Good Reads / Community Library Notes
This is How it Always Is
Laurie Frankel
Review by Priscilla Comen
This is How it Always Is
Laurie Frankel
Review by Priscilla Comen
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel is a great story of a family, relevant to today’s issues. Rosie, an ER doctor, is married to Penn, a writer who is working on a novel. They have five boys. They get along well, playing, fighting, protecting the youngest, Claude. Claude is only five years old, but already knows he wants to be a girl. He wears dresses to school and doesn’t notice the teasing and laughs of the older students. Penn and Rosie feel people should be who they want to be. They love Claude very much.
Penn tells stories to all the boys every night. Claude hears about and wants to be a fairy. His grandma brings him her old dresses and jewelry. He wears them with high heel shoes at home. Claude changes his name to Poppy, grows his hair long, and is happy as can be. His photos are solo pictures, not family groups. Adults passing by make snide comments about the bad mother. After Penn almost gets into a fight with the father of a classmate of Claude’s, Penn and Rosie move the family to Seattle. It’s a big change after living in Wisconsin. They go to a neighborhood barbecue and say they have four boys and a girl. They’ll tell the truth later. Meanwhile, Claude/Polly meets the little girl next door and they love each other, sending messages from one upstairs window to the other.
Penn and Rosie talk to Mr Tongo, Poppy’s therapist on Skype. He says the word “puberty” and tells them it’s time to talk about hormone blockers, even though Poppy is only nine Mr Tongo insists. Big changes will occur; then what will they do? Penn tells Poppy a story about a princess whose wings show up at odd times. Her friendly witch gives her beans to eat and this solves the wing problem. Poppy knows there’s a message here somewhere. Poppy’s older brother Roo, doesn’t like lieing and feels his parents lie all the time.—about Poppy. Author Frankel shows us the reality of the transgender situation, and the impact on the whole family. Fiction always has some truth in it. Read the author’s notes to confirm this.
The students in Polly’s class find out she has a penis. Who spilled the beans? Did Polly’s brothers tell one person? That’s the end of a secret. Polly is devastated. She cuts off her hair, wears baggy sweats, throws away her dolls and stays in her room for days, weeks. Is surgery the answer? Penn is on the Internet to find out. Should Polly decide for herself? Should her parents decide because she’s only ten years old?
Rosie takes a job in Thailand at a clinic, Poppy goes with her and teaches English by telling fairy tales as her father always had. What do they both learn in this different environment? Find out in this fascinating book on the new fiction shelf of your community library.
Penn tells stories to all the boys every night. Claude hears about and wants to be a fairy. His grandma brings him her old dresses and jewelry. He wears them with high heel shoes at home. Claude changes his name to Poppy, grows his hair long, and is happy as can be. His photos are solo pictures, not family groups. Adults passing by make snide comments about the bad mother. After Penn almost gets into a fight with the father of a classmate of Claude’s, Penn and Rosie move the family to Seattle. It’s a big change after living in Wisconsin. They go to a neighborhood barbecue and say they have four boys and a girl. They’ll tell the truth later. Meanwhile, Claude/Polly meets the little girl next door and they love each other, sending messages from one upstairs window to the other.
Penn and Rosie talk to Mr Tongo, Poppy’s therapist on Skype. He says the word “puberty” and tells them it’s time to talk about hormone blockers, even though Poppy is only nine Mr Tongo insists. Big changes will occur; then what will they do? Penn tells Poppy a story about a princess whose wings show up at odd times. Her friendly witch gives her beans to eat and this solves the wing problem. Poppy knows there’s a message here somewhere. Poppy’s older brother Roo, doesn’t like lieing and feels his parents lie all the time.—about Poppy. Author Frankel shows us the reality of the transgender situation, and the impact on the whole family. Fiction always has some truth in it. Read the author’s notes to confirm this.
The students in Polly’s class find out she has a penis. Who spilled the beans? Did Polly’s brothers tell one person? That’s the end of a secret. Polly is devastated. She cuts off her hair, wears baggy sweats, throws away her dolls and stays in her room for days, weeks. Is surgery the answer? Penn is on the Internet to find out. Should Polly decide for herself? Should her parents decide because she’s only ten years old?
Rosie takes a job in Thailand at a clinic, Poppy goes with her and teaches English by telling fairy tales as her father always had. What do they both learn in this different environment? Find out in this fascinating book on the new fiction shelf of your community library.