- Beautiful Music for Ugly Children
It's the end of his senior year, and Gabe is ready to leave his life as Elizabeth behind. He's told his family and his best friend, Paige, about his decision to become Gabe, but he hasn't told Paige that he's in love with her. While his family is having some mild trouble with his transition, his older neighbor and fellow music lover, John, is nothing but supportive. John is also helping Gabe realize his dream to be a radio DJ, and his late-night show on a community radio station has garnered a small but loyal set of fans who pull pranks to honor their favorite DJ. When one of his fans outs him as transgender, however, a few others threaten him, and things turn briefly violent before they resolve themselves. While Gabe is serious and understandably nervous about his decision to alter his gender, he's not overly angsty about it; instead, the book provides real hopefulness in the new life he dreams for himself. His parents are trying to adjust, but they backslide sometimes as they try to figure out why their daughter wants to become their son. Paige's response is particularly credible: though she and Elizabeth have been best friends for a long time and she has embraced Gabe in theory, she's conflicted when she realizes the possible social consequences of having a transsexual best friend, especially after she too is physically threatened. In general, though, this is a refreshingly positive picture of a boy standing up for himself against the odds and taking the consequences as they come. An extensive and highly readable author's note defining the multiple identities that fall under the trans umbrella follows the text. [End Page 239]