None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

None of the Above

by I. W. Gregorio
Genres: Fiction, Young Adult
Published on April 7th 2015
Pages: 352
Format: eBook Source: Owned
Amazon

A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she's intersex . . . and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

Kristin was 18 and had never started her period.  She was a runner and attributed hard training to her lack of menstruation.  She went to a pediatrician and had never had a gynecological exam so she had no idea that she had no uterus and two internal testes.  She is confused and ashamed when she finds out and her first instinct is to hide from everyone.  When she does finally decide to tell a few of her friends, the news is leaked to her whole school with horrible results.

This book addresses a lot of issues facing a person with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. That means that although the chromosomes are XY the body doesn’t respond to the testosterone produced so the person develops the physical characteristics of a female.

  • If you have testicles that are producing testosterone, can you continue to compete in sports as a female?
  • When and how do you tell someone you are interested in dating about your condition?
  • Since intersex is relatively unknown, how do you explain it to people and should you have to?
  • How do you respond to bullying from people who don’t understand your condition?

The main goal of this book is to give information about AIS.  Sometimes that information giving can get in the way of the story but it is necessary.  I found the parts about sports interesting.  I had read articles before about the lengths that are gone to when trying to prove or disprove that athletes are female.  It can be humiliating.

 

 

four-stars