Both Can Be True

May 3, 2021
Musician Ash, a 13-year-old synesthete, is trying to choose a single gender after starting at a new Ohio school. It’s what their transphobic father wants, and Ash hopes that identifying consistently as either a boy or a girl will keep them from being bullied, as they were at their previous school. Meanwhile, animal enthusiast Daniel, Ash’s classmate, wishes he could live up to his mother and twin brother’s pressure to be less emotionally sensitive. When the two join forces to keep an elderly Pomeranian named Chewbarka from being euthanized, a tentative romance develops, and both begin coming to terms with who they are. Alternating between the two white protagonists’ first-person perspectives and accompanied by illustrations of Ash’s synesthesia, Machias’s debut handles both realistic emotional journeys with compassion, while offering a nuanced portrayal of the benefits and limitations of labels. While the two voices are overly similar, and a threatened public outing of Ash’s gender identity is perhaps not treated with the seriousness it deserves, Ash’s and Daniel’s different but intertwined experiences with gender identity and stereotypes lead to a celebration of allyship and fluidity that’s a joy to read. Ages 8–12. Agent: John Cusick, Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management.

May 1, 2021
Debut author Machias' novel explores genderfluidity and gender nonconformity as elements of navigating middle school. Told in two alternating narrative voices, the story follows Ash and Daniel, a pair of Ohio seventh graders who are on a shared mission to rescue an old dog the world doesn't seem to have room for, a not-so-subtle metaphor highlighting the vulnerabilities faced by all abandoned souls. Throughout their growing kinship, Ash and Daniel struggle with the divergent expectations of those around them: Ash with shifting gender presentations and Daniel with his emotionality and sensitivity. Entering a new school and feeling pressured to pick and disclose a single gender, Ash's conflicts begin with trying to decide whether to use the boys', girls', or gender-neutral bathroom. The school's diverse Rainbow Alliance is a source of support, but Ash's parents remain split by more than divorce, with a supportive mom and a dad who tries but fails to understand genderfluidity. Daniel, who has a talent for photography, is a passionate animal lover who volunteers at a local kennel and initially believes Ash is a girl. Ash's synesthesia amplifies the tension as Ash and Daniel discover a mutual romantic interest. The novel grapples with the impact of society's overly simplistic messages, but the characterizations at times lack depth, and there are missed opportunities to explore the subtleties of relationships. Main characters are White. An optimistic journey of self-acceptance. (Fiction. 10-13)

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