Starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist * YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers * ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults List * 2017 Rainbow

A sharply honest and moving debut perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Ask the Passengers.

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. But Riley isn't exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in ber-conservative Orange County, the pressure--media and otherwise--is building up in Riley's life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it's really like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley's starting to settle in at school--even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast--the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley's real identity, threatening exposure. And Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created--a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in--or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

From debut author Jeff Garvin comes a powerful and uplifting portrait of a modern teen struggling with high school, relationships, and what it means to be a person.

Author: Jeff Garvin
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
Published: 02/02/2016
Pages: 352
Weight: 0.9lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.30w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780062382863
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.2
Point Value: 12
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 190468 / Symptoms of Being Human


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2015
Booklist 11/01/2015 pg. 56
Publishers Weekly 11/16/2015
School Library Journal 12/01/2015 pg. 120
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 02/01/2016
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2016 pg. 123 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw

About the Author
Garvin, Jeff: -

Before becoming a writer, Jeff Garvin acted in films and TV and was the front man of a nationally touring rock band. He is the author of Symptoms of Being Human, which was a Lambda Literary Award finalist and was also named one of the YALSA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, was an ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, and was on the 2017 Rainbow Book List, and The Lightness of Hands. Jeff lives in Southern California, surrounded by adorable, shedding beasts.