Born a girl, Peyton Honeycutt meets Tara Parks in the eighth grade bathroom shortly after he gets his first period. It is the best and worst day of his life. Determined to impress Tara, Peyton sets out to win her love by mastering the drums and basketball. He takes on Tara’s small-minded mother, the bully at school, and the prejudices within his conservative hometown. In the end, Peyton must accept and stand up for who he is or lose the woman he loves.
“A great examination of what it means to come to terms with who you are and what it means to be true to yourself.” – Alex Myers, author of Revolutionary
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Special 10th anniversary reprint with a new forward by the author Jennie Wood! A Boy Like Me was a Next Generation Indie Book awards finalist, an INDIEFAB Book of the Year finalist, and one of Foreword Reviews’ 10 Best Indie YA novels for 2014. In the ten years since the original publication, the world has changed dramatically for trans individuals, and Jennie has addressed this evolution with a new forward. It’s the perfect time to bring back this coming-of-age novel and introduce it to a whole new generation.
Plus, Jennie has agreed to donate 100% of their profits to UNITE AGAINST BOOK BANS - because banned books are the ones we should read MOST! Trans rights are under attack, and books, films, and other art that tells trans stories are our best weapons against hate, giving people a window into experiences outside their own. Additionally, there are increasing efforts to ban books across the country, so raising money for Unite Against Book Bans is more important than ever.
For fans of: Jennie Wood, YA novels, LGBTQ, trans rights, anti-censorship.
“A classic love story! Wood gets all the details of a trans individual coming-of-age into this novel. From the feelings about clothes, to the relationships with parents to the negotiations of life at school, this story rings true. Wood takes care with her setting and makes life, as painful and joyful as it can be, realistic. This novel is a great examination of what it means to come to terms with who you are and what it means to be true to yourself.” – Alex Myers, author of Revolutionary
Click here for a welcome video
"Here's an excerpt from ABLM. I think it shows who Peyton really is, who he is struggling to be via his interaction with Tara, and conveys the major theme of the book. This was often one of the parts that I used for readings."
Tara came into the control room and sat on the couch. She pulled a bag of Skittles from her backpack and munched on them while we listened to the song a couple of times. After the second playback, she motioned for me to sit by her. I moved to the couch, but had a hard time sitting still. I ran my hands along my jeans and stretched my fingers. They were a little stiff from working the console. She offered me some Skittles, but I shook my head. They were too sweet for me.
“What do you think it needs?” she asked.
“We could add drums and bass, but I don’t think it needs anything. I don’t want to add something just because we can. Maybe we should hold off for a few minutes and listen to it again with fresh ears.”
She sat back on the couch cross-legged. I noticed a copy of Cosmopolitan in her open backpack and grabbed it. She tried to get at it, but I turned away and opened it to the marked page.
“What Red Flags to Look for in a Man,” I said, reading the title of the feature.
She tried to reach for it. “It’s my mother’s.”
I stood up and read through the list, laughing. “Does he hold the door for you? Is he interested in what you have to say? Able to laugh at himself? Does he speak with authority? Does he complain about work? Is he a me person or a we person?”
She snatched the magazine back and shoved it in her bag. “You think lists are silly?”
I thought about the one I’d written in Jazz Band. The one that upset her. “I think they’re a waste of time. And a list like that is impossible for any guy to live up to. Romeo, Rhett Butler, Mr. Darcy, hell, both those guys from The Hunger Games wouldn’t stand a chance against that list.”
Tara laughed. “Mr. Darcy? The Hunger Games?”
“What? I read.”
Tara sat completely still and gave me a look like she was about to jump off a very tall building. “I know someone who stands a chance against that list.”
My heart yanked up and down like a yo-yo. I was 50% certain she was talking about me. The other 50% said she couldn’t be talking about me. My body wanted one thing while my mind prayed for another.
I glanced at the mini-fridge Uncle RB had insisted on installing. The moment begged for beer. Thankfully, he kept it stocked and wouldn’t notice if a couple were missing.
I’d never seen her drink. “Wanna beer or wine cooler?”
“Beer’s fine.”
I opened two cans of Bud and handed her one. She tapped my can with hers and played with the beer tab until it popped off before flicking it into the trashcan.
I sat next to her on the couch and tried to relax. When I did, she turned toward me and moved her leg so that it touched mine. I told myself to get up, move to the swivel chair, but didn’t.
“Next time we record, I’ll try to swipe a bottle of wine from Mom’s stash,” she said.
I smirked. “So there’ll be a next time?”
“Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what?”
“Other Peyton.”
I stared at her.
She pointed at me with that magic wand index finger. “You just went from my Peyton to inauthentic Peyton.”
Her Peyton. I took a long sip of beer.
“Inauthentic?”
“You’re putting on an act, a front, not being yourself. Like all that Harlem Globetrotter shit on the basketball court. It’s all for show.”
I didn’t want to tell her, but at the same time, couldn’t stop myself. “For you.”
“I don’t want a show. I want the Peyton who held the door open for me on my first day at Wiley Middle School, the Peyton who hated wearing dresses, the one who doesn’t care about what people think.”
Did that Peyton even exist? That Peyton existed for Tara. She saw me. She saw the Peyton I wanted to be, the Peyton I really was. No thought had ever made me more nervous and excited. Not knowing what to say, I finished my beer.
She chugged hers like she was in a hurry to get somewhere and tossed the empty can in the trash. “Have you been with a girl yet?”
Why did she want to know? I pretended to drink even though the can was empty. No way was I admitting I hadn’t been with anyone. Still, I didn’t want to lie to her so I kept my head bowed and stared at the floor.
She touched my arm. “You know there’s nothing wrong with it, right?” I set my empty beer can on the floor and kicked it. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with you liking girls.”
“I don’t like girls.” I still kept my head bowed, but watched her out of the corner of my eye.
She rolled her eyes. “Peyton—”
“I like a girl,” I said and looked down. Was that authentic enough for her?
.
Author, Jennie Wood:
Jennie Wood is a non-binary author, comic creator, musician, and optioned screenwriter. They created the critically acclaimed, award-winning Flutter graphic novel series, originally published by Invader (then 215 Ink). Featured in The New York Times, Boston Globe, and on Law & Order: SVU, Flutter was named one of the best LGBTQ graphic novels of 2013 and 2015 by The Advocate. In November 2018, Dark Horse Comics published The Flutter Collection, all three volumes combined into one book. That collection won the Next Generation Indie Book award for best graphic novel of 2019.
Cover Artist, Sarah Pruski:
Sarah Bystran-Pruski owns Niemożliwe!, a small design studio specializing in web, print, and branding designs. She also serves as the Director of Security Operations at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she leads the oversight, execution, and monitoring of all tactical, operational, and strategic aspects of the school’s enterprise security and data privacy program. Beyond her role at Harvard, Sarah serves as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and is the Vice President of Information Technology and Cybersecurity at Out in National Security, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing LGBTQ+ representation and inclusion in national security. Sarah is a proud Buffalo, NY, native, considers herself a corn syrup connoisseur, and proudly fought in the November 2022 Ticketmaster Battle for Eras Tour tickets (and won).
To be revealed as we approach funding!
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