In Her Skin: Growing Up Trans

In Sotira’s story of a teenager coming out as transgender, high school senior Tirzah Maxon is happiest when living as Troy—something that only seems possible doing during anonymous trips to hang out with skateboarders in downtown Chicago. Additionally, Tirzah loves best friend Heidi in a more-than-friends kind of way, but it’s unclear whether Heidi feels the same, and Heidi’s conservative Muslim family wouldn’t condone such a relationship even if she did. As graduation looms and Tirzah pursues a soccer scholarship, the teenager bemoans having to play on the girls’ team, struggles in dealing with Heidi and other classmates, and gradually feels empowered to live full-time as Troy. Sotira (Shifts: An Anthology of Women’s Growth Through Change) writes sensitively about Tirzah’s gender dysphoria; the teen’s tender friendship with Heidi and the realistically varied reactions to Tirzah’s transitioning are also handled well. Readers may wish for more resolution concerning Tirzah’s future with Heidi, who drops out of the story somewhat unceremoniously toward the end, but Sotira’s first novel remains a thoughtful portrait of one teenager’s incremental progress toward greater self-knowledge and acceptance. Ages 12–up. (BookLife)