Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite

by Lianne Simon

[Joni Reads]

Wow. Okay, this book was wonderful. I remember in eigth grade health class learning about hermaphrodites and I distinctly remember the teacher telling us that many times the parents choose what gender they want to raise their child as. I remember thinking, "But what if they choose the wrong gender?" Well, this book basically answers that question.
The main character is Jamie, otherwise known as Jameson. Though his birth certificate says boy, Jamie acted like a girl until 9 years old when a doctor told his family that he should be raised male. Now 16, Jamie has perfected the art of playacting for his family so that they think he is happy as a boy. But when he looks in the mirror he sees himself as the elvin princess he used to pretend to be before the doctor interfered with his life.
Then Jamie meets and befriends a medical student who tells Jamie that the doctor had is all wrong, that he should be a girl. A whole world is opened up to Jamie, who is away at college and has the chance to live the life he has so longed for. But this book is set in the 1970's, when children respected their families, and Jamie is torn between being happy or making his family happy.
I was cheering for Jamie the whole book. So obviously female I wanted to reach through the pages and smack his parents for not accepting that fact. My heart ached as Jamie wrestled with his gender issues and tried so hard to please everyone while staying true to himself. I flew through this book, and there was never a dull moment, never a lull in the story. I was captivated the whole way through and the writing flowed effortlessly off the page. I saw Jamie in my mind and felt like I was his friend, rooting for him to discover his true potential.
Might I add, I have refered to Jamie as "him" throughout the review because the summary refers to him that way and I don't want to confuse anyone. It feels wrong though. Jamie is obviously a girl and I feel like I should say "her" instead of "him". I had to mention it, it felt wrong not to but I want to use the same gender reference as the book summary. In my mind though, Jamie is a female and therefore should be refered as her instead of him.
Read this book!! It's awesomely unique, you have never read anything like it before and it's just wonderful. I loved it.