Continuum

Are you a boy or girl? The authors of these entries in the Pocket Change Collective series (2 new titles) never let this question define them. In the small-sized books with profound impact, young activists give a first-person account of their genderqueer identities. Shorter, easier text makes their stories accessible for a wide range of readers. Continuum traces the life of Chella Man, an artist and actor who shares the intersections of their Deaf, transgender, genderqueer, Jewish, and Chinese identities. After losing their hearing as a young child, Chella Man relates feeling like an outsider in both hearing and Deaf communities, as well as their struggles with fitting into a binary gender system. They conclude by discussing their continuing self-acceptance and reconciliation among their gender dysphoria, genderqueer identity, and the starting of hormones and the surgery process. This volume includes some of Chella Man's line drawings, which contain mature content. #OwnVoices stories for the real world.

Deaf, trans artist Man meditates on his journey and identity in this brief memoir. Growing up in conservative central Pennsylvania was tough for the 21-year-old Deaf, genderqueer, pansexual, and biracial (Chinese/White Jewish) author. He describes his gender and sexual identity, his experiences of racism and ableism, and his desire to use his visibility as a YouTube personality, model, and actor to help other young people like him. He is open and vulnerable throughout, even choosing to reveal his birth name. Man shares his experiences of becoming deaf as a small child and at times feeling ostracized from the Deaf community but not how he arrived at his current Deaf identity. His description of his gender-identity development occasionally slips into a well-worn pink-and-blue binary. The text is accompanied and transcended by the author's own intriguing, expressionistic line drawings. However, Man ultimately falls short of truly insightful reflection or analysis, offering a mostly surface-level account of his life that will likely not be compelling to readers who are not already fans. While his visibility and success as someone whose life represents multiple marginalized identities are valuable in themselves, this heartfelt personal chronicle would have benefited from deeper introspection. Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author. (Memoir. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* Are you a boy or girl? The authors of these entries in the Pocket Change Collective series (2 new titles) never let this question define them. In the small-sized books with profound impact, young activists give a first-person account of their genderqueer identities. Shorter, easier text makes their stories accessible for a wide range of readers. Continuum traces the life of Chella Man, an artist and actor who shares the intersections of their Deaf, transgender, genderqueer, Jewish, and Chinese identities. After losing their hearing as a young child, Chella Man relates feeling like an outsider in both hearing and Deaf communities, as well as their struggles with fitting into a binary gender system. They conclude by discussing their continuing self-acceptance and reconciliation among their gender dysphoria, genderqueer identity, and the starting of hormones and the surgery process. This volume includes some of Chella Man's line drawings, which contain mature content. #OwnVoices stories for the real world. Grades 7-12. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.