This is a well-intended book, written by the mother of a trans boy, and translated from Swedish, but there are a few flaws that could be showstoppers for some. Part of the Perfectly Me series, this is the first-person story of a White, transgender, nonbinary child who shares their journey to being accepted as their true gender. We see the child get “sad and angry” when their mother buys them a suit and tie, tries to cut their hair in boys’ styles, and calls them “Oscar.” When they assert that they want both girls’ and boys’ clothes and to be called “Charlie,” though, their parents and friends are accepting, and their school even throws them a party for their new name. We see their school change the name label on the coat rack and other places. “Now I feel I’m really me!” Charlie concludes.
On the very first page, however, we read, “My name is Oscar! I am both a boy and a girl!” This feels like an unnecessary use of a trans character’s deadname (the name given at birth rather than the name they want to reflect their real gender). The author does later show how the character changed their name to “Charlie”—but if Charlie is the name they want, it doesn’t jibe that they would introduce themselves with their deadname (at least without immediately indicating that they don’t want it).
The book goes on to explain that “Everybody thinks I am a boy because my body looks like a boy” (and we see an image of Charlie looking at their naked body in the mirror) but readers may still be thrown by the first page. Additionally, the naked image, while cartoony, clearly shows Charlie’s genitals, and feels unnecessary. We shouldn’t be focusing on trans people’s genitals. And the idea that that body “looks like a boy” may unintentionally reinforce the incorrect assumption that genders are determined by bodies.
While clearly meant as a positive portrayal, there are better books about trans and nonbinary children.
(Thanks to Seth Day of Rad Child Podcast for sharing some of his thoughts about this book with me. Any errors remain my own.)
