Middlesex

So, this book is on Oprah's book list, and I knew going into it that it was going to be "controversial". The book is about a person who is born as a hermaphrodite, due to a recessive gene on his 5th chromosome. The blurbs on this book said that it would be a story about his life, how he was treated while growing up, how he decided what gender to embody, and how he generally dealt with this condition. I was excited to read this story.

The writing was lethargic and too wordy. Have you guys noticed that writing is really important to me? Anyway, the entire first half of the book is about his grandparents, who happen to also be brother and sister. It deals with their immigration to the US and their children. Now that I have told you that, you can skip the first 150 pages or so. Then, finally the story gets to where it's supposed to be.

BUT--he romanticizes his life choices and actions in a way I just wasn't too comfortable with. His parents thought all along that he was a girl, because their doctor was really old when he was born. They raised him as a girl, and didn't actually find out his XY genotype until he was about 14. So, since he was actually a boy, he liked girls. The book goes into too much detail about that. Then, later in the book, he runs away from home and it's just not good!!Anyway, if you're sensitive at all, don't read this book. I was interested to hear about his life and relationships, but just not in the way that he told his story. I don't agree with Oprah on this one!