With GEORGE about to release, I am aware that many people are looking for ways to respectfully talk about this book and its author (that’s me!) Here are a few notes:
If you’re talking about the main character, go ahead and call her Melissa. She really likes it when you do. And if it sparks a conversation, great. Don’t worry about spoilers. Melissa uses that name for herself in the first chapter of the book. If you call her George from time to time, that’s understandable too. It is the title* of the book. All the same, calling her Melissa is great practice for calling folks what they want to be called. What’s never OK is using the pronoun he for Melissa. Her pronouns is she. Always.
Sometimes, you might want to talk about the fact that Melissa is transgender and that she’s the only one who knows it. Here are some ways you can say this:
- Melissa is a transgender girl who hasn’t shared this part of herself with anyone else.
- Melissa is a girl who the world sees as a boy named George.
- Melissa is a girl who was assigned male at birth, and who hasn’t told anyone otherwise yet.
You’ll notice that I don’t say “Melissa (or George) identifies as.” I say “Melissa is … who is identified as…” This small difference has a huge effect, both on clarifying that you see Melissa for who she is, and in advancing language that recognizes and honors trans people. Melissa is who she is. The trouble is in how she is seen (and unseen) by the people around her. And please avoid language about how she’s “stuck” or that her body is “wrong”. These are tired tropes that rely on pity and “other” status.
As For Me
I am genderqueer and use the singular-they as a gender neutral pronoun. You probably already use the singular-they when you talk about an undefined person: “when the guest arrives, tell them to put their things in the closet and to have themselves a seat.” It flows naturally (maybe even more so if you don’t think about it.) It looks like this:
Alex is writing some sample sentences. They don’t have anything specific to say, but they’re going to write a few things anyway so they can give a few examples of what the singular-they looks like in practice. They didn’t plan what to write, and they aren’t going to go on much longer. They weren’t impressed with their own imagination.
*About The Title
The working title for this book was GIRL GEORGE. It was a (perhaps not so) clever homage to Boy George. When Scholastic bought the book, we changed the title**. While I think the change was a smart one for increasing the range of GEORGE’s reach, I have now landed in a position where I have effectively deadnamed my main character. Deadnaming is using someone’s birth name when another name, often a name with different gender markers, has been offered.
Conveniently, Melissa is a fictional character, so she is not personally injured by my lapse in judgement. Further, there is a value in meeting folks head on with a name (George) and pronoun (she) that most people don’t expect together – that character in Nancy Drew and a few other references notwithstanding. Still, it’s important for me to acknowledge if I had the chance to do it over, I would have named my debut differently. (Regrets already. I know. What can ya do?)
** Edited 2/17. This originally said that Scholastic “lopped the title.” However, in conversations with my editor, I was reminded that it was a joint decision. My apologies for the misrepresentation.
I am very interested I your book I am only 11 but I love the message you give in your book. Come visit my page
I enjoyed and appreciated your book so much. I immediately thought of the Nancy Drew character and wondered if Melissa had read any Nancy Drew books. I thought she might like to know there was another girl named George.
I am a 12-year-old trans boy and I loved reading GEORGE! I do hope you come out with another book (possibly an extension on GEORGE or something else) and I hope it is trans-related. GEORGE helped me discover that I was actually a boy when all my life I’ve been called a girl and not felt right about it. Thank you for writing my favorite book!
I’m glad to hear Melissa’s story was helpful for you! I am working on a new book now, on a completely different topic, (it’s about Deafness and the Black Lives Matter movement), but it won’t be out for another two years – books take a long time! All the best to you! – Alex
I liked the way you conveyed the concept of transgender in a clear way. I also really loved the book!
I am 9 years old and read George for a book report at school. I think this is a great book with lots of surprises. Everyone should read this book. I hope that there is a sequel.
Dear Alex Gino I’m a 13 year old transgender girl I was born a boy but I didn’t know I was a girl until I read your book George I loved it so much I was sad whan I finished it and so that is why I’m here to sand you this I want you to Make a sequel to George but call it Melissa and it can start whan Melissa and Kelly is getting home from the zoo and Kelly’s dad sees George in girls clothes and asks why he is and he call George’s mom to come over there Imediately to talk about it that’s all I have for now but please make a sequel called Melissa.
Love: your biggest transgender fan Suzy Gillis
I am a closeted trans female, with homophobic parents. I wish I had a friend like Kelly, I feel like I’m being forced be something I’m not.
I’m sorry to hear that, Kayla. I hope that you can find a space, however small, to be yourself. Books and journals can be wonderful private place.
I do have a space, but I’d rather be living as want to live. Gender dysphoria kills me and I’m past the point of being able to use hormone blockers. I get crap from my parents and I get more depressed each day. Attempting 3 times isn’t enough for my parents, I’m scared and suicidal, my parents cut back on my gender therapist; which didn’t help, I just wish I was cis.
Hi Kayla,
I’m sorry to hear things are so hard for you right now. You will have to live with your parents forever, and while you won’t come out of it unharmed, it will make you who you are. Good luck.
Alex
Thanks
Oh gosh. I meant to say, you WON’T have to live with your parents forever. I wish I could say it’ll all be perfect, but I can say things will change. If you can get through this temporary situation, you’ll have a whole life as yourself. That’s why I recommend having some sort of space now, so that you can still be here with us when you have more freedom.
what is the first chapter about? i’m sort of lost and im on chapter 8 page 86.
Melissa is referred to as “George” throughout 95% of the novel by the third-person narrator. Why doesn’t the author refer to George as Melissa for the rest of the novel if the author respects her chosen name so dearly? Surprised the author tries to blame the problematic title of the novel on the publishers, without even acknowledging the fact that the problem of names in the book goes WAY deeper than the title and can be found on most every single page.
Hi. Alex here, a real live person you’re writing to. If I were starting (or publishing) this book in 2020, instead of 2003 (or 2015), I would probably do things differently. Trans awareness, culture, expectations, etc. etc. are shifting rapidly. And if you ended up feeling uncomfortable and like there was a mismatch between the main character you knew and how people were treating her? Well, that’s very true to the trans experience, so maybe it wasn’t entirely by accident. 😉 If you are trans/nb/gnc/etc., I’m sorry you experienced that discomfort. If you are cis, I suggest you reconsider the name discrepancy as a challenge rather than a problem.
Still, great book! Very inspiring overall 🙂
Hi! My name is Leon and am a cis female. I wanted to say that this book is 200,001% my favorite book that isn’t in verse! (My other favorite book [which is in verse] is called Redwood and Ponytail by K.A. Holt. I HIGHLY recommend reading it. It’s about 2 girls my age!)
Anyway, GEORGE is an A M A Z I N G book. I read it in one day and was super sad when it ended. (I was seriously SUPER sad. Ask my parents. I wasn’t talking for like–20 minutes) Which I think of as a sign of a good book! I immediately called my friends and ordered (yes ordered) them to read it.
Melissa is my comfort character and I’m not afraid to admit it! I love her character and the storyline I have come up with some self-inserts where I’m friends with her and Kelly.🤣(kinda embarrassing now that I think about it. Haha!)
My best friend Keith was really excited when I told them that it was about a trans girl because almost all the books or movies etc. with a trans character, it’s almost always a trans boy.
This book was extremely inspirational and I could totally relate to how she was afraid of coming out to her family. My grandfather is homophobic and transphobic 🤮 and I have been worried about him “dis-owning me” as a granddaughter if he knew that I like a girl. I know I don’t have to but I feel that It’s something I should be able to tell him. Have any suggestions?
I have a question about the book: How do you come up with such good books?! I have tried writing books myself but they don’t turn out super well. (Probably because they’re all fanfics 🤣)
Thank you!
Love,💕 Leon 💕
Also, If I wanted to write a letter to you, where could I find an address to send it to?
Love, 💕 Leon 💕
Hi Leon,
Talking with family can be tough. Books can help – talking with your grandfather about stories like Redwood & Ponytail (a great book, by the way) can open the conversation without it having to be directly about you. Then you can go from there. It might also be a series of conversations over time. Here’s more from a post I wrote earlier this year: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-features/features/2020/july/tips-for-talking-about-lgbtqia-issues/
As for writing, practice is key. So the fanfic that you’re writing now is helping you to develop your craft that you can then use for larger projects (like books) when you’re ready to tell them. For example, I didn’t start writing Melissa’s story until I was in my 20s, but the short pieces of writing I did in my teens helped me to be ready to take on writing a book – and it still took me over 10 years the first time. Now, it’s more like 1-3 years, depending on the book.
Oh, and you send a letter to me c/o Scholastic Inc, 557 Broadway, NY, NY 10012. It might take a while to get to me because of COVID. You can also email me at alex@alexgino.com. I can’t promise to write back, but I try.
Hiya! Leon Here!
Thank you so much for the advice! I thought I had thought of everything to come out without actually coming out to him but I guess I didn’t! That’s a super smart idea and I will try that out soon! And thanks for the resources!
Also, Thanks for the reassurance about the writing! It’s so amazing to hear that kind of stuff from one of my favorite authors!
I actually just finished reading RICK as well! I loved that book a lot! I really liked how it was about an asexual male. I don’t think there aren’t enough books on that topic (as far as I’ve heard). That book also informed me about a sexuality I’ve never heard of and I found it pretty interesting! (I think it was Graysexual/grayromantic???)
My mom also just finished reading GEORGE and said she really liked it! She is also going to read RICK soon as well! I am about to read “You don’t Know Everything, Jilly P.” soon and I’m sure I’ll convince my mom to read to too! (I’m currently reading a different book and my parents don’t want reading too many books at once but if it were up to me, I’d be reading it right now)
I will either write you a letter or an email soon!
Again thank you so much!!
Love,💕 Leon 💕
Hi! My name is Ari and I am a nonbinary middle schooler.
(I signed on with my name as Leon last time my name but it has just changed since then)
My parents are really supportive of my sexuality and gender but not of my name. When I came out as nonbinary they said they didn’t care about what I did with my gender identity but I can’t change my name with my family. They told me I could change it with my friends but they would refuse to call me by the new name. Do you think this is too controlling? If you do, do you think I should talk to them about it?
🐸 Ari 🐸
Hi Ari,
I’m glad to hear your parents are otherwise supportive of you, but yeah, names are tough. It often takes a long time (years) for family, especially parents, to come around on names. It was one of the first things they gave you, and they thought about it a lot, so they can be pretty attached to it. But by not using your name, they’re refusing to see you, and that’s going to keep them from being close to you. I guess I wouldn’t say that it’s controlling so much as unfair, putting their comfort above your discomfort. I can’t tell you what you should do, but I can say that if/when you do, it will probably take more than one conversation, and that it can help to focus on sharing your hurt feelings rather than your anger. Maybe you can help them see why they should want to do it. Good luck!
Thank you!
Hi Alex,
fantastic book!! My second time reading it. I have a question I’ve been wondering about: How did Melissa come up with her name? Before Melissa’s name was revealed, I thought maybe she would have picked a name closer to her old one as her mom called her GeeGee and she appeared to like it? I thought she liked it, it’s super cute and girlish, but maybe it was too close to her old name? I’m wondering how she chose Melissa, if you know.
Hi Chris,
I think you’re right that she was trying to get away from her old name. To me, the name Melissa feels like a girl twirling in front of a mirror. Nothing more meaningful than that – she just likes the name.
Alex
Hi Alex,
Thanks so much for writing this book. I’m a 18 yr old trans man who recently came out, and I just read this book. I couldn’t believe how much it mirrors my own experience (Melissa’s mom’s reaction was very similar to my mother’s, and I have a supportive friend like Kelly who makes all the difference). I wish I would have had this book when I was a kid. Even now, it’s so hard to find trans fiction with a happy ending/a narrative that isn’t completely focused on suffering. Melissa is so full of hope and life even when her family doesn’t understand. She’s so inspiring!
I hope you publish a sequel about her someday!
Thank you very much,
Henry
Thanks for your comments. While there isn’t a direct sequel (a plot would mean more problems to solve for Melissa, and I want her live to be pretty simple and boring for a while, especially as she transitions.) Instead, the book RICK, released last year, looks at another kid from the story, a year and a half later, and has Melissa happily in the background.
Hey, I’m Kate, a 15 y/o trans girl who read the book around a year and a half ago, and loved it then, without quite realizing why I related (came out in April this year.) I really appreciate the book shedding some light on the mentality of trans youth, especially how internal a struggle dysphoria is. Ty for writing it, and GL with any future endeavors!
Thanks for the kind words and congratulations!
Hi Alex,
I just want to say that I thank you for creating this book. I am currently a junior in college and this is my very first time encountering a work of literature that represents a transgender. It touched my heart to know that children at a young age go through what Melissa did. As a future educator, this book was an eye-opener and it lets me know that I have to be fully aware of my students so they won’t feel like an outsider like Melissa did.
I’m glad you Melissa’s story found its way to you. Please note that transgender is an adjective, not a noun, so Melissa is a transgender girl.