Book Review: None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

I grew up in the 80s surrounded by images like Cindy Crawford and Pretty in Pink, which made figuring out what sort of girl I was “supposed” to be rather complicated. On top of that, I grew up with seven sisters ranging in size, shape, interest, and certainly attitude and three brothers who had their own ideas about what a girl “should” be.  And as a middle school teacher for over a decade, I see teenage girls and boys navigating a world of gender “shoulds” and trying on a spectrum of gender markers, which is beautiful and painful (at times) to witness. None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio is about an 18 year old girl with AIS (Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome), when one’s chromosome make-up does not match the gender to which one identifies or intersex. She questions how she (and her whole school) understand what it means to be a girl.

In None of the Above,  Kristin Lattimer’s AIS was invisible to her father, her friends, and even her boyfriend. You can’t see AIS. Kristin, however, saw the signs as she matured; they were biological and personal. When a doctor confirms her diagnosis, whispers of self-doubt invade her private thoughts until sharing her diagnosis with a friend initiates public shaming and discrimination. Ignorance hurts.

The author I. W. Gregorio is a doctor, which adds quite a bit of credibility to this book’s subject.  Indeed, as I talked about in my review of  Tree Girl books can lift the veil of ignorance and teach readers by making accessible new concepts, anticipating questions and misconceptions, and by creating a bit of distance (and perspective) between the reader and the subject. Gregorio embeds in the narrative information to illuminate the ways people tend to conflate LGTB. Chromosomal sex  refers to our biological sex. Intersex means the biological sex does not align to the gender to which the person identifies. Gender identity is one’s internal sense (not chromosomes) of being male or female which may correspond to external sex but may not, which is transgender, and sexual orientation is a person’s sexual identity in relation  to the gender to which they are attracted. Gregorio also provides further reading recommendations in her appendix.

None of the Above is not a textbook; it is literature, and literature can cultivate empathy, recognizing that other people have feelings and that those feelings count. If readers approach None of the Above with an open mind, they will be more empathic about sex, gender and sexual orientation after reading it.  I think readers will feel for Kristen as she learns about and seeks support for AIS. I think readers will relate to Kristen being blindsided by her diagnosis and feeling rejected by her friends and even her gender.  At one point, after discussing Shakespeare in class, Kristen wonders, “…maybe Shakespeare was preaching that it shouldn’t matter if you were a man or a woman. But what if you were something in between.” Don’t we all feel “in between” at times in our lives? Don’t we all wonder if we are “normal”?

The brain does not know the difference between feeling compassion for a fictional figure and feeling it for flesh and blood. The emotion and the memory will be imprinted. I think  None of the Above  gets readers thinking about how we “other” people in our lives and how society teaches us to turn away from the unfamiliar, but I also hope readers will think about how they learned what it means to be a girl or to be a boy or to just be. For me, Cindy Crawford and Molly Ringwald were helpful, but my sisters — seeing them grow into amazing women — have taught me much, much more. And Kristen became my sister for a few hours.

So I like to rate books in two ways: finding the flow and classroom library. Did I get totally immersed when reading? Did hours go by without my noticing? And is this a book I would include in my middle school classroom library as a one copy, a book group selection, or a whole class novel?

• Finding the Flow: I finished this book in two sittings — a few hours each. My need to understand kept me turning the pages. I learned about androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS), and I feel like I have a better understanding of the diversity of biological sex and how it is something quite different from yet commonly muddled with gender identity and sexual orientation.  My favorite part was when Kristen sought help from a support group, and after talking about her diagnosis feeling “amazing” and finding “sisterhood” because she no longer felt alone.  I think this book is an important contribution to young adult literature.
• Cla$$room Library: I would buy one copy for middle school, maybe a few more for a book group depending on the interests of students. Because the protagonist is 18 and there are quite a few detailed sexual encounters, this book seems more appropriate for high school readers  and libraries although I would love to read this in a book club with students (though I feel like I’d need parental consent).