None of the Above

by I. W. Gregorio

Caitlin Davies (Narrator)

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him. But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned -- something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts." Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?--publisher.

• ISBN10: 0062398032
• ISBN13: 9780062398031
• Publish Date: 7 April 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: Balzer and Bray
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 7 hours and 20 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[girlinthepages]

None of the Above is one of those books that I had on my radar constantly in 2015, but never got around to reading for some inexplicable reason. When I saw that my close friend Lauren from Bookmarklit was reading it this month, I figured it was the perfect time to move it to the top of my TBR. I found it to be an incredibly fast and easy read to finish while in my wisdom teeth recovery, which focused on the issue of intersex with what seemed to be great medical research and care, despite having a bit of a lackluster execution in terms of writing style and plot.

I.W. Gregorio's depiction of Kristin discovering she is intersex coming to terms with her body is realistic and raw, and I appreciate that she didn't hold back on the graphic or uncomfortable elements. Kristin first discovers that something isn't quite right about about her anatomy the first time she tries to experience physical intimacy with her boyfriend. She does the sensible, if scary, thing and goes to the doctor to find an explanation for the pain. After a series of tests, the medical results point to Kristin being intersex, a condition where she actually has both male and female chromosomes and hormones in her body. The novel progresses with Kristin's reactions to dealing with her diagnosis on physical, emotional, and social levels.

I think where None of the Above really excelled is how it portrayed the spectrum of both medical and psychological treatment and repercussions for Kristin. It explained how varied different versions of intersex can be, and it had a clear message that being intersex is not in itself a disorder, and that each person has the autonomy to deal with the condition in their own way, whether that influences their decision to get surgery, take hormones, influence their gender identity, etc. The novel even showed the nuances in different doctor's approaches- and sometimes even mistakes- when it came to treating intersex patients.

However, while the novel provided detailed insight on the medical implications of being intersex, the social portrayal was less nuanced. Once Kristin's diagnosis inevitably leaks, her classmate's cruelty is extremely swift and brutal with almost no transition and while harsh, lacked some authenticity. Kristin's small family and friend support system, while well meaning, weren't very impressionable nor did they play as integral of a role as I would have expected in a story of this nature. There was a particularly scary incident at the end of the novel did portray how dangerous ignorance and anger toward those with the condition can be, but other than that I never felt particularly convinced by the social and plot elements of the novel. Perhaps because I've read Middlesex which is an incredible, literary fiction work dealing with an intersex protagonist that my expectations for None of the Above were not quite met from a writing and storytelling perspective.

Overall: None of the Above was educational and informative about a topic that I don't think I've seen addressed yet in YA. I applaud Gregorio's attention to the medical details in the novel (which makes sense, as she is a medical professional herself). However, I found the social elements of Kristin's diagnosis to be less authentic and the writing itself to be pretty average. A novel I'm glad I read for sure, and one that brings much needed diversity to YA literature.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[Angie]

None of the Above is a very interesting look into the life of one teenage girl who discovers that she's intersex, and before even processing what that means, has her entire school find out. When Kristin and her boyfriend tried to have sex, there was a lot more pain and discomfort than she thought there would be. After seeing an OB/GYN, she learns that she has no uterus, her vagina is short, and she has testes. Kristin's whole world and sense of identity is thrown for a loop.

I did enjoy None of the Above quite a bit, but for me, it felt more educational than anything else. I simply didn't connect with Kristin, so she basically became this vessel for information on intersexuality. It is obvious that the author wanted to inform us while also making Kristin someone you wanted to cheer for, but that didn't happen for me. I think most of this had to do with how much of a blank slate Kristin was. I get that she's shocked by her diagnosis, but every conversation with her was an explanation because she didn't know anything about anything. I found that hard to believe since she's a runner and knew about Caster Semenya, so she should have had some kind of idea about something.

None of the Above was still a very good read. I came from it feeling like I know a lot more about what it means to be intersex, and about the different forms that it can take. But other than being more informed, it didn't leave me with any emotional impressions. It was awful what happened to Kristin at school, but everything felt so scripted in a way to give us maximum information. Even the minor romance felt forced to push the idea that intersex people can still have relationships.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: While I knew that the condition of intersex existed before reading None of the Above, I hadn't really considered the social implications of it. This book explored very well how confusing it must be to be diagnosed with such a condition after 18 years of not knowing. Bullying escalated to cruel proportions, showing how people tend to shun the unknown. I definitely think that this is a book everyone should read because it's a stark reminder that we need to accept people for who they're born as.

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of None of the Above from Edelweiss in exchange of an honest and unbiased review*

None of the Above is a tender and strong story about Krissy, and all the things that happened to her once she (and everyone else) found out that she was intersex...

Full review to come soon

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

[shannonmiz]

None of the Above is one of those rare books that is not only important for its subject matter, but is a genuinely high quality entertaining book with a character I couldn't help but adore and root for. I fear that nothing I say can do it much justice, because it was just lovely, and necessary, and so incredibly well done.

When we meet Krissy, things are going pretty great. She's doing great in sports and school, has a close group of friends, and a boyfriend who she is thrilled with. So thrilled, in fact, that she is thinking she's ready for some sexy time. But that's where things start to unwind for Krissy, because things don't really go as planned. I have to say, before moving on, that this was handled incredibly well. The author could have glossed over it, and then had Krissy end up at the gynecologist, but she didn't. And that is one of the things that makes this book so incredible: It is honest, and it is real.

Of course, as we know by the synopsis, it turns out that Krissy is intersex, due to a condition that causes her to have male chromosomes, but a mainly female appearance. Her whole life she has identified as female, and her doctor assures her that she is female, because that is how she identifies. Between the doctor and her incredibly supportive father, Krissy is able to find a group of women with the same diagnosis.

Krissy is obviously nervous about the aftermath of her diagnosis, and when word gets out around school, her greatest fears come to life. Most people in school are completely ignorant about what it all means, and are also very hateful toward Krissy. I won't lie, this is hard to read. The author does such a tremendous job connecting the reader to Krissy, that my heart was absolutely breaking for her as she was rejected by her jerk of a boyfriend, and all the people she had thought were her closest friends. And these aren't just rumors, or talking behind her back, etc. We're talking straight forward hate and nastiness, and it is so hard to swallow.

Of course, as much as Krissy wants to go to her room and hide, she must eventually go on. There are so many questions brought up along the way, from whether she should be allowed to compete in sports as a female (and some really amazing examples of Olympians and high level athletes who've been through this), to how she will go about navigating her romantic life in the future.

The thing about this story that absolutely gutted me was that I don't think there was a single bit of it that was exaggerated for the benefit of the story. I do think that a lot of people would act like Sam and the rest of the school did. I do think that opposing teams would try to get Krissy banned from competing. I do think that the aftermath would be incredibly psychologically damaging, because how could it not be when not only has your whole identity been uprooted, but a majority of the people who you thought were on your side simply are not?

None of the Above manages to do several things with a ton of grace and class:

• It sheds a light on what being intersex actually entails. The author is a doctor, and it shows. But it also shows that she is a tremendously skilled author, because she is able to really define the condition in a way that absolutely everyone can understand. In a way that Krissy can understand. To be able to explain the condition from the point of view of the person who has it? That is pretty fantastic.


• It also really delves into how bullying can affect someone, not just an intersex person, but anyone perceived as "different". I find it so frustrating that this stuff still even happens, but sadly, it does. And while in this case, it is Krissy's intersex diagnosis that takes the brunt of the bullies, for so many young people, anything perceived as "not normal" can be fodder for bullies. Since we are getting an inside view of Krissy's thoughts, it's so very clear how hard the bullying is on her. It should make anyone stop and think about how they would behave toward someone who was going through a life changing event.


• There's a very uplifting message for anyone who has been through a traumatic experience: life will go on. Krissy's journey doesn't end with her diagnosis. She has choices to make, things about herself to uncover, lessons to learn. She finds people both inside and outside the intersex community who love her because she is Krissy, regardless of her DNA.

Bottom Line: Read. This. Book. I cannot really say it enough. It's more than just a great story (though it is that indeed): it's the absolute epitome of what a book about diversity should entail.

*Copy received for review*
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight