Higgins, M.G. Bi-Normal. Costa Mesa, CA: Saddleback Press, 2013.
Genre: Contemporary, LGBT
Intended Audience: 14 and Up
Personal Reaction to the Book:
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I picked it up in a desperate grab for short novels to read in the closing days of this class so I could meet the reading quota, and I was really impressed by Bi-Normal.
I had not heard of Saddleback Press but the library had a couple books by them. It seems that they specialize in diverse subject matter and contemporary issue novels.
Anyway, Bi-Normal is about Brett, a popular football player who begins to question his sexuality when he notices he’s attracted to a boy in his art class. The problem is, Brett already has a girlfriend he’s in love with, and his many of his friends are extremely homophobic. Brett finds an ally in a classmate who helps him consider if he is bisexual.
It would be easy to peg this as a “gay football player novel,” but I didn’t feel that way at all. Perhaps some felt that way about the character Tiny in Will Grayson, Will Grayson, that he was just given the quirk of being gay and a football player. Here, though, Brett’s character was really well developed, and I totally bought into his conflicting emotions and feelings. I genuinely felt for the guy. He just seemed to be really authentic in his actions and thoughts even though he didn’t always do the right thing. I also liked that it didn’t end the way I thought it would. I liked that it ended with Brett coming out to his dad and not with him getting together with Zach, the art class boy, because he found out Zach had a girlfriend.
Overall, I thought this was an excellent novel that dealt with a delicate subject. I look forward to going back to the library and getting more books from this small press publisher.
Author Facts
- Higgins loves baseball and went to her first Dodgers game when she was six years old.
- Apart from reading, Higgins also likes to hike, draw, and practice photography.
- Higgins grew up in Southern California.
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