Books › Beautiful Music for Ugly Children
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children
271 pages
An intimate, music-fueled journey of a trans teen flipping the record to let his true self play.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like tuning into a late-night community radio station where the host is speaking directly to you. It carries an intimate, conversational tone, anchored by a narrator who is earnest, defiant, and deeply passionate about music. The pacing is steady, driven by the emotional weight of a transgender teen navigating high school and family rejection while fighting to be seen as his true self. The prose is accessible and grounded in clever vinyl metaphors, making the internal struggle of living as a B side feel universally resonant yet deeply personal. It is an affirming, hopeful experience that will delight young adult readers seeking a story about finding your voice, standing your ground, and finally letting your true track play.
- Mood
- intimate
- affirming
- challenging
- hopeful
- Tone
- earnest
- conversational
- defiant
- resilient
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- transgender identity · self-acceptance · finding your voice · music as refuge · family rejection
- The writing
- Direct, conversational, and infused with musical metaphors that make the narrator's internal world accessible.
- The arc
- Moves from the frustration of being misunderstood to the empowering assertion of one's true identity.
- Who it's for
- Young adult readers looking for an authentic, music-infused story about claiming your true gender identity despite the world's pushback.
Content notes
- transphobia
- family rejection
- misgendering
About the book
"This is Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, on community radio 90.3, KZUK. I’m Gabe. Welcome to my show."
My birth name is Elizabeth, but I’m a guy. Gabe. My parents think I’ve gone crazy and the rest of the world is happy to agree with them, but I know I’m right. I’ve been a boy my whole life. When you think about it, I’m like a record. Elizabeth is my A side, the song everybody knows, and Gabe is my B side―not heard as often, but just as good. It’s time to let my B side play.
Winner of the 2014 Stonewall Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature.
Description from Open Library.
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