Euphoria Kids, by Alison Evans

Title: Euphoria Kids
Author: Alison Evans
Genre/ issues: Magic realism. Fantasy. Queer fiction. Gender identify/ euphoria.

Sigh. I’ve loved the first two books by Alison Evans, so when I heard they had a new one coming out I knew I’d have to read it. This is my favourite of their work so far. A magical story about 3 gender diverse teens who get to explore a world in which gender euphoria is their experience rather than the debilitating gender dysphoria that is so common for people questioning how they see themselves in society’s gender binary. The notion of being SEEN is also a powerful element of this book – both literally for Babs, who had been cursed by a witch and so disappears sometimes without warning, and figuratively for characters like the boy, a trans male who becomes friends with Babs and Iris after they see him for him, and accept his identity and pronouns while he figures out what his name is. The fairies, dryads, witches and spells aren’t what makes this book magic – it’s the sensitive, joyful and lyrical way that Alison weaves this splendid tale. Beautifully written and beautifully told, this is a wonderful book. I’m so thrilled to have gotten to read this and I’ll be gifting it to a lot of special people in my life. 

I’ve been recording TikToks on some of my favourite books, so I’m testing out embedding them here … let me know if read this what you think about including the videos. Do you like them? Do you not care? I’m curious as to whether you think it’s worth the effort to embed the videos here!

@tamarareadsEuphoria Kids by Alison Evans ##queer ##loveozya ##bookreview ##magic ##gendereuphoria ##60secondbookreview♬ original sound – tamarareads

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 13/52

Happy reading,

Run, Rebel, by Manjeet Mann

Title: Run, Rebel
Author: Manjeet Mann
Genre/ issues: Verse novel, YA, contemporary issues.

Well. Books that bring me to tears, part 2. This uncorrected proof arrived in my world yesterday, and I read it last night. It’s long, but it’s a verse novel, so a relatively quick read. It’s not easy though, with some pretty heavy content. A patriarchal family with an abusive alcoholic at the head, both parents dealing with illiteracy, and the mother working a cash-in-hand sweatshop job. A teenager who is a talented runner but has limited resources and parental support to pursue this. The impacts of poverty, and privilege, and generational trauma. It’s heavy going, but the beauty of the poetry makes it somehow easier to bear. It had me thinking about my own experiences as a teacher – was I always as sensitive as I could have been to the kid falling asleep in my class? Did I make assumptions about resourcing and support that may have been out of the realm of possibility for some of my students? I think I was possibly one of the better ones, but I don’t know that I always got that right.
Built around the framework of An Anatomy of A Revolution – how do you overthrow an oppressive regime? – this book is stunning. It’s out next month. Please read it.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 11/52

Happy reading,

How it feels to float, by Helena Fox

Title: How it feels to float
Author: Helena Fox
Genre/ issues: YA, mental health, family/ relationships.

There were tiny oceans in my eyes as I finished this exquisite book on the train home tonight. At one point I couldn’t make out the words of the final chapters as the tears overtook me. Mental illness is something quite difficult to capture beautifully on a page, isn’t it? Helena Fox has created something quite extraordinary in the world of Biz.

The blurb of the book says:

“Biz knows how to float. She has her people, her posse, her mom and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, and who shouldn’t be here but is. So Biz doesn’t tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn’t tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface–normal okay regular fine.

“But after what happens on the beach–first in the ocean, and then in the sand–the tethers that hold Biz steady come undone. Dad disappears and, with him, all comfort. It might be easier, better, sweeter to float all the way away? Or maybe stay a little longer, find her father, bring him back to her. Or maybe–maybe maybe maybe–there’s a third way Biz just can’t see yet.

“This is a mesmerizing, radiant debut, at once heart-rending, humorous, and impossible to put down. Helena Fox tells a story about love and grief and family and friendship, about inter-generational mental illness, and how living with it is both a bridge to someone loved and lost and, also, a chasm. She explores the hard, bewildering, and beautiful places loss can take us, and honors those who hold us tightly when the current wants to tug us out to sea.”

The metaphor of floating is pervasive in this wonder of a debut novel, and as someone who has dealt with anxiety, depression and at one particularly low point in my life persistent suicidal ideations, I could completely recognise and empathise with that feeling of not being in control, of wanting to just give up and let the waves of mental illness carry me away. I found myself gasping frequently as I read, completely overwhelmed with Fox’s extraordinarily skillful and beautiful use of language.

I’d implore you all to read this book, and I totally believe you all should, but I also think you need to make sure that you’re in the right headspace to gently ease your way through someone else’s trauma. Books like this, that offer a window into a personal experience of mental health, are important in so many ways – they help provide a sense of visibility to those who are or have dealt with something similar, and they provide a sense of empathy to those who have not experienced anything like this in their lives. It’s also important, though to take care of yourself, so if these issues sound like something you’re in the throes of dealing with, then maybe this is a “later” book for you.  I’ll be buying many, many copies of this, and I know it’s a big call not even halfway through January, but I’m happy to call it my book of the year.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 4/52

Happy reading,