I Am J

Beam, Cris. (2011). I am J. New York: Little, Brown. Seventeen-year-old J (born Jennifer) has always considered himself to be a boy. That posed no real problem until puberty hit, and his body betrayed him, sprouting breasts and body hair in a most decidely feminine fashion. To avoid facing the truth of his physical being, J never looks at his body and covers it up so that he looks as androgynous as possible. Naturally, he prefers to be called J rather than Jennifer. J seems to have a few folks in his corner. His mother and best friend Melissa are supportive although they don't really understand how he feels. But Melissa's betrayal sends him on a desperate spiral that leads to moving out of his home so that he can be himself. The homeless teen searches for a community where he can be himself, finding that in a school where students like him can feel safe and in a support group. As J learns about others like him and the promising possibilities that exist for him, he turns to his photography to express his feelings. J is not one of those verbal characters who spout of philosophical truths; instead, he lets his pictures speak for him.