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Informationen zum Autor Ellen Wittlinger is the author of several highly acclaimed books for young adults. A former children's librarian, she lives with her husband and two children in Swampscott, Massachusetts. Klappentext The groundbreaking novel from critically acclaimed author Ellen Wittlinger that tells the story of a transgender teen's search for identity and acceptance has now been updated to include current terminology and an updated list of resources. Angela Katz-McNair never felt quite right as a girl. So she cuts her hair short, purchases some men's clothes and chose a new name: Grady. While coming out as transgender feels right to Grady, he isn't prepared for the reactions of his friends and family. Why can't they accept that Grady is just being himself? Grady's life is miserable until he finds friends in unexpected places-the school geek, Sebastian, who tells Grady that there is a precedent for transgenders in the natural world, and Kita, a senior, who might just be Grady's first love. In a voice tinged with humor and sadness, Ellen Wittlinger explores Grady's struggles-universal struggles any teen can relate to.Parrotfish Chapter One I could hear Mom on the phone in the kitchen gleefully shrieking to her younger sister, my aunt Gail. I was in the garage, as always on the day after Thanksgiving, dragging out carton after carton of Christmas crap, helping Dad turn our house into a local tourist attraction and us, once again, into the laughingstock of Buxton, Massachusetts. Dad handed me down another box from the highest shelf. “Sounds like Gail had the baby,” he said. “You guys finally got a cousin.” “A little late for me to enjoy,” I said. “I’m sure she’ll let you babysit sometime,” Dad said, grinning. He knows how I feel about that job. But then his eyes met mine and his smile faded a little, as if he’d just remembered something important. No doubt he had. I was separating forty strands of lights into two piles—white and multicolored—when Mom came flying through the screen door, her eyes all watery and glistening. “It’s a boy!” she said. “A healthy baby boy!” I dropped the lights I was holding and glared at her. Goddamn it, hadn’t she learned anything from me? “Healthy,” Dad said quickly. “That’s the main thing.” Thank you, Dad. At least he was making an effort to understand. “Of course it is,” Mom said, trying clumsily to plaster over her mistake. “That’s what I said. A healthy boy.” A chill ran down my back, and I turned away from them, imagining in my head the conversation between Mom and Aunt Gail. I do that sometimes to keep my mind off reality. GAIL: Oh Judy, I’m finally holding my own baby in my arms! MOM: So, tell me the important stuff! Is it a boy or a girl? GAIL: A boy! A beautiful boy! MOM: That’s wonderful, Gail! A real boy! GAIL: Do you have any advice for me, Judy? Since you always do everything perfectly, and I just struggle through life without a plan? MOM: Glad you asked. You need to get yourself two more kids and a husband—so you’ll be just like me! Of course, if you couldn’t find a man before, having a squalling infant with a loaded diaper connected to your hip isn’t going to help much. GAIL: Oh, Judy, you know how much I hate you when you’re right. MOM: Well, don’t worry—I’m hardly ever right in my own house anymore. Okay, my mother isn’t really that obnoxious to her sister. But when I imagine my little scenes in my head, I make people speak as if they weren’t afraid of what other people thought. What they would say if they were suddenly turned insi...
