Hi ForeverBookers,
How are you all today? I hope you’re well!
I’ve just finished reading “PROUD of Me,” a YA contemporary book by Sarah Hagger-Holt for LGBTQ month. I started and read most of it in June! It tells the story of a young girl and boy and their lesbian parents. Yes, they have two mums. We are informed of this at the beginning of the novel. The children are aged around 13. Some might call this more middle-grade, however I say it’s YA because some of the themes discussed are a little old for middle-grade readers to understand, I feel.
This will be a rather short review (for me) because it’s a contemporary book that’s written for children so there aren’t lots of things to dissect. Just a main plot, I feel.
5 Stars!
“PROUD of Me” is told in dual perspective, from both the siblings, Josh and Becky, who have different mums, but the same unknown dad. Their mums went to a clinic to have Josh and Becky implanted. I don’t normally read books with two POVs, apart from Ice Planet Barbarians, which is SUCH a different vibe to this, so it was interesting to see how the author wrote the characters. Josh has a very distinctive voice throughout the book, I feel. He WANTS to know who his father is, because he’s the only male in his family, as he knows it. Becky, however is okay NOT knowing who their dad is. I feel this is because she’s stronger in her views than Josh. Josh is unsure of everything, until a meeting with someone I don’t want to spoil here (look below if you want to know). After that meeting he learns some important facts about himself and who he is. Does he learn enough, or does he still have questions by the end? You’ll have to read and find out for yourself! “PROUD of Me” is set in the UK, where I’m from so it was nice to see some places that I’ve heard of and been to mentioned too!
I read “PROUD of Me” for one readathon.
Reading Rivalry - Read a book by an LGBTQ+ author. Sarah Hagger-Holt is lesbian and tells the story of lesbian parents in “PROUD of Me.”
Spoilers Below!
“It took me a while to realize that having a dad was a thing. Of course, I knew that most of my friends had dads, and I knew that I didn’t. I like them to think I was quite an observant kid. But not all of them had dads and, anyway, you didn’t often see dads around. Not like people’s mums, who were always at our house or hanging about chatting while we played on the swings down the park.
True families in books usually had dads, but then all sorts of things happened in books, like talking animals or trips to space, so that isn’t necessarily mean anything in the real world.
Once I was at school, I realized that although some people’s dads weren’t around much, or at all, everyone seemed to have one, somewhere. And they all assumed that I did too.”
Josh WANTS to know who his dad is. He didn’t know that having a dad was a ‘thing’ at the beginning of his life because he only knew his mums. He thinks it’s unfair that he doesn’t have a dad so he makes it his mission if you like to find his dad by whatever means necessary, even travelling hours by train. That’s what his part of the book focuses on! Does he get his answers, or is he still clueless at the end of the book? You’ll have to read for yourself. Becky, on the other hand is more bothered about working out who SHE is as a young woman. She’s only 13 years old, but she knows that she’s lesbian, like her mums when a new girl, an American, called Carli starts at her school.
“In school on Monday, I look out for Carli. We’ve still only spoken once. All I know about her is that she’s American. That’s it.
But it’s Archie, not me, who spots her first. She’s sitting in the canteen at a table by herself, eating a salad, looking still and composed despite the bustle and noise all around her.
“Hey,” says Archie, nudging me. “Look, it’s the new girl. Let’s go take her under our wing!”
“Her name’s Carli,” I object, “not ‘the new girl’.” I’ve been hoping to bump into Carli all morning, yet now that she’s in front of me, I feel to shy to go over.”
Becky doesn’t want Carli to feel awkward so she tells her best friend, Archie who’s also gay, to not call her “‘the new girl.’” Becky is too shy to go over to talk to Carli because she doesn’t want to come on too strong. I really wanted a relationship to form between these two characters, but when Becky kisses a very surprised Carli when over at Carli’s house with her judgemental mother downstairs, Carli politely, but firmly turns her down. Carli is still a part of the LGBTQ club at school but just not a member of the community, as are most of the other members. Josh isn’t either. As I said above, Becky’s part of the novel is all about her finding out who she is. I felt this was done well. Maybe it’s because the author is LGBTQ so she could draw on her own experiences when writing Becky’s parts but I thought they were very well written. This novel, while YA/MG is very informative for an adult that doesn’t know much about the LGBTQ movement, I feel, as well as children.
Another part of the book is Mum’s fiftieth birthday party. Their Mum is Josh’s blood-mother but it’s Becky, Ama’s blood-daughter who puts the party together, along with her Auntie Jackie and Archie. Josh isn’t there because he’s trying to find answers to the identity of his father. I found Josh’s parts the more interesting parts to read, because there was tension in his chapters. He was scared one minute and confident the next, and then back to scared so it was interesting to see events through his eyes.
“I don’t really care. I wonder when Ima’s going to go, so I can double-check those train times for when I go to meet Eli.
“No, I don’t think so. Her mum was a bit funny about it actually. I’m not sure that they approve of us.”
Josh doesn’t really care about the guests for Mum’s party. Ima, Becky’s blood-mother invites Carli’s parents, but they turn her down because they don’t agree with LGBTQ+ people, or at least her mom doesn’t. We never meet Carli’s dad. There are just a few mentions of him. The novel only has I think three or four male characters. The main ones being Josh and Archie. And then there’s Jayden and Max who don’t play a huge role. They’re just bullies, who try to belittle Josh. Does he stand up to them? The other female character worth mentioning is Ms. Bryant, the science teacher at Larkhall school. She’s also the teacher that helps the LGBTQ students, like their confidant, I suppose. She’s not too present but Carli’s mom for instance talks to her towards the end about shutting down the LGBTQ club because she doesn’t want her daughter to turn gay, basically. Carli’s mom is the adult bully, if you like.
“…Just because I don’t have actual evidence, documents that show Eli and I have the same donor, doesn’t stop hoping that it’s true. But to be totally sure, I need to actually meet Eli for myself.
My brother Eli — I try it out, how that sounds in my head. Eli or Elijah? I wonder.
In my mind I plan out the message I’m going to send him: I’ve seen the article, I’m a part of the forum, I was donor-conceived too, I wondered if we could share experiences, I’ve got some questions…
But would I have the courage to send it? Perhaps I should just wait three years till I’m sixteen before trying to find out more? Or I should at least talk to Mum and Ima about it first?
But no, I’ve been through all of that in my mind already too many times. It’s up to me to do something. Now.”
Josh THINKS he’s found a brother, by way of his dad. He met this maybe-brother on an online forum for DC kids, or donor-conceived kids. Eli is this character, and he goes to meet him in Manchester on the train. He’s excited and absolutely SET to do this, as the “now” denotes at first but as the time gets closer he gets nervous and worries if he’s made the right decision. Has he? Is Eli his true brother? You’ll need to read to find out for yourself! Also, the date they choose to meet is his Mum’s party so will he be late or prepared for that?
Lastly, I want to note how Becky’s mum’s act to her coming out. Ima, her blood mother is angry at first. Becky doesn’t know why to begin with but when Ima explains that in her and Mum’s (Anna’s) time, when they were younger it was illegal to be gay, Becky starts to understand that Ima was just scared for her. She wants Becky to have a normal childhood, as any parent should. Archie does, however, so why shouldn’t Becky too? Archie’s coming out story is also explained in the story.
I really enjoyed reading “PROUD of Me.” It was nice to have an LGBTQ book to read in June, as that’s LGBTQ month and it was nice to have a book that detailed two sides of the argument. One, Becky was very much loud and proud and Josh who was quieter and more restrained. I enjoyed the excitement of Josh and the discovering the new things that Becky went through as well. I liked how the novel focused on the children’s points of view, rather than the adults. The adults were there, but they were very much supporting characters. The story was ABOUT the young people and how they cope through issues and trials of being a young person. I appreciated this the most.
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