I went into this story blind. Based on the notes from the author at the beginning of the story I was expecting something amazing, or something deeply personal like Gender Queer, or March. Instead this was a mash of ideas all leading up to some big conflict reveal to have it peter out worse than a bug out of gas. Hazel is homeschooled. She is working on winning a homeschool contest, and gets a summer job helping to remove ivy from parks. While there she is sexually harassed and puts a stop to it. But then feels guilty the guy lost his job. A job he needs because he is an at-risk-youth of color. Then she finds out that she is homeschooled because her mother had problems with integration bussing in her own childhood. This book skips from theme to theme but never really takes time to develop either. It is a memoir, and while it took the author 10 years to create, we don’t really get to see that creation, or the lessons behind the actions.
August 6