One of the Boys
Victoria Zeller’s humorous coming-of-age novel One of the Boys follows a transgender teenager’s changing relationship with the football team she left behind.
Grace, a high school senior, gives football one more chance after quitting last year to transition. She contends with transphobia from all sides and balances her social life between her football friends and her new, queer girl friends. As Grace goes through her senior year, she struggles with her new identity while enjoying aspects of her pretransition life—including attention from her ex-girlfriend, Zoe.
The phenomenal characterizations of Grace, her friends, and members of the football team make the novel special. Most people in the cast are well-meaning, too. Truck, a big guy with a big heart on the team, speaks to Grace with earnest simplicity, asking blunt questions about her transition while trying his best to understand. Tab, a bisexual theater kid who was the first to support Grace’s transition, denounces sports altogether, prompting Grace to wonder if she is the “right kind of queer.”
Despite the adversity Grace faces, the story is light and full of humor. Grace herself is prone to hilarious observations, such as that “Diet Coke tastes like robot sweat.” The football team has their own language—when they want to talk seriously, they invoke “feelingsball.” There are flawed personalities on the team, but it’s heartwarming to see the effort the jocks go through to ensure that Grace fits in. Indeed, the conflict between Grace’s queerness and her love for football culminates in a dramatic climax, leading to a satisfying conclusion.
Laced with humor and hope, One of the Boys is an exceptional coming-of-age novel about a trans girl forging her own identity while playing on her high school’s football team.
Reviewed by
Leah Block
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
