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Just Happy to Be Here by Naomi Kanakia (review)

2023; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 77; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/bcc.2023.a912609

1558-6766

April Spisak,

Feminist Theory and Gender Studies

Reviewed by: Just Happy to Be Here by Naomi Kanakia April Spisak Kanakia, Naomi Just Happy to Be Here. HarperTeen, 2024 [320p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780063216570 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063216594 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 9-12 Tara just wants to be an Ainsley girl, welcomed among her peers at the posh academy after she transfers from her boys-only high school nearby. She doesn’t want to stand out as the first trans girl at Ainsley, and she certainly doesn’t want to be given a scholarship based more on the school not wanting to seem transphobic than her own merit. Her decision to try to enter an exclusive club, however, results in Tara becoming a lightning rod for political discussion and cultural clashes (it is of note that her Indian identity makes her stand out even more in the sea of whiteness that is Ainsley Academy). There’s a refreshing honesty and accessibility to Tara—she knows she is smart but not the most brilliant girl around, she knows that people want her to protest for her rights, but she isn’t even quite sure if she agrees they are being trampled on. She also knows that she is meant to use this experience to carve her way to greatness but all she really wants to do right now is have sleepovers, trade makeup tips, and hang out with her new girlfriend. Hers is certainly a stance with which most readers will relate: one element of her identity is not all of her, and a life spent in pursuit of happiness can be as personally meaningful as being a [End Page 140] tireless activist or symbol of change. Adults in this novel are fairly one-dimensional, serving as unflappable supporters of Tara or foils who spark her growth, but that is a relatively small concern given the thoughtful pacing and Tara’s strong narrative voice. An extensive author’s note provides contemporary political and social context for trans kids and gender affirming care as well as significant personal details about Kanakia’s own story. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois