Pen is a butch lesbian and the child of Portuguese immigrants attending a Catholic school. She deals with some terrible straight male friends and sexual assault with the help of her bisexual girlfriend and her brother.
Read more about this title and its elements of trans rep from librarian Morgan Doherty
Publisher’s Description
All Pen wants is to be the kind of girl she’s always been. So why does everyone have a problem with it? They think the way she looks and acts means she’s trying to be a boy—that she should quit trying to be something she’s not. If she dresses like a girl, and does what her folks want, it will show respect. If she takes orders and does what her friend Colby wants, it will show her loyalty. But respect and loyalty, Pen discovers, are empty words. Old-world parents, disintegrating friendships, and strong feelings for other girls drive Pen to see the truth–that in order to be who she truly wants to be, she’ll have to man up.
Genre: Contemporary
Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Pen, Blake
Sexual Orientation:
Lesbian/Queer: Pen
Bisexual: Blake
Romantic Orientation:
Homoromantic: Pen
Biromantic: Blake
Race/Ethnicity:
White: Pen, Blake
Religion
Christianity
Trigger warnings: sexual assault