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Biggest Takeaway

  I first read this book in 2015 when it was published. I was working with a teacher to bring more diverse literature into middle school classrooms. I would research new books, write emails to publishers, and basically beg them to send a few copies of their books to us for free because of the teachers limited budget. I remember finding this one on a “recently released” book list and immediately going home and purchasing myself a copy.     After that first read, I remember being struck by how weird it was that I was a senior in high school, and I was reading my first book about a trans child.   The most important thing I learned this semester is how important it is that these stories are available to people and especially children. It is important for children who identify with the stories to be able to see themselves as valued and being able to read about a situation a child isn’t subject to in their life can help build empathy and understanding for their peers. Literature and stories
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Melissa and Miranda's Takeaways

      Melissa is an incredible, welcoming, and charismatic character to use as an example (not an exemplar) to help any child struggling with their gender identity.       Although Gino only writes from one perspective, they capture what I believe to be very poignant reflections on identity and finding that identity through adolescence. What I appreciate MOST about Gino's writing is the way they captured Melissa's feelings about her identity through feelings. Gino puts words to the feelings of genderqueerness, which would give transkids the language to express the feelings of discomfort within their bodies. On pages 89 and 90, the conflict of gender is described through the medium of sensations. "'I'll bet he read the stupid spider's part by mistake!' Jeff smirked. 'he's such a freaking girl anyway...' but George stood, stuck in place. The hairs on her arms stood straight up, and the back of her neck tingled." Melissa experiences the rushes
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Take Aways & "George"

 The novel, George , offered tells the story of a young 'man' who felt that he did not fit into who he was; he saw himself as a young lady. While reading this novel, I noticed that this was the first piece of literature I have EVER read that even touched on this subject. To me,  George is a story about compassion, bravery, and accepting yourself & others-- all critical and key ideas in Middle and High School literature. However, this novel is continuously banned--which makes me wonder, 'how would you feel as a child who felt they had gender dysphoria or identified as non-binary or cis-gender and your school was fighting to ban a book like George '. Or, imagine if George (the character) learned his school was trying to ban a book like this? In George, the readers can see a clear change in the character once he sees that his principal is a supporter of transgender--but imagine if your school principal/administrator was trying to ban a book like George.  Not only is t
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Melissa

Alex Gino's, "George," now titled, "Melissa," brings forward two key ideas we have discussed throughout the semester; we should not underestimate the compassion and intellect of children and what is more comfortable for adults is not what we need as a collective whole to enact greater conversations of the intricacies of the human experience. Many of the reasons we see all of these stories being banned and censored from the public is people claiming they are unsuitable for young readers, their content is too diverse, too explicit, too harmful, and for that we should hide them away. In some cases, yes, we should not let elementary kids read 50 Shades of Grey , that's a little extreme and even then it should not be banned. However, when it comes to stories like Melissa , there is nothing explicitly sexual nor is there even instances of violence, it is simply a matter of adults being made uncomfortable by the identities they do not personally ascribe to. This is
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George Reflection

  Melissa’s story in Gino’s novel George was sweet, powerful, genuine, informative and emotional. Sadly, with this book being about a trans girl, I understand exactly what would make parents want to ban this book. This book is not political in the slightest, but those who want to ban it make it political. But, any child who reads this novel would not be reading it from a political lens.This story is about understanding and learning about the struggles that LGBTQIA+ members face in their everyday life. This book is emotional in that readers come to terms with the reality that members of the LGBTQIA+ community have to face hate and inner conflict that other kids do not need to worry about. With the way gender is constructed, this community is forced to answer gender based questions that do not necessarily have answers. When I read this novel, I do not think of it as being politically driven by “leftist” ideology; I think about the stories that we have to tell and that we are brave enough
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Scott's Biggest Takeaway

 The biggest takeaway I have from this class is related to my last post, but let me make it explicit. When we talk about banning books, we leak into talking about what books and stories we choose to tell. For a long time, the Western World has prioritized on white focused heteronormative narratives that support triumphalist, predatory, and patriarchal themes. People ask me if we talk about Fahrenheit 451 , and I explain that the reason we do not is because there are other stories that still must be shared ( Fahrenheit 451 has had its time in the limelight). The U.S.A. is filled with people with diverse lives that deserve their stories to be acknowledged and seen. What I've learned is that we live in a world that wishes to homogenize and silence diverse stories, where there is beauty and truth that everyone should witness in these stories. I will continuously say that George and Bronx Masquerade is in my ideal curriculum, for everyone. These stories ability to impart empathy and
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Biggest Takeaways

I have learned a lot from our readings and class discussions this semester. Most notably, these conversations have introduced me to the ignorance that is present and, unfortunately, thriving in our society. A recurring theme in our discussions revolves around the idea that it is clear that those fighting to ban books have not read the books that they are fighting to ban. Often these people hide behind false claims to fight for these changes. Typically, these claims are the most contentious topics in society, and are guaranteed to quickly garner the attention of the public, especially when discussed in relation to children. Using this strategy and false claims, people are able to turn society against a text, even though there is no reason for this reaction. Rather, these works are the ones that should be highlighted in society, as they accurately portray necessary, underrepresented themes that are commonplace in our diverse society and world. If people actually read these texts, this
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