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None of the above
328 pages
An earnest, eye-opening journey through the sudden unraveling of a teenager's identity and the quiet strength it takes to rebuild it.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping directly into the raw, vulnerable center of a teenager's world turning upside down. The narrative moves at a brisk, engaging pace, driven by the intense anxiety of high school rumor mills and the deeply isolating experience of a misunderstood medical diagnosis. The prose is straightforward and unadorned, acting as a clear window into the protagonist's emotional turmoil and eventual resilience. It balances the dread of public exposure with moments of profound empathy and education, creating an atmosphere that is both heart-wrenching and ultimately hopeful. This is a story for readers who gravitate toward issue-driven contemporary YA that tackles complex questions of bodily autonomy and gender identity with compassion, honesty, and a deeply beating heart.
- Mood
- anxious
- isolating
- hopeful
- empathetic
- Tone
- earnest
- compassionate
- vulnerable
- frank
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- bodily autonomy · redefining identity · high school cruelty · self-acceptance · finding community
- The writing
- Accessible, straightforward, and emotionally direct, prioritizing clarity and the protagonist's raw internal experience over lyrical flourish.
- The arc
- Moves from the shock and isolation of a shattered self-image through the painful crucible of public exposure, ultimately arriving at a hard-won, grounded sense of self-acceptance.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate empathetic, issue-driven YA contemporaries that tackle complex medical and social realities with heart and honesty.
Content notes
- intersexphobia
- bullying and cyberbullying
- medical trauma
- outing without consent
- slurs
About the book
A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born 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?
Description from Open Library.
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