I read this book in January and absolutely LOVE it. It touches on such an important topic about being gender-fluid and is such an emotional read! I can not recommend this enough to anyone and everyone. It is the first book I’ve read about being gender-fluid and I definitely feel like I understand the topic of it better now and some of the emotions that someone who is gender-fluid may go through.
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Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin Published by HarperCollins on February 2nd 2016
Genres: Adolescence, Bullying, LGBT, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Social Issues, Social Themes, Young Adult
Source: ARC from Publisher
Goodreads
A sharply honest and moving debut perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Ask the Passengers.Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. But Riley isn't exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in über-conservative Orange County, the pressureâmedia and otherwiseâis building up in Riley's life.On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it's really like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley's starting to settle in at schoolâeven developing feelings for a mysterious outcastâthe blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley's real identity, threatening exposure. And Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has createdâa lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe inâor stand up, come out, and risk everything.From debut author Jeff Garvin comes a powerful and uplifting portrait of a modern teen struggling with high school, relationships, and what it means to be a person.
The Inspiration for Riley in Symptoms of Being Human
Writers and Their Characters
To a certain extent, every character a writer creates comes from within that writer. Salinger was part Holden Caulfield. George Lucas is part Darth Vader. Matt Groening is part Homer Simpson. And, to that end, I am part Riley Cavanaugh.
Now, Iâll get this out of the way right at the start: I am not gender fluid. I am cisgender, meaning that my birth-assigned gender happens to align with my gender identity. This fluke of genetics has afforded me immense privilege, which I mostly took for granted until I researched and wrote Symptoms of Being Human. But this post isnât about how Riley and I are different. Itâs about how weâre the same. Itâs about the parts of Riley that came from inside me.
1. Snark
My first two years in high school were not fun. I got harassed for being gay (which, ironically, Iâm not.) I had uncomfortable moments in the locker room. I lost fights. One kid used to prick me with a needle when I passed him in the hall. To make things worse, I was small, but I had a big mouth. I could win a battle of wits with just about anyone on campusâbut when my opponent lost patience, he usually resorted to a more physical form of combat at which I was not so great. So I learned to keep my mouth shut and express myself through journal entries, song lyrics, and short stories. In these forms, I was able to say all the things I wanted to say but couldnât to the bullies and the haters and the misinformed homophobes. In fact, I even recorded a song about it when I was the front man of my touring rock band, 7k. You may recognize a character name in the lyrics.
Which leads me nicely to the second point of inspiration:
2. Music
When I was a teenager, music (along with books and role playing games) was my savior. Oingo Boingo, R.E.M., They Might Be Giants, Nirvanaâ¦the list goes on and on. I went to high school in the age of mix tapes: they were my most powerful weapon against anxiety and isolation. Thatâs probably why I imbued Riley with a love of music, particularly 70s punk rockâwhich was before my time, but seemed right for Rileyâs sensibilities. Also, vinyl has made a comeback, and I wanted the reader to experience the tactile element that records add to the listening process which digital music consumption lacks. On the other hand, thank goodness for digital music technology, because now I can share Rileyâs mix tape with you:
3. Writing
I always considered it cheating when novelists wrote main characters who were also writers (even though Stephen King does it in two of my favorite novels, THE SHINING and IT. But he can get with away with that.)
And yet, I found myself writing about someone who writes. I was excited by the idea of a teenaged blogger because blogging didnât exist when I was a teenager; I used an old green journal and the electric typewriter at my momâs office to crank out ideas (which would never be seen by another human being.) But now, any of us can open a Tumblr account, write a post, and send it out to a nearly infinite pool of potential readers. That seemed (and still seems) like intensely fertile soil for a story about someone who has a lot to say and a lot to hide.
Rileyâs voice came naturally to meâRiley says all the things I always wanted to say but couldnât for fear of retaliation. So I suppose Rileyâs voice as a blogger was inspired by my own unexpressed anger. It felt good to cut loose in blog form, unedited and unscripted. Many of my original first-draft rantsâincluding Rileyâs opening blog post, âThe first thing youâre going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?â remain intact in the finished novel.
Inspiration Is All Around
Characters, dialogue, visual descriptionsâmost of that comes from within, from experience and sense memory. But sometimes it pays to look outside yourself for story ideas. The seed for Symptoms of Being Human came from a local newspaper article about a transgender student who was suing the school district for the right to use the locker room that aligned with their gender identity rather than their birth-assigned gender. I couldnât stop thinking about that student and the struggle they must have faced every day at school. The gender identity stuff was new to me, foreign at first; but the world Riley inhabits is only too familiar. Itâs populated with bits and pieces of people and places Iâve experiencedâand others I hope to experience one day.
About Jeff Garvin
Jeff Garvin grew up in Orange County, California, the son of a banker and a magician. He started acting in high school, and enjoyed a fifteen-year career including guest-starring roles in network television series ranging from The Wonder Years to Roseanne to Caroline and the City, as well as several independent features.
While studying at Chapman University, Jeff won awards for classical guitar and visual storytelling before graduating with a BFA in Film. As the front man of his rock band, 7k, Garvin released three albums and toured the United States. When the band dissolved in 2011, Jeff, who had always written short stories and lyrics, found his passion in full-length fiction.
His debut novel, SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN, tells the story of Riley, a 16-year-old gender fluid teen who starts an anonymous blog to deal with hostility from classmates and tension at home. But when the blog goes viral, a storm of media attention threatens Rileyâs anonymity.
Jeff lives in Southern California with his music teacher wife, their menagerie, and a respectable collection of books and guitars.
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Good luck â¥
So glad I got to meet Jeff courtesy of this blog. My cat is named Jeff, after Jeff Gordon, NASCAR driver. Best of luck Jeff. I am so excited to read this book.
I hope you read it soon!
I’ve heard so many awesome things about this book, and I can’t wait to read it!
I hope you love it!
AH. This book killed me and I’m so happy to learn more about the inspiration behind it.
Me too!
I love this book so much <3 Which, you know, you can see if you turn it over ð It makes me so happy it's out in the world.
You were the reason I added it to my TBR actually!
Ahhh this one sounds so good! It’s actually one of my most anticipated reads, so I’m glad to see you loved it. Thanks for the giveaway! ð
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
You’re welcome!
Is it just me or does the cover look like Dan Howell’s hair? This sounds great thanks for the giveaway!
Good luck!
An important read not only because it’s a good book but also to help those in the gender fluid community feel represented& worthy of being a main character. Perhaps even give someone the confidence they need to accept themselves & come out to their loved ones. It’s also important for the cisgender community, to help get these who might be having a hard time being accepting, to a point of compassion & understanding.
All very true Sarah!
I want to throw this book out to people now! But I haven’t even read it, but that’s okay. Thanks for the giveaway!!!!
LOL
From the moment I heard about this book I have been dying to read it and this post only made me even more excited to read it!!
YAY!!
Yaaay ð This blog tour post is amazing Crystal. <3 Thank you so much for sharing about it ð And oh. I love that you loved this book so much. <3 I'm unsure if it would be for me. But damn. It do sound pretty exciting ð Seems like a great book. One day, hopefully. <3
Thanks Carina!
This seriously sounds fantastic!!! And extremely eye-opening for sure. I’m definitely looking forward to reading this now!! ð Thanks for sharing!
I hope you enjoy is Lisa!
I’m looking forward to reading this book! More books like this are definitely needed!
They are and I hope to see more now!
What a great post! I hope it’s what makes us alike that allows us to be more understanding about our differences. May SYMPTOMS find the readers who need it, which I’m going to say is all humans! ð
I agree Carolyn
Interested in this topic
I hope you get a chance to read this!
I adored this book! Great post! ð
This book looks different. I like that.
It is very different
Oh gosh, high school can be the worst! I was luck to have some good friends and that people tended to just ignore me, so I did a lot of reading and not a lot of talking.
I’m so excited for this book!
-Lauren