30 November, 2024 | keystroke
To Own the Libs by Zoe Storm is exactly the kind of book I’ve been searching after for years. I think I found it when going down a Goodreads rabbit hole of trans books, and with a title like that how could it not grab my attention. Despite its meme-able name however, this book can be extremely serious, grounded and relatable on a personal level.
The premise is what draws you in, of course: A conservative-leaning man at a “woke” college decides to transition in order to prove that a cis guy could transition in order to get all the benefits in society women and trans people get (that are definitely real). Despite the outcome being obvious from the outset to any trans reader, Lily’s journey is what makes this novel compelling, as she struggles with politics, doubts, and a weird bubbly feeling inside her.
To Own the Libs starts with its premise that sounds outlandish and proceeds to take it seriously, grounding it in reality and exploring Lily’s mindset and, just as importantly, feelings that led her to these series of decisions. This story really gets those feelings right; the confusion of euphoria, the self-doubt in your identity, and the unravelling of political beliefs held in-part to keep you from your own happiness.
It doesn’t skip over the important step of figuring yourself out as so many other trans media do. Where they often start with a protagonist already sure of who they are, and if they don’t, figuring it out very quickly and definitively without the recognition that transition is an ongoing and constant discovery.
The novel also doesn’t shy away from topics like violence, as the threat queer people can face is taken just as seriously as the thoughts and emotions of our main character. Topics like misgendering, assault and even suicide and death come up and have gravity to them. It also goes into detail about hormones, which is another aspect that I don’t see in a lot of other stories, though it neglects some areas like blood tests.
Even with all the seriousness, there is still much humour to be found in Lily being an oblivious dolt that had me giggling like a madwoman by chapter 3. Her attempts to assert her masculinity sometimes sound like Shadow the Hedgehog in the kind of way only barely-adult teens can manage.
According to an author’s note, when To Own the Libs was originally published digitally it finished at the climax with only a short epilogue, providing minimal falling action. The ebook and print version added several extra post-scripts that extend the story, providing a nice feeling of winding down which I really appreciate as a goodbye to these characters.
The paperback isn’t the highest quality; mine was a little warped when it arrived (ordered from Blackwells) in a humidity kind of way and the page margins are super thin. It is still functional as a book however, there were no issues with ink bleeding and I read through the whole thing just fine. This was assisted by the prose, which is smooth and unobtrusive. While there is nothing that grabs your attention, there is also nothing that trips you up, making for a pleasant read.
Overall, this book is an amazing story about transitioning, not just a character who is trans. I can’t recommend it enough if you want to read a story about a girl slowly discovering herself, or were just a tough egg to crack and want to reminisce through someone who is somehow a bigger egg than you were.
She’s still cis tho ;3
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