Richie’s Picks: HAPPY FAMILIES by Tanita S. If this is a book that is supposed to help teenagers deal with transgender parents, I think it has missed its mark. I have read some excellently written books lately and this was not one of them. In addition, I felt the writing did not flow well. There are some good portrayals of other parents who are transgender towards the end of the book. I wish Christine could have been more clear about what he (sic) wanted, other than to cross dress. He says he will be back sometime in the future. In addition, he separates from the family when, apparently, all four of them (Mom, Dad, two kids) want to stay together. I am really unclear about how he actually wants to be. I think we are supposed to be left with the idea that Christine (the dad who inexplicably continues to go by he throughout the book and does very little cross dressing, because he doesn't feel like it most of the time (it would seem)) is a cross dresser but wants to stay male and wants to stay with the family. Considering how sensitive and lovely both parents are, this seemed quite out of character. He claims he was running late and didn't want to miss the debate. The dad, Chris, shows up to his son's debating tournament cross-dressed as Christine without having mentioned to the family that he is a cross dresser. The idea is here, and I think the book fits a much-needed hole in YA fiction, but it wasn't the strongest. There were some interesting threads in the story - I was particularly drawn to the religious aspect - but they weren't explored quite as I hoped they could or would be.

Likewise, the ending felt far too tidy and resolved. Because it felt rushed, the emotional impact was not here. I think the real problem is the book was too short and tried to tackle too many things in a tight time frame (there's a 'before,' where we get to know Ysabel and Justin prior to their father's truth being exposed, and it's only a handful of pages long the 'after' runs for just over a week, while the twins are at their father's house for spring break). There was a lot of potential here to really explore the implications of their father's secret, but it got lost in a whitewater rafting trip with other families dealing with this sort of issue. I think using dual narrators hurt the story I never got to actually know either Ysabel nor Justin, and I never got to know their father or mother. That is until their father broke the news that he's really a transsexual, and now things have spun out of control.ĭavis's story was really promising, and the premise was interesting, but I found the execution wasn't as engaging or as strong as it could have been. Ysabel and Justin are twins, and they've had really happy and comfortable lives.

Happy Families by Tanita S. Davis