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Alyssa Brugman

Alex As Well Paperback – January 19, 2016

by Alyssa Brugman (Author)

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Alex is ready for things to change, in a big way. Everyone seems to think she's a boy, but for Alex the whole boy/girl thing isn't as simple as either/or, and when she decides girl is closer to the truth, no one knows how to react, least of all her parents. Undeterred, Alex begins to create a new identity for herself: ditching one school, enrolling in another, and throwing out most of her clothes. But the other Alex-the boy Alex-has a lot to say about that.

Heartbreaking and droll in equal measures, Alex As Well by Alyssa Brugman is a brilliantly told story about being intersex, exploring gender and sexuality, navigating friendships, and finding a place to belong.

“This book tackles the delicate topic of being intersex and gives a lot of insight into the problems associated with it, while still being a very enjoyable fiction read.” ―The Guardian

"Readers of authors such as John Green will devour this novel.” ―Junior Bookseller & Publisher

Print length

222 pages
Language

English
Publication date

January 19, 2016
Grade level

7 - 9
Reading age

14 - 18 years
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.56 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

1250073634
ISBN-13

978-1250073631
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“This book tackles the delicate topic of being intersex and gives a lot of insight into the problems associated with it, while still being a very enjoyable fiction read.” ―The Guardian
“The story of biological intersex experience is rarely told, and this one is well related, with balanced attention to the challenges it poses for parents, peers, and the intersex person; the inclusion of characters who respect the stops, starts, missteps and courage of teens negotiating their gender identities adds an additional layer of sensitivity.” ―BCCB

“This slim but thought-provoking Australian import follows a 14-year-old intersex teen making the transition to being a girl.” ―Booklist

“Brugman tackles a sensitive issue with grace and grit . . . This work is best suited for fans of problem novels, teens struggling with identity issues of all kinds, and readers looking for a good contemporary fiction title that has teeth.” ―School Library Journal

“Confronting, thought-provoking and often surprisingly amusing, Alex As Well is an amazingly powerful story of a young woman in conflict.” ―Kids' Book Review

“Alex is a winning character.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Brugman's beautiful writing offers . . . fearless honesty as well as . . . strong insight and a delightful sense of humour. . . . Readers of authors such as John Green will devour this novel.” ―Junior Bookseller & Publisher

About the Author

Alyssa Brugman has written several books for young adults, including Alex as Well, Finding Grace and Walking Naked. She lives in Australia with her family.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Square Fish; Reprint edition (January 19, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 222 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250073634
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250073631
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 - 18 years
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.56 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,111,876 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #915 in Teen & Young Adult Parents Fiction
- #2,550 in Teen & Young Adult LGBTQ+ Fiction (Books)
- #63,214 in LGBTQ+ Books

Customer Reviews:
44 ratings

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5 star		53%
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2 star		8%
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Top reviews from the United States

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Casey CarlisleTop Contributor: Fantasy Books

Pobodys nerfect.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

Actual rating 3.5 stars.

It's been a very long while since a book elicited feelings of distaste, outright hatred and deplorability - and ‘Alex as Well’ did just that - for all the right reasons.

Alex was a little hard to relate to - but I grew to like her. Some of her behaviour, on the surface, is weird and distances the reader from the story... but if you ask why she's acting in a certain way - and pick up on other clues - it all makes sense. Though at first glance I was like 'what tha?' The great thing in not giving you all the answers – this is just one girl’s story. If you read intelligently, because Alex herself does not possess the knowledge behind her behaviour, the reasons for every small action are there. This is really a very clever book.

There was a little overkill, or extreme measures in some areas of the plot - but I felt it worked in the context: to highlight Alex's plight in dramatic manner. Any other method would have diminished the prejudice Alex needs to face.

The alternate POV just about killed me - such a distinct voice apart from Alex that slowly sheds light on a different kind of naivety. How the uneducated really should learn to keep their mouths shut until they get the facts. So many people form opinions on their ungrounded assumptions. It is annoyingly obvious in ‘Alex as Well.’ I really wanted to scream at the book to wake up to some of the idiotic comments on the page.

The change in narrative works expertly, you get a different kind of stress, all adding to the pace of the story line.

The whole book really encapsulates the phrase “nobody's perfect.” Some other issues were touched on but not fully developed, like bullying and certain friend/relationships... but the search for self, identity and empowerment is a great one.

A short novel I read in one sitting in one day - something I'd recommend to challenge your perception a little. A valuable addition to any GLBT+ catalogue in you library.

One person found this helpful

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Carter Kleshinski

A Wonderful Read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 25, 2016

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An amazing book that deals wonderfully with things like finding your identity and bullying. 10/10

Helpful

Bogi Takács

Fills a gap but doesn't do it well

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 6, 2016

I read this book for two different reasons:
1. I am trying to read one intersex-themed book a month
2. For Week 1 of the #readproud challenge

This is a book with a teen protagonist who is both trans and intersex! Who is made to take hormones! I am so glad this kind of representation exists in YA fiction - right?

Right?

....Sadly no. This is a very misinformed take on both being trans and intersex, on many counts.

The author was not very clear on the difference between being trans and intersex, so don't expect a subtle portrayal. I don't think any trans and/or intersex people were consulted. At least part of the book was inspired by the discredited, pseudoscientific theory of autogynephilia (not named as such, but it was very apparent in the protagonist's actions and what the author assumed about an intersex trans person's thought processes). The author also seemed to confuse being intersex with multiplicity to some degree: the protagonist had a 'male self' and a 'female self', who were in mental dialog. I am not saying this is impossible; there are intersex people who are also multiple (though most of them probably not in this way), but to present this kind of mental configuration as something that happens when one is intersex - and then also tie it to taking hormones - is extremely misleading as far as I'm concerned.

It was interesting to see that the protagonist had a family member with mental illness (not named, but it looked like narcissistic personality disorder?), but this was again a very unsubtle and IMO caricaturistic portrayal, not to mention this person was the main antagonist.

The author also seemed to both discuss the protagonist's privates quite a lot, but at the same time not give much information about the particular intersex variation she had (named as androgen insensitivity syndrome; I am assuming partial androgen insensitivity syndrome). Of course this can be justified by the participant herself not knowing, but seeing as her mother was also a PoV character (through her blog entries), it came across as if the author was only interested in being intersex as a plot device, the less examined the better. The same held true for the hormones, etc.

There was also a considerable amount of casual racism and ethnocentrism in the book, including a truly offensive random remark about Eastern Europeans (gee, thanks) and the inevitable token Black character to fend off criticisms on a race axis. This character was also the 'exotic' love interest, similar to other trans YA books by white authors, like Parrotfish.

I did not dislike everything about Alex As Well! I very much enjoyed the edgy, diffident tone of voice (though the author tried to undermine it here and there), and the blog posts and comments threads between chapters were much better done than in some other YA books; the commenters immediately took shape in my head as distinct characters. There were also important points about not tolerating abuse from your family members, somewhat mangled in the rather rushed plot. Overall this book left me clutching my head.

Disclosure as per my reviews policy: I got this book from the Iowa City Public Library and back there it went.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Kat

Amazing, funny & inspiring - don't go past it!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 6, 2014

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Last year I read my first book with an intersex character. It was so incredibly captivating and moving that I desperately went on a search for something similar – and pretty much found the literary world lacking. But one book that I did find whilst looking for Australian YA books six months later was Alex As Well – which had to be mine immediately.

Alex (just Alex), has been raised as a boy, but has two distinct personalities – male Alex and female Alex. This also gives a really unique voice to the story, as Alex converses with both personalities internally – at first I found it a little jarring, but by the end of the second chapter I was completely and totally hooked. There is also the alternate perspective of Alex’s mother, in the form of blog posts, complete with helpful and ignorant comments from readers, again adding to the uniqueness of the storytelling format.

I also particularly liked the family dynamic that Alyssa Brugman has created – Alex’s parents aren’t the flawless, understanding and caring parents that they could easily have been – they are also conflicted, argumentative and distant, alternating between depression and indifference. And it isn’t that they are distinctly unlikeable characters either – it’s all just very human, even if it does make it difficult to sympathise with them. They are flawed and struggling themselves to understand the choices that Alex makes which makes them feel very realistic.

The tipping point of their story is Alex deciding to stop taking hormones and dress as a female – and Alex takes complete charge of her life, changing her school, her clothes and exploring what it means to be a girl after living her whole life as a boy. There are conflicts at school, and home, and in Alex’s own mind that she needs to tackle, and has an unusual ally to back her up.
Perhaps the only thing that disappointed me slightly was the ending, but in retrospect it was actually quite fitting to both the plot and Alex’s personality, although it took me a little by surprise.

Emotional, funny, moving and ultimately inspiring, Alex As Well is an excellent YA book about fitting in, adapting and working out who you really are.

One person found this helpful

Fliss

More background research required

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 27, 2014

Verified Purchase

Huge disappointment. After reading other reviews, I purchased a copy. Bad move. So why did I not score it more highly? The characters were not really there, more like cardboard cut outs. Alex needed real parents who dealt with the situation. A mother, a father and their child, Alex or rather their children, Alex and Alex, but they are mere shadows.

I felt that the mother's contribution using an internet forum was overdone so that the feedback she received added to her isolation from reality that she was part of a family and should have been interacting with her husband and both of her children. It seems as though the mother buried her head in the sand as soon as the baby was born and had left it there for the following fourteen years.

And really where was Alex? The odd comment, the odd aside is all there was. Where was the mental battle and arguing between Alex and Alex? Where was the anguish? The heartaches, the crying, the frustration? The anger, the recriminations, the back-biting? Alex was not developed as a character in which I could believe.

Sorry folks, I only managed 100 pages and had to give up. My life has been filled with gender identity problems and this book comes nowhere near addressing the reality of the situation in portraying believable characters.

One person found this helpful

OLIVE

Fascinating

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 26, 2017

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One of the most interesting books I've ever read, for sure! I've read a few trans stories, but never an intersex one, and found it so fascinating to read about, as well as really heartfelt and genuine. Beautiful setting it in Australia as well!

Ali B

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 22, 2016

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It kinda draws you in eventually, but a bit confusing to start with

Si

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 19, 2017

Verified Purchase

decent book