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Reviewed by: Homebody by Theo Parish Meg Cornell Parish, Theo Homebody; written and illus. by Theo Parish. HarperAlley, 2024 224p Trade ed. ISBN 9780063319592 26. 99 Paper ed. ISBN 9780063319585 18. 99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063319608 10. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 9-12 In this buoyant graphic memoir, Theo Parish shares their journey to feeling at home in their body as a transgender and nonbinary person, beginning with their childhood awareness of gender freedoms and restrictive binaries. Parish goes on to share their teen and young adult years kissing girls and hiding parts of themself as well as affirmative gender explorations in college with cosplay, D&D, nicknaming, and fashion. The importance hairstyling can play in trans and nonbinary expression is especially well portrayed, as Parish depicts the unnecessary struggle in getting stylists to cut off long hair versus the liberating experiences of doing their own hair and going to men's barber shops. Parish's tone is enduringly big-hearted, generous toward both the reader and the great diversity of trans and nonbinary experiences. Metaphors about gender and sexuality exploration are made impactful and icono-graphic in Parish's sensitive limited palette and approachable style: in portraying the body as a house, for example, Parish describes their gender euphoria as a home-coming, replete with redecoration and renovation, leaving pre-existing furniture and unchosen wallpaper behind. Across cool-toned pages blotted with highlights of pink is a palpable message that safety, self-love, and pride comes with defiantly building one's sense of gender and self, an idea applicable to trans, nonbinary, and questioning youth, as well as any child impacted by cis/heteronormative expectations of gender. Parish's compassionate memoir will find easy welcome mats beneath shelves already extending hospitality to Archie Bongiovanni and Tristan Jimerson's A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns and ND Stevenson's The Fire that Never Goes Out (BCCB 5/20). Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
Meg Cornell (Tue,) studied this question.
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