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Title details for The Name I Call Myself by Hasan Namir - Available

The Name I Call Myself

by Hasan Namir
Cathryn John
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Meet Ari, a young person who doesn't like to be called by their birth name Edward: "When I think of the name Edward, I imagine old kings who snore a lot." Throughout this beautiful and engaging picture book, we watch Ari grow up before our very eyes as they navigate the ins and outs of their gender identity; we see how, as a child, they prefer dolls and princess movies, and want to grow out their hair, though their father insists on cutting it short, "because that's what boys look like." At nine, they play hockey but wish they could try on their mother's dresses; at fifteen, they shave their face, hoping to have smooth skin like girls. At sixteen, they want to run away, especially from their father who insists, "You're a boy, so you have to act like one." Who will Ari become? Moving from age six to adolescence, The Name I Call Myself touchingly depicts Edward's tender, solitary gender journey to Ari: a new life distinguished and made meaningful by self-acceptance and unconditional love. Ages 5 to 12.


This publication meets the EPUB Accessibility requirements and it also meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG-AA). It is screen-reader friendly and is accessible to persons with disabilities. A book with many images, which is defined with accessible structural markup. This book contains various accessibility features such as alternative text for images, table of contents, page-list, landmark, reading order and semantic structure.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 17, 2020

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781551528106

    • PDF ebook

      • ISBN: 9781551528106
      • File size: 3074 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      September 1, 2020
      An isolated child struggles with self-esteem as they discover their identity diverges from familial and societal expectations. Ari's parents call them a name that does not fit, a name for old snoring kings. They "idolize" their mom, a good listener who lets them try on dresses, but they fear coming out to their dad, who insists boys act and present themselves in a certain way. Year by year, from ages 6 to 18, Ari documents their life experiences and the distressing changes of puberty as they explore their gender and their attraction to boys. The first-person narrator introduces themself in the opening by the name their parents gave them. Right after this, they explain, "But I call myself something else." This true name remains a mystery until the final page of text, when they introduce themself again as Ari. The layout follows a predictable pattern, with text on the left side of each spread and an accompanying illustration on the right side. Illustrations depict Ari and their family with light brown skin, but the narration gives no indication of ethnicity or racial identity. Troublingly, Ari has no trustworthy friends, and their mom is their only apparent support, though a passive one at best. While the narrative resolves on a note of hopeful self-identification, this coming-of-age story largely focuses on struggle, waylaying happiness until the character is 17. Sadly, a typically harrowing representation of a young transgender person without supportive community. (Picture book. 5-8)

      COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • PDF ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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