Nonfiction

  

Jennings, Jazz. Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen. Crown, 2016. 272 pages. Tr. 12.99 ISBN 978-0399554674.

Written at age 15, this memoir of prominent transgender teen activist Jazz Jennings is worth examining. Through a series of anecdotes Jennings recounts of her experiences with identity including: coming out  at a young age, social and medical transition, activism, and navigating school policies, sports participation, harassment, and national attention. The back matter includes family interviews, booklists, and online resources for trans youth.

Before critiquing the content, it is important to note that Jazz’s experiences are her own and critique does not seek to invalidate them. Additionally, the book was written in 2016 by a 15-year-old, so some contextual grace is warranted. Nonetheless, a modern critique is necessary for contemporary readers.

The primary concerns lie in three areas: outdated terminology, transmedicalism, and reliance on the gender binary. Jennings relies heavily on the outdated trope of "a girl born in a boys body" which excludes intersex people and reinforces the rigid binary of what makes a “girl” body and a “boy” body. More care is needed to ensure that this experience is not presented as universal beyond the few throwaway lines when she discusses her own medical transition. 

There is also a dangerous level of pathologizing the trans experience, with discussions about medical theories on why people are transgender, which is a eugenics mine field. Additionally, exclusively using he/she instead of they and an over reliance on defining activities and dress as either for “boys” or “girls” excludes non-binary people and reinforces the false ideology of the gender binary. 

Despite its flaws, Being Jazz is singular as one of the few trans memoirs available for this age demographic and needs to be included in every non-fiction section. However, care needs to be taken to make sure that it is not the only title on the trans experience in the collection. 

  

Weatherford, Carole Boston. Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Carolrhoda Books, 2021. 32 pages. Tr. $17.99, ISBN  ‎ 978-1541581203.

"Up to three hundred black people ... were killed.  Hundreds more were injured. More than eight thousand people were left homeless."  There are the losses that are reported by Weatherford in this narrative non-fiction book. Unspeakable tells the story of a segregated black community in Tulsa, called Greenwood and eventually Black Wall Street once it became prosperous, and the eventual plot to destroy that prosperity from the neighboring white communities.  

Weatherford is a prolific writer of non-fiction titles about black history, many of which have received honors or awards, including this title which received the Coretta Scott King Award in 2022. Her choice of a story narrative style works well for this title, because it wants to appeal to the ethos of the audience. The phrase "Once upon a time ..." serves as a refrain when describing Greenwood and Black Wall Street. This invocation of the language of fairy tales is interesting in a non-fiction title and gives the impression that such a place having once existed is fantasy like. It invites the audience to imagine what life was like beyond the facts that are presented in each segment. To assist in those imaginings are Coopers’ beautiful 2-page oil and erasure illustrations throughout. 

 

Image Credit: Amazon

The narrative structure, language choices, illustrations, and limited scope make the book easy to follow for young readers. The back matter consists of both author's and illustrator's notes that provide additional historical context. However, no sourcing information is provided within the book beyond a link to a resource guide for teachers. The guide is robust in its sourcing and lesson plans, making it useful for potential programming.  Ultimately, this book is exceptional and unique in its topic coverage as such it is a must include in any non-fiction collection.