In mid-2010, I reviewed a fabulous book by Hazel Edwards and Ryan Kennedy called F2M: the boy within. It’s a warm, moving coming of age story about transgendered Skye who is becoming his true self, Finn. Co-author Ryan himself transitioned from female to male in his 20s. He brought that experience and courage to the collaboration with his long-time friend and respected children’s author, Hazel Edwards. Together they have produced a work that is both an excellent story and an important insight into what life for transgendered people and their family and friends. F2M: the boy within is also about friendship, punk rock, secrets and truth.
Bloggers wrote about it, and psychologists and gender counsellors have picked it up. In talking about the reaction to the book, Edwards and Kennedy noted “We assumed that YA librarians would welcome the fictional opportunity to encourage ‘distanced’ discussion of gender, including gay issues although our Skye-Finn was not gay. Suicide occurs in trans communities, and maybe we could save a few lives by reducing ignorance and fear of the unknown. Suicides also occur in gay communities, due to family, religious and social pressures. Maybe our book could prevent ignorance contributing to further deaths.”
Unfortunately, regardless of how sensitively, intelligently and well written it is, it seems that libraries are frightened of F2M: the boy within. Ford Street Publishing was willing to bring this book to the world, but school and public libraries, spooked by the spectre of controversy, have shunned it. The risk of backlash from conservative groups has kept the book from shelves that would otherwise normally carry Hazel Edwards’ books. Literary awards have likewise overlooked it, in spite of Edwards’ long association and regular appearance on such lists.
Recently, I spoke to Hazel about the book and its reception.
Narrelle Harris: Hazel, you and Ryan have known each other for a long time. What made you decide to do this project together?
Hazel Edwards: I knew Ryan as a family friend from about age 9 and had kept in touch across his adolescence and early twenties. I enjoy his mind and sense of humour. He is around the age of my adult children. I’d also done some gender research in connection with a medical project about children and was aware that transitioning was a controversial subject about which little had been written in fiction. Even the appropriate vocabulary ( or pronoun) was a challenge.
Since Ryan is NZ- based, I hadn’t seen him since his ftm transition, but he came to Melbourne for a computer conference in connection with his work. He looked so much happier. Simultaneously we decided to co-write, via Skype and e-mail , a YA novel utilising his experience, but it was not to be autobiographical.
Ryan had experienced what it would have taken me years to research. As a published author, I was able to place our book proposal with Ford Street Publishing and gain a contract before we started the intensive year-long writing and about 30 drafts. I knew Ryan was a hard worker. But he was also far more IT skilled than me. It has been an equal collaboration. We were aware that ours might be the first ftm YA novel internationally co-written by an ftm, but we also wanted to write ‘a good read’ of a ‘coming of age’ story. Thus, I had to learn punk music, another area in which Ryan is far more skilled.
Fiction provides the opportunity to discuss issues, at a distance, removed from the individual. Family can be given a book like F2M: the boy within as a ‘gentle’ introduction and an informed way of handling prejudices
Narrelle: F2M: the boy within has received excellent reviews, but it has also met with reluctance from libraries and schools. How do you feel about how the book has been received?
Hazel: We knew the subject would threaten, especially libraries and schools who fear even one parental complaint. Often it is the anticipatory anxiety about potential complaints that cripples possible exposure to a ‘mainstream’ story where the subject is controversial, but not our handling of it. We have no ‘bad’ language. But we do have the opportunity to learn a new vocabulary and diplomacy about how gender issues might be phrased. Not just whether you say ‘He’ or ‘She’.
I have been shocked by the ‘ignoring’ by groups whom I would previously have expected to be open minded. Some of the reactions have been aggressively negative, and they haven’t even read the book.
I now realise how courageous Ryan has been in co-writing.
Narrelle: Given the difficulties you’ve encountered getting the book to its readership, do you have any regrets?
Hazel: No. If we’ve saved one life, it’s been worthwhile. And if we’ve enabled readers to view from our 18 year old character’s perspective for the length of the novel and beyond, it’s been worthwhile.
We knew that some readers would expect F2M: the boy within to be like my picture books for young children like the cake-eating hippo series. It isn’t. But I have also co-written a psyche text on Difficult Personalities , including sociopaths, and written of scientific material from an Antarctic expedition. An author can write in multiple fields. What matters is how well they write.
I also have growing admiration for some of the volunteer gender counsellors I’ve met. My regret is that I haven’t known about some of these issues earlier.
Narrelle: What is the best response you’ve had to F2M: the boy within so far? The worst?
Hazel: Ryan has received poignant e-mails about how significant this book has been to individuals and how they wished it had been available earlier. I’ve had much favourable contact from parents of gay children (even though our character is not gay) who are grateful for the opportunity to open family discussion via the novel. Being listed for the 2011 White Ravens, top 250 children’s and YA books internationally. Word of mouth recommendations are slow but genuine and significant. Being recommended via the Safe Schools Coalition was helpful.
My worst experience was at a literary festival where a student from a Catholic school reported that his teacher had put ‘that disgusting’ book and the brochure in the bin, in front of all the students. Being ignored or ‘left off’ lists where my works would normally be included, thus depriving readers of the opportunity to even know the book existed.
Narrelle: Since both public and school libraries have been reluctant to risk controversy by getting it in, what do you think the best way if for people to get hold of it? Would it help if people specifically asked their library for it?
Hazel: Yes to all of the above. And our websites have material and links which are useful for Book Discussion Groups. One soccer parents book discussion group read and recommended it.
I still think this is the most important of all my 200 books, and hope it gets a fair reading in the future. It is not just bibliotherapy about gender, it’s a novel novel. At times, Ryan has had to make difficult decisions about refusing some kinds of highly paid magazine interviews which wished to concentrate on his private life rather than the book. That takes courage too. Working with such a courageous man as co-author has been the other bonus of this novel.
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If you think anyone can benefit from F2M: the boy within, whether they are a transgendered person, their family or friends, or just people you think would enjoy a coming of age story with a difference, you can get F2M: the boy within via the following links.
- F2M: the boy within – paperback from Melbourne’s Hares and Hyenas (recommended)
- F2M: the boy within – paperback from Boomerang books
- f2m: the boy within
– Amazon paperback
- f2m (the boy within)
– Kindle
- F2M: the boy within – Booki.sh
Ask your library to order it in for you or recommend it to your book group.
You can download a study guide here or from Hazel Edwards’ website.
- Discussion Notes f2m (3MB)
Read more:
- Hazel Edwards
- Hazel Edwards’ F2M page
- Ryan Kennedy
- Ford Street Publishing
- Rooster Tails – blog and fanart (as seen above)