Publishers Weekly
04/08/2019
Stonewall Award winner Russo (If I Was Your Girl) tackles teen love, heartbreak, sexuality, and gender identity in this novel told over the course of six years through the alternating voices of transgender girl Morgan and cisgender boy Eric, two childhood best friends who share the same birthday. As the story opens in their Tennessee town on their 13th birthday, Morgan has realized that the gender she was assigned at birth doesn’t fit who she truly is. The only person Morgan wants to share this information with is Eric; Morgan reasons that if Eric accepts her, then everything will be fine. But her attempts to tell Eric fail, and by day’s end, Morgan feels even more alone. Russo’s narrative revisits the characters each year on their birthdays, and over time Morgan moves closer to embracing her true self while dealing with bullies and harassment. Meanwhile, Eric navigates an abusive father, a desire to play guitar over football, and a growing attraction to Morgan. Russo weaves together a series of short stories, encapsulating each year of development in a snapshot without losing character depth. A realistic picture of the challenges that teens may face when finding themselves and falling in love. Ages 13–up. Agent: Hayley Wagreich and Joelle Hobeika, Alloy Entertainment. (May)
From the Publisher
New York Public Library Top 10 Teen Book of the Year
Chicago Public Library “Best of the Best”
Nominated for the 2020 Carnegie Medal
Texas Library Association’s Tayshas Top 10 Book
YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults List
ALA’s 2020 Rainbow Book List
“Lovers who surmount the odds have always been intense emotional fodder, but rarely have we seen a story like Meredith Russo’s Birthday. Russo is herself trans, and she brings her whole heart to a story laced with pain that, in the end, lifts with hope. The birthday structure could feel like a gimmick, but it works thanks to her characters, especially Morgan, who is true and raw, haunting and undeniable. —The New York Times Book Review
“A sensitive, uplifting narrative, one that feels much-needed.” —Nylon, Best Book of the Month
“In addition to being exquisitely written, Birthday showcases the best of YA: its ability to instill empathy in readers. Written by a trans author, Birthday gives an essential perspective into the trans experience.” —Refinery29, Best Book of the Month
“Meredith Russo, the author of If I Was Your Girl, is back with a gorgeous story of first love. Eric and Morgan share a birthday, and everything else, too. This book follows the two on six of their birthdays—only on their birthday—and in the process, tells a wrenching story about love, friendship, sexuality, and gender.” —Bustle, Best Book of the Month
“Beautifully written, Birthday is an altogether singular contribution to the gradually growing body of transgender literature and, indeed, to mainstream literature, as well.” —Booklist, starred review
“Russo seamlessly melds difficulties with joy and impossibilities with solutions, to create a resonating 'love story eighteen years in the making.'” —Shelf Awareness
“Morgan and Eric’s struggles feel so real that they broke my heart, twisted it, and made me tear up. This book is incredibly fast-faced, so much so that I couldn’t put it down. Recommended to lovers of realistic literature and romance.” —The Missourian
“Both heartbreaking and heartwarming, this book is a celebration of friendship, life, and enduring love between two teens.” —Mason Deaver, author of I Wish You All the Best
“I couldn’t put it down.” —Camryn Garrett, author of Full Disclosure
“A tender story of friendship, family, community, identity, and love...an honest exploration of the transgender experience that does not shy away from harsh realities, but remains optimistic and hopeful. Meredith Russo has proved herself yet again to be the queen of the queer self-love story.” —Mackenzi Lee, author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue
“Birthday is a luminous and profoundly moving coming-of-age story of love, family, friendship, destiny, and the struggle to live as one’s truest self. It will break your heart, piece it back together even stronger, and do it again and again until the last page.” —Jeff Zentner, author of Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee
“Stonewall Award winner Russo captures the intense longing of two teens who feel trapped in their small town. An emotional, winning touchdown.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Stonewall Award winner Russo (If I Was Your Girl) tackles teen love, heartbreak, sexuality, and gender identity in this novel told over the course of six years through the alternating voices of transgender girl Morgan and cisgender boy Eric, two childhood best friends who share the same birthday. A realistic picture of the challenges that teens may face when finding themselves and falling in love.” —Publishers Weekly
Praise for If I Was Your Girl
ALA Stonewall Book Award Winner
We Need Diverse Books’ Walter Dean Myers Award Honor Book
Goodreads Readers’ Choice Award Finalist
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
Kirkus Best Book of the Year
Lambda Literary Award Finalist
New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
Chicago Public Library “Best of the Best”
Zoella Book Club Pick
Bustle Best YA Book of the Year
ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults List
YALSA Top 10 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers
YALSA Teens’ Top 10 Pick
Indie Next Top 10 Pick
One of Flavorwire’s 50 Books Every Modern Teenager Should Read
“A necessary, universal story about feeling different.” —Kirkus, starred review
“An illuminating debut guided by hope and overwhelming kindness.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Everything a coming-of-age novel should be.” —School Library Journal, Popular Pick
“Will change minds and open hearts.” —Nina LaCour, author of We Are Okay
AUGUST 2019 - AudioFile
Best friends Morgan and Eric were born on the same day, and this poignant audiobook follows their changing relationship through six years of mutual birthdays. Dana Levinson's sensitive, steady narration grounds listeners amid the characters' adolescent upheaval. As Eric faces growing family discord, Morgan aches to live into her transgender identity, and as their love for each other evolves, Levinson underscores each moment with unvarnished immediacy. Though her attempt at a soft Tennessee twang is not particularly convincing, it establishes a sense of the story's Appalachian setting. The audiobook concludes with an informal discussion between Levinson and the author in which they offer insights into the characters, share their own experiences as trans women, and recommend additional stories for listeners to explore. R.A.H. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2019-02-21
Two best friends fall in love despite the changes in their lives and societal pressures that threaten to tear them apart.
Inseparable childhood friends, transgender girl Morgan and cisgender boy Eric spend every birthday together. A September snowstorm brought their families together in the hospital on their shared day of birth. As they navigate puberty and high school, Morgan struggles to understand and love herself. Cancer took her mother away, and she fears rejection from Eric and her football coach dad if she tells them she's not a boy. On top of family tension and worries about his friendship with Morgan, Eric hides his own concerns about his sexuality and his future. In a narrative that follows Morgan and Eric from year to year on their birthday, Stonewall Award Winner Russo (If I Was Your Girl, 2016) captures the intense longing of two teens who feel trapped in their small, football-obsessed Tennessee town. Morgan's self-acceptance is an intimate, honest journey with an ultimately hopeful resolution that acknowledges the diverse struggles and experiences of transgender people. While the story ends on a happy note, grief, economic struggle, abuse, discrimination, suicide, and divorce play significant roles in the narrative and the characters' development. The slow-burn romance between Eric and Morgan is affirming and worth the wait. Apart from Morgan's Latina friend, Jasmine, the cast is white.
An emotional, winning touchdown. (Fiction. 14-18)
