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| GEORGE by Alex Gino |
Author: Alex Gino
Title: George
Publisher: Scholastic
Press
Publication Date: 2015
ISBN: 9780545812542
Plot Summary
Knowing herself to be a
girl despite her outwardly male appearance, George is denied a female role in
the class play before teaming up with a friend to reveal her true self.
Critical Analysis
There is one stand out element in the book George that represents a cultural marker
for GLBTQ literature: forms of address. George was born a boy but feels like a
girl. From the very first reference of George as herself, I had to go back a reread
the paragraph. “Instead, George had to steady herself awkwardly on one foot while
the backpack rested on her other knee” (p. 1). George always refers to herself in
a female voice. It’s odd to read at first, but by about the third chapter I had
wrapped my mind around the concept and I didn’t have to pause as I was reading
for the comprehension.
Another GLBTQ cultural marker is names of characters. When
George has the courage to tell someone about her feelings, she asked her friend
to call her Melissa. “George thought about her private name. She had never said
it out loud before, not even to her friends in the magazines. ‘You could always
call me Melissa,’ she said now” (p. 168). Even author Alex Gino prefers to use “they”
when talking about themselves.
While not illustrated, two other GLBTQ cultural markers
are hairstyles and clothing. The pictures of girls in magazines are described
in detail and it’s these magazines that bring George pleasure to look at while
also allowing her to fantasize about wearing her hair and dressing like a girl.
“On the next page, two girls sat laughing on a blanket, their arms around each
other’s shoulders. One wore a striped bikini; the other wore a polka-dot
one-piece with cutouts at the hips” (p. 3). Later, George has the opportunity
to dress like a girl on a trip to the zoo: “…Melissa delightedly put the pink
tank top and purple skirt back on. She twirled in the center of the room, giddy
on freedom” … “She tried brushing it first to one side, and then the other, but
decided finally to brush it forward so that the tips of it fell just above
Melissa’s eyebrows” (p. 184).
I am glad I took the opportunity to read George and learn more about the GLBTQ
cultural markers. I also learned a lot about author Alex Gino and their fight
for GLBTQ rights and why George refers to herself with feminine pronouns. The
second law of S.R. Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science states that every
reader his/her book and the third law states every book its reader. I feel that
George reflects those two laws. I
know this book will help children identify as GLBTQ.
Reviews
- Booklist (2015): “Gino’s debut novel is a sensitive, insightful portrayal of a transgender child coming to terms with gender identity. George is an appealing, thoroughly believable character, and her best friend Kelly adds humor and zest to this gentle story. Gino does an excellent job introducing factual information into the narrative without impinging upon the accessible and appealing story.”
- Kirkus (2015): “George, a fourth-grader who knows she is a girl, despite appearances, begins to tell her secret. The word ‘transgender’ is used midway through, but far more work is done by the simple choice to tell George's story using third-person narration and the pronouns ‘she’ and ‘her.’ Readers then cringe as much as George herself when bullies mock her or—perhaps worse—when well-meaning friends and family reassure her with sentiments like ‘I know you'll turn into a fine young man.’”
- Publishers Weekly (2015): “The taunts of a school bully, George’s self-doubts, and her mother’s inability to truly hear what George is telling her carry real weight as debut author Gino’s simple, direct writing illuminates George’s struggles and quiet strength. George’s joy during stolen moments when she can be herself will resonate with anyone who has felt different, while providing a necessary window into the specific challenges of a child recognizing that they are transgender. Profound, moving, and—as Charlotte would say—radiant, this book will stay with anyone lucky enough to find it.”
Awards
- 2015 Cybils Awards nominee, Middle Grade Fiction
- 2016 Lambda Literary Award winner, LGBT Children’s/Young Adult
- 2016 Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award winner, Children (13-18)
Connections
- Learn more about author Alex Gino at their website: http://www.alexgino.com/about-alex/
- Find more LGBTQ titles to enjoy at the Lambda Literary Awards website: https://www.lambdaliterary.org/complete-list-of-award-recipients/
Bibliography
Cover,
Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Personal photograph by Amy Wilson. November 19, 2017.
Gino,
Alex. George. New York, NY: Scholastic
Press, 2013. ISBN 9780545812542
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