JACK - edition by Adrienne Wilder. Literature & Fiction eBooks @ .
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Union, Georgia. 1971. Born in the wrong body Jack finds himself lost and trapped in a town where he feels out of place. Acceptance – or even tolerance – doesn’t exist in Union, or within his family. When Jack attempts suicide following his mother’s death, Jack’s sister Emma has him committed to Meadow Field Psychiatric Hospital, where they continue to try and change him, convince him that how he feels and who he is, is wrong.
But in this most unlikely place, among the most unlikely friends and unspeakable fear, Jack learns that all acts have consequences, some things cannot be changed, and love isn’t defined by the body it comes in.
JACK - edition by Adrienne Wilder. Literature & Fiction eBooks @ .
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JACK - edition by Adrienne Wilder. Literature & Fiction eBooks @ . Reviews
First let me say that, I am a transman, I was just slightly younger than Jack in 1971 (when this story takes place) and I am retired from working in the psych field.. That being said, I could really identify with this MC and have a good understanding of both how he (Jack) would have felt and how psych facilities were in those times. I was fortunate to never experience being "treated" for my gender noncomforming behavior, mostly because I learned at a very young age not to talk about those things. What I liked best about this story though, is that it was a story that just happened to have a trans character and though it was a big part of the story it wasn't the entire story. It was about the mental health system of the time, family dynamics, and love. There was a lot a darkness and pain but, in spite of all that there were a lot of heartwarming moments.
“They made me wear a dress.â€
And so begins the tale of Jack, a young man born into the wrong body who must battle the intolerance of a small southern town, the disgust of his own sister (who already abandoned the family once), and the cold, callous mistreatment of a psychiatric hospital in the 1970s. Already feeling an outcast, denied the acceptance of nearly everyone around him, it’s the death of his mother than triggers his final descent. Aside from his mother his best friend Elliot, nobody accepts his decision express the masculinity inside, and even the two of them don’t fully accept him as a ‘real’ boy.
Ultimately, however, it’s the treachery and cruelty of his sister that drive him to suicide, an act of desperation that she twists to justify her decision to have him committed, allowing her to wash her hands of the responsibility. As you might expect, it’s a dark tale, full of emotional sorrow and horrifying physical pain, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
For those who are accustomed to Wilder’s more light-hearted gay male romances, this tale of transgender identity may come as something of a surprise, but it clearly comes from the heart . . . and from an author who proudly and openly identifies as male.
Life in Meadow Field Psychiatric Hospital is just about as rough and frightening as you might expect. It’s a place that has no interest in treating people like Jack or in helping them to cope. Instead, secure in their narrow-minded biases, the doctors and nurses are interested only in curing Jack of his ‘delusions’. Jack’s therapy sessions with Dr. Chance are interesting, however, particularly in the ways that he tries to force Chance to see that there’s more to gender than genitalia.
Even with friends like Noah (who has anger issues) and Grom (who thinks he’s a wizard), Jack’s stay is a difficult one, plagued by dangerous patients on top of the professionals.
"Why do they want to change me?â€
“Maybe they just don’t love you enough.â€
Of course, it’s the relationship between Jack and Noah that centres the novel. It’s Noah’s pain that provides Jack with the opportunity to play the gallant young knight, and Jack’s pain that brings Noah out of his shell to become close to another human being again. Their love is an awkward one, especially as their respective secrets are brought to the surface, but tender and true. It’s challenged and tested throughout their stay, but never wavers. While their escape from the hospital is a bit too convenient, it’s hard to deny them the benefit of fate’s guiding hand in the skies. Both boys are guilty of acts of violence, but all in the name of self-protection and their escape is a necessary part of their healing process. In terms of the climax, it’s less of a spoiler and more of a reassurance to promise that there is a happily ever after, but some reader may need that glimmer of light to continue reading.
Jack is sixteen and crap keeps rolling into his life. Many teens will say that, however, Jack's mother has just died and that leaves traitorous older sister Emma in charge. Because aside from momma, only Jack's friend Elliot accepts him living his life as a boy; Jack is biologically female. But neither El nor his mother see Jack as male or even a male who likes other males. When Emma drives Jack to suicide and he survives, she has him committed to a mental institution where (this is 1971 Georgia) they will CURE him to see herself.
The parts at the mental institution are rough; that Jack and Noah are the only two underage patients in a population of dangerous or delusional much older people is a nightmare. (I had to skip to the end to make sure they both got out or I wouldn't have finished). In Noah, Jack finally finds someone who sees him the same way he sees himself and someone to fight for besides himself. When opportunity at just the right moment strikes and they make their escape, I cheered, even if it was a bit pat. And which Lake Lucerne did they end up at? I assumed Wisconsin but it's probably Florida, is that really far enough away?
The author states the book began as YA and then she changed the classification; I think it is still YA. It reminded me of Never Promised You a Rose Garden and one other book I read in high school about two brothers in Forest Hills where one becomes involved in drugs (I can't remember the title and that's really bugging me now). The things that Jack does to protect Noah and himself, what they endure are horrific, but I don't know the rules for YA, that's a genre I haven't read in 30+ years. Still, I enjoyed it and would love a sequel.
I received a free copy from the author (not for a review) and have X-posted this on GR.
This book was heart breaking. Extremely well written and the author did a great job of telling how these characters would truly feel
I found this book by mistake but I'm so glad I did. It wasn't anything that I thought I wanted to read but it was so moving . This book actually brought me to tears and I think that's one of the first times that's ever happened while reading a book . I really didn't think the subject would interest me but I was just so moved by the characters Noah and Jack . I was rooting for each of them so much but I worried about them up until the very end of the book . I highly recommend this book it really opens your mind and your heart . What does it matter what package love comes in just as there is love .
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