didn't read the first time.
October 7, 2011
"And why was changing gender such a big honking deal anyway? People changed lots of other personal things all the time. They dyed their hair and dieted themselves to near death. They took steroids to build muscles and got breast implants and nose jobs so they'd resemble their favorite movie stars. They changed names and majors and jobs and husbands and wives. They changed religions and political parties. They moved across the country or the world-even changed nationalities. Why was gender the one sacred thing we weren't supposed to change? Who made that rule?"
This is the main question of Grady's life and something that is not easily answered. It's also something that no one seems to understand, except maybe, Sebastian Shipely and his new found knowledge of the Parrotfish. Which is all fine and dandy, but Grady isn't a fish. Grady is just a teenager looking for love and understanding like everyone else. How can he expect it from others, when he is struggling so hard to find it in himself?
This book definitely hits a hard subject, which makes it good YA fodder. I thought that was an interesting choice to tell it from the point of view of a transgendered female to male, rather than male to female. It also made me think of the tragic, real-life story behind Brandon Teena, subject of the movie, Boys Don’t Cry, which came out in 1999. Of course, the story is not dark at all in relation to the life of Brandon Teena, but rather a more positive response to something so horrific. I have discovered that that is something that YA often does; respond to life events.
At times the story felt a little too positive, a little too unrealistic. But as I’ve never read any novel about transgendered people before, I have no idea if this is because there is too much darkness and not enough light in their world of reading. This is definitely aimed at the LGBT teen community, but I think would also be a valuable tool to be given to their friends and family as well. I think that girls outside the community would also be drawn to it, in the 15 and up range. I don’t think I can say the same for boys outside of the community, although perhaps there are boys out there like Sebastian, who need their own hero.
I would say that this book is far more teachable than Annie On My Mind, and I think that I actually prefer it to that book. I can imagine it not going over well with some parents, though. But there will always be “some parents� out there and their kids are the ones who can often benefit the most from reading a book like this. They can learn acceptance and tolerance with that age old “Be Who You Are� message.
I liked it. It was a fun and fast read, with a lot of self-questioning that I certainly related to when I was that age and still do now as an adult, even if I’m not LGBT. That was the beauty of this novel, really. Though its protagonist is struggling with transgender issues, there are a lot of questions that most of us have growing up and changing, both physically and mentally.
This is the main question of Grady's life and something that is not easily answered. It's also something that no one seems to understand, except maybe, Sebastian Shipely and his new found knowledge of the Parrotfish. Which is all fine and dandy, but Grady isn't a fish. Grady is just a teenager looking for love and understanding like everyone else. How can he expect it from others, when he is struggling so hard to find it in himself?
This book definitely hits a hard subject, which makes it good YA fodder. I thought that was an interesting choice to tell it from the point of view of a transgendered female to male, rather than male to female. It also made me think of the tragic, real-life story behind Brandon Teena, subject of the movie, Boys Don’t Cry, which came out in 1999. Of course, the story is not dark at all in relation to the life of Brandon Teena, but rather a more positive response to something so horrific. I have discovered that that is something that YA often does; respond to life events.
At times the story felt a little too positive, a little too unrealistic. But as I’ve never read any novel about transgendered people before, I have no idea if this is because there is too much darkness and not enough light in their world of reading. This is definitely aimed at the LGBT teen community, but I think would also be a valuable tool to be given to their friends and family as well. I think that girls outside the community would also be drawn to it, in the 15 and up range. I don’t think I can say the same for boys outside of the community, although perhaps there are boys out there like Sebastian, who need their own hero.
I would say that this book is far more teachable than Annie On My Mind, and I think that I actually prefer it to that book. I can imagine it not going over well with some parents, though. But there will always be “some parents� out there and their kids are the ones who can often benefit the most from reading a book like this. They can learn acceptance and tolerance with that age old “Be Who You Are� message.
I liked it. It was a fun and fast read, with a lot of self-questioning that I certainly related to when I was that age and still do now as an adult, even if I’m not LGBT. That was the beauty of this novel, really. Though its protagonist is struggling with transgender issues, there are a lot of questions that most of us have growing up and changing, both physically and mentally.
February 27, 2014
I could tell this was a book to educate and uplift. In that, I think it did reasonably well, although at some point it felt that the goal to educate overran the attempt to tell a story.
In the end I didn't mind Grady all that much--especially when he talked about gender as something more Grey rather than black and white, which even many trans people take a long while to get to--although I wasn't so impressed by his inclusion of being a Two-Spirit despite not being Native. (Though with that I do still understand that it's something many young trans kids will find; the knowledge of cultural appropriation often comes later, if it does.) The use of "transgenderED" got to me sometimes since I know there has been such a push for it to be simply "transgender" (as no one is "gayed" or "straighted" or whatever else). (The example often given is that there is Yellowed Paper, which means something has happened to turn the paper yellow and make it that way; there is also Yellow Paper, which was made yellow and is yellow and has always been yellow.)
I enjoyed Sebastion and the inclusion of a 'normal guy' who was willing to open up with some stuff as well. I could understand why some would feel offended at him feeling able to open up to the guy who is "between two worlds" (not gender normative) because it delegitimises Grady's identity as a boy, I have also seen that be the case and experienced it a number of times myself as someone who is genderqueer. It makes for good sounding boards; people from both 'sides' and all along/off the spectrum will confide in non-normative persons.
I felt Kita was portrayed as a bit of an "exotic" in a way that's quite common and a bit objectifying, and she seemed a bit of a token, but I also know many suburban/exurb Massachusetts towns (like my own) and have often found that to be the case. I suppose I was still at least glad to have SOME sort of POC representation, given how many books don't have it at all.
I loved the gym teacher; she was my absolute favourite. I have a fondness for cranky older women with hearts of gold.
In some ways it seems unrealistic to have a story go quite as this one did: a supportive new best friend coming in at exactly the right time, two other older allies jumping right in at one of the first heated moments, an adult support system as things get tough, a quick bout of romance with one of the most popular people in school, the parental turn-around, a number of people educated on the subject or willing to learn... I can see how this is an optimistic story to make transgender teens feel good and teach others about the topic. In other ways, I've actually seen much of it happen, particularly in suburban/exurban Massachusetts (where I grew up).
All in all, not
In the end I didn't mind Grady all that much--especially when he talked about gender as something more Grey rather than black and white, which even many trans people take a long while to get to--although I wasn't so impressed by his inclusion of being a Two-Spirit despite not being Native. (Though with that I do still understand that it's something many young trans kids will find; the knowledge of cultural appropriation often comes later, if it does.) The use of "transgenderED" got to me sometimes since I know there has been such a push for it to be simply "transgender" (as no one is "gayed" or "straighted" or whatever else). (The example often given is that there is Yellowed Paper, which means something has happened to turn the paper yellow and make it that way; there is also Yellow Paper, which was made yellow and is yellow and has always been yellow.)
I enjoyed Sebastion and the inclusion of a 'normal guy' who was willing to open up with some stuff as well. I could understand why some would feel offended at him feeling able to open up to the guy who is "between two worlds" (not gender normative) because it delegitimises Grady's identity as a boy, I have also seen that be the case and experienced it a number of times myself as someone who is genderqueer. It makes for good sounding boards; people from both 'sides' and all along/off the spectrum will confide in non-normative persons.
I felt Kita was portrayed as a bit of an "exotic" in a way that's quite common and a bit objectifying, and she seemed a bit of a token, but I also know many suburban/exurb Massachusetts towns (like my own) and have often found that to be the case. I suppose I was still at least glad to have SOME sort of POC representation, given how many books don't have it at all.
I loved the gym teacher; she was my absolute favourite. I have a fondness for cranky older women with hearts of gold.
In some ways it seems unrealistic to have a story go quite as this one did: a supportive new best friend coming in at exactly the right time, two other older allies jumping right in at one of the first heated moments, an adult support system as things get tough, a quick bout of romance with one of the most popular people in school, the parental turn-around, a number of people educated on the subject or willing to learn... I can see how this is an optimistic story to make transgender teens feel good and teach others about the topic. In other ways, I've actually seen much of it happen, particularly in suburban/exurban Massachusetts (where I grew up).
All in all, not
October 26, 2021
This is the first review I’m ever writing and I’m only doing it because I think this book is straight up harmful.
This book is really bad I’m not going to lie. It’s one of those books where the author is expecting praise for writing about a trans person without seemingly ever even having spoken to a trans person. Nobody’s reaction to Gradys coming out makes any sense whatsoever, all of it feels so forced. Basically you have every possible reaction (dramatised) coming from all the wrong people. Also you don’t tend to gain friends when you come out just because you came out unless those friends are also LGBT and even then it’s usually through like a club or something. It’s just all so ridiculous ugh. The book pretends to have an in-depth understanding of gender identity but it’s like reading someone’s thoughts on an article after they read a headline and drew all the wrong conclusions as to what the article is about.
To a cis audience who read this book thinking that this is even close to trans experiences, it will give them a really strange view of trans people. As if they are something special and the image that grand genstures and posturing solve everything.
To someone who is just starting to think about coming out, the implication that it has to be done ALL AT ONCE is awful. The pressure that puts on people is immense and unnecessary. Most people come out in stages or at a point in their life that things are changing anyway, it makes it easier for the person and those around them. And if things are easier for those around you, they become easier on you.
To a trans audience that’s some way through transition this is genuinely offensive. It’s like our experiences were looked at, disregarded as trash and something else was put in place that was more palatable ??? It’s both incredibly dramatic and so Surface level it gives me a headache.
Oh and the fetishisation of mixed race people is ????? Just WHY
Anyway, don’t read this, safe yourself the trouble.
This book is really bad I’m not going to lie. It’s one of those books where the author is expecting praise for writing about a trans person without seemingly ever even having spoken to a trans person. Nobody’s reaction to Gradys coming out makes any sense whatsoever, all of it feels so forced. Basically you have every possible reaction (dramatised) coming from all the wrong people. Also you don’t tend to gain friends when you come out just because you came out unless those friends are also LGBT and even then it’s usually through like a club or something. It’s just all so ridiculous ugh. The book pretends to have an in-depth understanding of gender identity but it’s like reading someone’s thoughts on an article after they read a headline and drew all the wrong conclusions as to what the article is about.
To a cis audience who read this book thinking that this is even close to trans experiences, it will give them a really strange view of trans people. As if they are something special and the image that grand genstures and posturing solve everything.
To someone who is just starting to think about coming out, the implication that it has to be done ALL AT ONCE is awful. The pressure that puts on people is immense and unnecessary. Most people come out in stages or at a point in their life that things are changing anyway, it makes it easier for the person and those around them. And if things are easier for those around you, they become easier on you.
To a trans audience that’s some way through transition this is genuinely offensive. It’s like our experiences were looked at, disregarded as trash and something else was put in place that was more palatable ??? It’s both incredibly dramatic and so Surface level it gives me a headache.
Oh and the fetishisation of mixed race people is ????? Just WHY
Anyway, don’t read this, safe yourself the trouble.
April 10, 2015
Parrotfish both destroyed our faith in humanity and slowly restored it as the story progressed. The main character Grady is brave. We were amazed by the way he didn’t hold himself back. We're not sure how realistic the story is, in regards to the difficulties of coming out as a transgendered teen, but we know that when we were in high school, few would have dared to deviate outside of the gender binary. Especially in the way Grady chose to: he straight-forwardly informed teachers and students that he was changing his name from Angela to Grady, and that was it. It could have been the culture of where we grew up, but it also seems that the current generation of teens are far more comfortable with gender variations than any has ever been before. It makes us hopeful, and Parrotfish demonstrated transitioning in a very positive light. The character did have to overcome his fair share of obstacles, including bullying and familial tension, but Grady found a supportive network made up of teachers and friends, both old and new, that rallied behind him as he finally claimed his true gender.
October 27, 2008
I really enjoyed this book -- a warm, good-natured, and funny book about a very complicated issue.
At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to a boy named Grady, who just a week before was a girl named Angela. As Grady struggles with finding acceptance for his change among his school and family, discovering friends and support around him and learning the joys of being oneself.
Some may argue that the book is too simple, that the process of coming out as transgender could never be as smooth as it is represented here, marred only by a couple of mean-spirited pranks and resolved over heart-to-heart talks with family. Maybe that's true.
But I think the book is successful and important for giving Grady a sincere voice and focusing not on the complex social realities but a few shining personal ones. It's hard not to root for a winning character like Grady and his devoted new friend, the charmingly geeky Sebastian. Its simplicity reminds readers that behind all of the identity politics are people who just want to be accepted the way they are.
At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to a boy named Grady, who just a week before was a girl named Angela. As Grady struggles with finding acceptance for his change among his school and family, discovering friends and support around him and learning the joys of being oneself.
Some may argue that the book is too simple, that the process of coming out as transgender could never be as smooth as it is represented here, marred only by a couple of mean-spirited pranks and resolved over heart-to-heart talks with family. Maybe that's true.
But I think the book is successful and important for giving Grady a sincere voice and focusing not on the complex social realities but a few shining personal ones. It's hard not to root for a winning character like Grady and his devoted new friend, the charmingly geeky Sebastian. Its simplicity reminds readers that behind all of the identity politics are people who just want to be accepted the way they are.
August 6, 2015
Some reviewers have written that Parrotfish is unrealistic because of the supportive friends and family in Grady's life. I can't be sure. Of course there are stories of rejection leading to suicide and homelessness that are important and need to be told, but one thing that literature does for us is to imagine, and when a novel imagines something better, ways of being with others that is better, then that feels possible.
I'll invite my middle school students to read this as a mirror for some (perhaps distorted) and a window for others (perhaps clouded) and hope that we can see how teens might respond and support all shades if gender on this spectrum of identity.
Does it matter that the author is an "outsider"? Sure. Readers want to trust the author; I have to believe Wittlinger did her research and is treating the subject with care. Could or would an 'insider' write this book? Other recommendations?
I'll invite my middle school students to read this as a mirror for some (perhaps distorted) and a window for others (perhaps clouded) and hope that we can see how teens might respond and support all shades if gender on this spectrum of identity.
Does it matter that the author is an "outsider"? Sure. Readers want to trust the author; I have to believe Wittlinger did her research and is treating the subject with care. Could or would an 'insider' write this book? Other recommendations?
March 8, 2016
I understand the importance of this book, since it was one of the first of its kind about trans teens, and it's unfortunate that it was so poorly executed.It would be a great read for those new to trans issues and terminology, and most of the book is spent going over these. However, most of the characters were incredibly unbelievable, especially the gym teacher, who talks back to the principal at no cost to her job. The bully was comically evil, and I get that we were supposed to hate her, since she was constantly picking on Grady, but she was so exaggerated that I couldn't find her believable. Everything wrapped up a little too neatly and the writing was simplistic- boringly so. However, it is a trailblazer and would be good for middle grade readers who are just being exposed to these issues.
January 1, 2017
Problematic terms + practices (ie "transgendered", ace bandage binding, etc), a stale plot, and predictable characters, make this a tedious read. There are better LGBT+ young adult books, trust me. Don't read this. Just. Don't.
January 13, 2021
I just forced myself through this trash book this week.
I grew up during the time this was written, but somehow missed it on the shelves. I'm very glad I did miss it as a teen, because it is a cheap nonsense project by a cis author trying to cash in on the mid-2000s swell of LGBTQIA+ young adult fiction popularity. The main character is bitter and remains self-interested throughout the book, without growth; rather, the book is largely a study of how people grow around and to accommodate him.
I'll start with the story. The plot is very simple; a boy who has come out to his family as trans overcomes a bully, a crush, and his dad's love of Christmas. Grady changes his name and clothes and heads into school dressed as a boy. There he faces a one dimensional bully who tries to make him wear sexy clothes (instead a teacher wears the clothes as the great triumph). The bully is later told off at a school dance by Grady's crush, and cries in the bathroom, getting eyeshadow on her dress. The protagonist's best friend, Sebastian, suggests they go into the girl's restroom to film this. Grady meets a guy who is "normal" and instantly falls in love with his girlfriend, who kisses him and then decides to go back with her original boyfriend. That's the entirety of the love interest plotline.
The overarching story beyond these things is Grady's struggle with his dad's love of Christmas. His dad has a passion for decorating their house every year, culminating in a short play in their living room on Christmas Eve. The book repeatedly brings up how much this makes Grady's father happy, and the light in his eyes when they talk about Christmas. This joy in his father's life and his father's inability to recognize that his family, who have never raised complaint about it, are getting tired of the tradition is explained as toxic masculinity, or "testosterone poisoning". Grady overcomes the obstacle of his father's happiness by rewriting their Christmas Eve script and letting his father learn while reading the lines during the performance that this will be the last year they perform. Grady also gives his family and friends around the tree such classic Christmas gifts as a newspaper cutout advertising self defense lessons at the police station (this book at no point contains physical danger), an advertisement for his father to try out for a local production of Oliver!, and a poodle with which he surprises the family, and drove another state over to get for his brother without permission from his parents.
The reason for the name "Parrotfish" is that Grady's friend Sebastian is studying the parrotfish in class, and it's an animal that changes sex when the population requires it. The female parrotfish becomes supermale when there isn't enough population density of males, achieving domination over all other males. Grady feels drawn to this fish because he believes research on the parrotfish might translate to humans. This is mentioned in detail twice throughout the book; once when Sebastian suggests it, and once when Grady is reading Sebastian's report.
Now, my specific issues with it as a work of queer fiction:
Parrotfish uses harmful language that was outdated at the time of writing, included repeated use of the word "transgendereds" and the acronym GLBT, which had been largely abandoned before the time of publication (LGBT was in use). It discusses expecting all of the women in Grady's life to feel as if he has betrayed womanhood, a common theme among trans rejecting feminism and does not at any point resolve this. Grady mentions how extremely painful Ace bandages are to bind with MANY times throughout the book, which is indicative of misusing the bandage and potentially means causing permanent damage. Normalizing this as the way bandage "always" feels puts youths who are binding at medical risk. Extreme chest pain means improper binding or something else wrong, and should not be dismissed as one of the prices of being trans. Grady presents as a binary trans boy, he insists on being a binary trans boy, but there's a recurring discussion about the "football field of gender, with Sylvester Stallone on one end and Jennifer Lopez/Paris Hilton fighting over femininity on the other" and how Grady really just sits right in the middle of that field. That's fine, everyone has a different experience with gender, but presenting purportedly binary trans people as right in between man and woman can be pretty invalidating and confusing for teens who do identify as one or the other.
Now, onto my final issues, which are pretty big ones: this book is racist and antisemitic.
Let's hit the antisemitism issue first. You'll remember, the plot revolves around Grady crushing his fathers' Christmas dreams. Part of the reason his father loving Christmas is such a "toxic man" thing is because Grady's mother is Jewish. This is mentioned in two notable occasions. Once early on as a throwaway line, once when Grady is talking about how terrible his father enjoying Christmas is, saying that Judy (yes, the only Jewish character's name is Judy) has been taking part in this celebration with him for a decade to her mother's chagrin. Judy's Jewishness is blatant tokenism without research, as none of Judy's children are considered Jewish and that's not even brought up through the book. (Judaism is passed down matrilineally.) Her existence as a Jew serves entirely to explain her disdain for Christmas, which she timidly never mentions.
Then, there's Kita... "what a beautiful face it was, her double ethnicities weaving around each other in perfect harmony." Kita is half black, half Japanese, and is treated as visually exotic the entire book. Her skin is described as the colour of polished oak, which leads one to believe the author has never seen oak nor a half black/ half Japanese person in real life. Kita is the most sympathetic character, but really seems to hate men. Reading the book, I got the vibe from Kita of someone performing compulsory heterosexuality who will embrace her lesbianism later, and is just kind of experimenting with a trans dude on her way to that... which would invite quite a bit more discussion, but that's speculative.
All in all, one page of the entire book was memorably relatable, and it was a discussion about how some people don't seem to realize when others around them have needs that might be suffering at the expense of their actions. Which, upon reflection, is ironic, given that the main character at no point seems aware of how other people will be effected by his actions, nor does he (usually) seem to care.
I grew up during the time this was written, but somehow missed it on the shelves. I'm very glad I did miss it as a teen, because it is a cheap nonsense project by a cis author trying to cash in on the mid-2000s swell of LGBTQIA+ young adult fiction popularity. The main character is bitter and remains self-interested throughout the book, without growth; rather, the book is largely a study of how people grow around and to accommodate him.
I'll start with the story. The plot is very simple; a boy who has come out to his family as trans overcomes a bully, a crush, and his dad's love of Christmas. Grady changes his name and clothes and heads into school dressed as a boy. There he faces a one dimensional bully who tries to make him wear sexy clothes (instead a teacher wears the clothes as the great triumph). The bully is later told off at a school dance by Grady's crush, and cries in the bathroom, getting eyeshadow on her dress. The protagonist's best friend, Sebastian, suggests they go into the girl's restroom to film this. Grady meets a guy who is "normal" and instantly falls in love with his girlfriend, who kisses him and then decides to go back with her original boyfriend. That's the entirety of the love interest plotline.
The overarching story beyond these things is Grady's struggle with his dad's love of Christmas. His dad has a passion for decorating their house every year, culminating in a short play in their living room on Christmas Eve. The book repeatedly brings up how much this makes Grady's father happy, and the light in his eyes when they talk about Christmas. This joy in his father's life and his father's inability to recognize that his family, who have never raised complaint about it, are getting tired of the tradition is explained as toxic masculinity, or "testosterone poisoning". Grady overcomes the obstacle of his father's happiness by rewriting their Christmas Eve script and letting his father learn while reading the lines during the performance that this will be the last year they perform. Grady also gives his family and friends around the tree such classic Christmas gifts as a newspaper cutout advertising self defense lessons at the police station (this book at no point contains physical danger), an advertisement for his father to try out for a local production of Oliver!, and a poodle with which he surprises the family, and drove another state over to get for his brother without permission from his parents.
The reason for the name "Parrotfish" is that Grady's friend Sebastian is studying the parrotfish in class, and it's an animal that changes sex when the population requires it. The female parrotfish becomes supermale when there isn't enough population density of males, achieving domination over all other males. Grady feels drawn to this fish because he believes research on the parrotfish might translate to humans. This is mentioned in detail twice throughout the book; once when Sebastian suggests it, and once when Grady is reading Sebastian's report.
Now, my specific issues with it as a work of queer fiction:
Parrotfish uses harmful language that was outdated at the time of writing, included repeated use of the word "transgendereds" and the acronym GLBT, which had been largely abandoned before the time of publication (LGBT was in use). It discusses expecting all of the women in Grady's life to feel as if he has betrayed womanhood, a common theme among trans rejecting feminism and does not at any point resolve this. Grady mentions how extremely painful Ace bandages are to bind with MANY times throughout the book, which is indicative of misusing the bandage and potentially means causing permanent damage. Normalizing this as the way bandage "always" feels puts youths who are binding at medical risk. Extreme chest pain means improper binding or something else wrong, and should not be dismissed as one of the prices of being trans. Grady presents as a binary trans boy, he insists on being a binary trans boy, but there's a recurring discussion about the "football field of gender, with Sylvester Stallone on one end and Jennifer Lopez/Paris Hilton fighting over femininity on the other" and how Grady really just sits right in the middle of that field. That's fine, everyone has a different experience with gender, but presenting purportedly binary trans people as right in between man and woman can be pretty invalidating and confusing for teens who do identify as one or the other.
Now, onto my final issues, which are pretty big ones: this book is racist and antisemitic.
Let's hit the antisemitism issue first. You'll remember, the plot revolves around Grady crushing his fathers' Christmas dreams. Part of the reason his father loving Christmas is such a "toxic man" thing is because Grady's mother is Jewish. This is mentioned in two notable occasions. Once early on as a throwaway line, once when Grady is talking about how terrible his father enjoying Christmas is, saying that Judy (yes, the only Jewish character's name is Judy) has been taking part in this celebration with him for a decade to her mother's chagrin. Judy's Jewishness is blatant tokenism without research, as none of Judy's children are considered Jewish and that's not even brought up through the book. (Judaism is passed down matrilineally.) Her existence as a Jew serves entirely to explain her disdain for Christmas, which she timidly never mentions.
Then, there's Kita... "what a beautiful face it was, her double ethnicities weaving around each other in perfect harmony." Kita is half black, half Japanese, and is treated as visually exotic the entire book. Her skin is described as the colour of polished oak, which leads one to believe the author has never seen oak nor a half black/ half Japanese person in real life. Kita is the most sympathetic character, but really seems to hate men. Reading the book, I got the vibe from Kita of someone performing compulsory heterosexuality who will embrace her lesbianism later, and is just kind of experimenting with a trans dude on her way to that... which would invite quite a bit more discussion, but that's speculative.
All in all, one page of the entire book was memorably relatable, and it was a discussion about how some people don't seem to realize when others around them have needs that might be suffering at the expense of their actions. Which, upon reflection, is ironic, given that the main character at no point seems aware of how other people will be effected by his actions, nor does he (usually) seem to care.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2020
this book was fine, but I had a whole bunch of issues with representation and how “convenient� all the plot points and resolutions were. if you’re looking for a read about trans youth I’d recommend This Is How It Always Is because it does something very similar to what I think this book attempted to
November 3, 2017
This was a very good book! It tells the story of a teenage transgender boy named Grady and his struggles and success in high school. The plot was very intriguing and kept me interested throughout the entire book. There were some slow parts in the middle but they wouldn't be very long. The tone was hopeful comical, and uplifting. It was a book where the ending would brighten you day. If you enjoy books about teen life and with happy endings I would definitely recommend this.
July 26, 2020
3.5/5 stars!!
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