In the book, I am J, a troubled 18 year old named Jennifer struggles between living the life of a transgender. She refers to herself as “J” and dresses like a male to fulfill her dream of becoming a man. In the beginning of the book J deals with being bullied at school because of her differences from the average teenager. When she reveals to her parents and best friend that she like to go through with the transgender process in becoming a male, they betray her. J ends up running away to start a different life, with different friends who “understand ‘him‘” or so they think… J tells his new friends that he is a man from Philadelphia named Jason; a complete lie. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars because it is immensely descriptive and really puts you “in J’s shoes”. On the other hand, at some parts in the book it can get a bit too descriptive and begin to bore you. Overall the book is definitely worth reading. I would recommend this book for teens 12+.
Submitted by Emily
Recently, I read the book I Am J by Cris Beam. The book follows the life of Jenifer Silver, who would rather be known as “J”. Her physical appearance is that of a girl, however, on the inside she feels like a boy and discovers she is transgender. She will do whatever she can to change her gender and even prefers to be known as “he”. At the beginning of the book, J is a loner seventeen year-old with very low self esteem. He only has one friend and a somewhat troubled family life. J is relentlessly teased by all of the kids in his neighborhood, resulting in hiding himself and his body from the rest of the world. One day while browsing the internet, J learns that he can take a male hormone called testosterone to change some of his female traits such as deepening his voice and increasing hair growth. Now determined, J starts taking action: he gets a chest binder (which conceals his breasts), goes to a school for transgender teens, and even tries to get a girlfriend. Over the course of the book J makes some new friends, works things out with his family, and more. I am J is a story of self-discovery and learning to love yourself. The finale gives you that satisfactory feeling of experiencing a happy ending. There are a few negatives I have to point out, however. The book’s plot may become a little bit confusing at times and interesting twists and turns are few and far between, making the book both confusing and a bit too linear. There is also a subplot or two that aren’t exactly resolved by the end of the book, depending on how you look at it. Overall, though, I Am J is a solid read. I suggest you take a look at this book. You may be pleasantly surprised, or even inspired to discover or, shall I say, rediscover yourself? My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Submitted by Lauren Leon
J, or as he is called Jeni, has a problem. He was mistakenly born as a girl, even though he is a boy. He was trying to find out who he is, but then his best friend left him. After this, he begins to truly uncover who he is. My favorite character is J and my favorite part of the book is when J talks with Melissa about the party because they are having an interesting conversation. I rate this book 3/5 and I would recommend it to friends (if they are 15+) because it’s dramatic and intriguing.
Submitted by Eram
