Nine-year-old Jess Jezowski thinks, “They might have named me Jessica, but I was supposed to be a boy. I’m way more boy than girl.” That makes it hard for her, growing up in 1970s rural Michigan, where sexism is rampant and her mother insists she wear keep her hair long and wear dresses to school at least twice a week. Although her Catholic upbringing has her overly focused on avoiding sin, Jess mostly likes who she is, “Or I would if people would quit treating me like a stupid girl, expecting me to look and act like one.”
Indeed, her mother always expects her to play with her younger sister rather than her two older brothers, although Jess would much rather be playing sports with the boys. Jess finds an outlet, though, when her mother gives her a doll for Christmas. The doll was intended to be a girl, but Jess cuts its hair and renames it Mickey. Mickey becomes Jess’s alter ego, and she speaks through him in order to let her true voice, brash and bold, be heard. Mickey helps Jess express who she is and even help counter the angry moods of her father. But Jess is growing beyond an age when playing with dolls feels acceptable, and must figure out how to express who she is without a prop.
Author Julie Swanson dives deep into Jess’s interior life in this compelling read that unfolds over the course of a year, in which we see the harm of everyday sexism and microaggressions against girls and women and the radical image of strength and hope provided by figures like Billie Jean King. Jess’s use of Mickey to express herself is original and well-conveyed.
Although it seems from the opening and various other passages that Jess might be trans, that remains an open question. Given that the book draws much from the cisgender Swanson’s life (her author’s biography says “she could never find books about anyone who was as uncomfortable being a girl as she was”), it feels like the intent was to show a gender creative girl character, but I think Jess’s journey might speak to some trans boys as well, so I am tagging it as both so that interested readers can evaluate the character as they wish. I have the feeling that many readers of various identities may find the story resonant, making it a recommended read.
Jess and her family are White.
