Yearly Archives: 2019

Book Review

Review: This Is How It Always Is

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This Is How It Always Is

This Is How It Always Is
By Laurie Frankel
Flatiron Books, 9781250088567,  January 2018, 336pp.

The Short of It:

A good book to discuss with a group because you will definitely want to talk about it after reading it.

The Rest of It:

This Is How It Always Is is a novel. It reads like a true story, and the author does in fact have a transgender child but it is a work of fiction. I had to remind myself of this many, many times while reading it.

Penn and Rosie have five sons, two older boys, a set of twins and then Claude. From a very young age, Claude is highly intelligent and interested in things that his brothers are not. Dressing up, for one. While young, this doesn’t appear to be an issue. In fact, his grandmother takes great pleasure in buying Claude tea-length dresses and girly things to wear at home but eventually, Claude wants to wear these things in public.

Rosie, a doctor, doesn’t see an issue with it. She figures he’s young and should be able to express himself however he sees fit. Penn, doesn’t have an issue with it either but he is more aware of the problems that it could cause. Perhaps, they should meet with the school administrators to discuss it. Once they do, they realize the challenges involved.

Claude becomes Poppy, but how much do they share? Do they make it public? Tell Poppy’s friends? The neighbors? Co-workers?  If you had a child who was Poppy’s friend, would you want to know? Think about sleepovers, shared restrooms, etc.

Poppy’s story is hard to put down. As a parent, it would be a tough situation to be in. I’m not sure how I’d handle the situation myself. There were decisions made that made me want to scream at the parents but then I’d turn a few pages and feel empathy for their situation. Most of all, I felt for Poppy.

Because one of the parents is a doctor, we get the medical aspect of Poppy’s transformation but only a taste of it since she is so young. Hormone blockers are mentioned. Surgery is hinted at for a page or two. At the age of ten, is it right for a parent to consider surgery when the child could easily change their mind? That brings up another topic entirely. Is gender something you can change your mind about or something bigger?

There were aspects of the novel that I didn’t care for. I didn’t like that they ended up in Thailand even though much was revealed there. It seemed a little too convenient and not something that could actually happen. I do feel that the author did a really good job of presenting the issues in a clear way. I was conflicted the entire time I was reading it. I don’t know if a person can love a book like this because Poppy experiences so much heartache and angst but I love that the author put the topic out there because I am still thinking about the story now.

If you are stuck in a reading rut and need something to get you reading again, This Is How It Always Is will definitely get you reading and thinking.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Bookish Talk, Life

Sunday Matters: All The Feels

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Sunday Matters

This time of the year I experience all the feels. One moment the anticipation of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas really excites me, but then the next moment I feel a little bit of dread. Mostly, over the commercial aspect of such holidays but really, isn’t that all on us? I mean, if I choose not to buy into it, then it won’t happen, right?

Because I really love this time of the year. We had another 90 degree day this past week but I feel a little chill in the air when I get in the car in the morning and I’ve started to think about my menu for Halloween night.

Right Now:

Last Sunday I spent as much time on the couch at possible. I am trying to get this rest thing down. Today, I plan to attempt this again. I am just not the type of person to be idle for long. It’s hard. Very hard to not clean a closet of do laundry while I am ‘resting” but the four hours of sleep that I average per night, is not enough.

This Week:

There is a  theatre showcase this week and a competition this weekend. The kids are doing great. My daughter’s voice between festival rehearsals, Macbeth and Annie has been tested. She needs a weekend of vocal rest but it’s not possible. Hope she gets a few days of rest before the competition.

Reading:

I am reading This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. It’s about a boy named Claude who decides at age five that he wants to be a girl. It’s really making me think about what I would do in such a situation. These parents support him so he becomes Poppy but then at age ten decides that maybe a boy is who she needs to be. It’s blowing my mind.

Watching:

American Horror Story. So good this season. The Walking Dead. So far, not all that dramatic but pretty good. My son is wanting me to check out The Good Place.

Also, I saw El Camino, the movie sequel that picked up where Breaking Bad left off and it was very good.

New Things I’ve Tried:

I was listening to my podcast this week and came across two new singers I’ve not heard before. Ben Rector and David Crowder. I am really enjoying their music. Here’s a sample:


Grateful for:

Perspective. I was having a totally crappy day last Monday. I was stressed and tired and just not happy but on my way to volunteer at Outreach. I don’t like to be in that kind of mood when I volunteer but God always seems to know what I need. He put me before those people. Those people who need the most basic things. A hot meal, a clean pair of socks, a person to maybe sit with them for five minutes just to ask how they are. I left there with a heavy heart but a full one too.

What are your plans for Halloween? I have the candy. I was thinking about making Sloppy Joes and maybe having some of my daughter’s friends over. It’s a school night but you know.