This felt at times like I was reading one of the investigative reports on USA Today, giving me cringe-feel after cringe-feel while alternating between 'this can't really be' and 'how can we treat other people this way'. Ash is intersex, but has always identified as male. He's got friends including Michelle who is black and a ballet dancer. She's the only person who really understands him. His older sister is lesbian and moved from their home in Salem, MA to Boston when her parents couldn't accept her having a girlfriend.
When Ash has his first period during high school soccer practice, it's as if the sun started coming up in the west. Despite the shock, he's still the same person inside, but then the dark ball of misfortune begins rolling downhill. His parents want him to start being a girl, his friends, except for Michelle treat him differently, even aggressively, no one in a position of authority comes to his defense, and things just get worse by the day. I'd go into greater detail, but that would give too much away. His parents are a toxic train wreck, his sister, her girlfriend, Michelle, and a teacher at his new school are all solid gems and what Ash learns about himself, his family secrets and the intersex community in Boston are great integral parts of the story. This is a book that exemplifies the old adage 'desperate times call for desperate measures'- a perfect description for how Ash survives everything. This deserves a place in most school and public libraries because it deals with a part of humanity most know little about and does so via a gripping narrative. ( )