Alex is not just your average teen dealing with emotions, identity and parents that are unwilling to listen or understand. Growing up Alex was always different, special. But now after making a life changing decision Alex is branded a weirdo and worse, and not just by strangers, just for accepting what Alex feels to be true on the inside. The struggles, conflicts and courage it takes to change a life and accept ones true self is a hard path to follow, especially for Alex.

Alex As Well is a challenging, charming and unique story of an individual who was raised as a boy, but who desperately want to be the girl Alex's feels to be on the inside. A story encompassing issues of gender, identity, acceptance and family. It tells of the pressures to conform to the expectations of peers, parents and society and the bravery it takes to challenge these expectations in order to be the person Alex is inside. A story that you will never forget and a girl you will remember always. ( )

Alex is an independent adolescent. This novel follows Alex’s uphill battle to convince the world around her that she is not a boy, but that she’s a girl.

The cover first attracted me to this book. I read this one twice and it was easier to make sense of the second time. I'm pretty familiar with transgender and intersex conditions, so figured out what was going on pretty early in the story when Alex talks about medication, but younger readers or those who don't know much about gender diversity might be a little confused by "the two Alexes" and their sometimes different thoughts and feelings.

Alex is a girl whose parents raised as a boy. She is asserting her independence by enrolling in a new school as a girl. The problem is she needs a copy of her birth certificate. She seeks out a lawyer to help her get a birth certificate that matches her gender. Her parents, especially her mother, are endlessly frustrating and immature. So much could have been solved by effective communication.

I really like the voice of the author and I would read more by her. While in no means an instruction manual on gender issues, this is a good book for people who are open to reading about gender-varient people. I also recommend [Symptoms of Being Human]. ( )

Short but in depth look at being intersex and what it means ( )

“He looks at me and sees a hot chick—a smooth Clinique girl. I look at him and see a chimpanzee tugging on his little noodle.”

And so ends the first revealing chapter of Alex As Well, a powerful coming of age tale that isn’t afraid to put both tears and smiles on the page, and which doesn’t pretend there’s one perfect answer to the question of gender. Alex was born intersex, but while her mother decided to raise her as a boy, complete with a lifetime of hormone treatment, she doesn’t agree, and just wants to be a girl.

What immediately distinguishes Brugman’s tale is the way in which she tells it. Alex acts as our primary narrator, relating to us not just the events of her life, but also what she’s thinking and feeling behind the scenes. At the same time, she relates to us her struggle with the other Alex, the boy who used to live on the outside. It’s a conflict that’s painful, and which has the potential to be melodramatic, but it’s handled with just the right about of humour.

Alex’s transition is not an easy one. Her classmates don’t handle it well, prompting the change in schools; her father doesn’t handle it well, prompting him to walk out of her life; and her mother doesn’t handle it well, prompting her to take out her anger and her fear on Alex. Even though it’s her father who walks out, it’s really Alex’s mother who serves as the sort-of ‘villain’ of the piece. She takes everything personally, accuses Alex of screwing up her life, and even gets physically abusive in a few instances.

Her mother does introduce an interesting angle to the story, however, with her narrative pieces involving an online forum. Here we see how Heather presents her story to the world, and what kind of comments others have for her. It really opens your eyes to the different perspectives out there, and puts the biological question of Alex into context.

“I want to have a family who can love me as a girl, and just be normal. They say I am a weirdo and a pervert. If I was normal, they would not be like this with me.”

Alex is a typical teenager, self-centred and full of drama, but there’s a genuine pain beneath all her angry bravado. She doesn’t always make the best decisions, but who does at that age? Ultimately, she just wants to be loved and accepted for who she is, rather than questioned and criticised for not being something else. The conclusion of her tale may come across as a bit harsh to some readers, but I found it a realistic approach to providing closure, leaving the door open for a more hopeful future.


Originally reviewed for Frock Magazine ( )