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Reconsideration Review #3 - George (renamed Melissa) by Alex Gino
George was renamed Melissa in the later edition. This book is about a young boy who wants to transition into a girl. Medical transition and secret keeping are discussed.
(Note: I will use pronouns that match biological gender. If this bothers you, don’t read. This substack isn’t for you. Here is a helpful statement from Rosaria Champagne about why she no longer uses preferred pronouns.)
George was renamed Melissa, so the title on your copy will depend on when it was published. Due to this change, I will add chapters to each quote/ reference. The copy I am referencing is an old version called George.
This book is about a young boy who wants to be a girl. My earlier review of this book can be found here:
Download Reconsideration Form HERE
You can also pick up a reconsideration form at your local library. Ask any librarian and she/he can retrieve one from behind the desk.
This book was chosen for the next reconsideration for several reasons:
The colorful cover is particularly enticing for younger precocious readers. Some children as young as 1st or 2nd grade are perusing this section for chapter books.
Discussion of hiding internet history from parents, dialogue about parents being unsafe or the enemy when parents are concerned about their child transitioning.
Parent alienation and the normalization of grooming.
Discussion of medical transition which is illegal for minors in Texas.
How to obtain a copy to read:
Place a hold for a hard copy at the library. The book will be delivered to your library of preference for you to pick up with your library card. It might even be on the shelf; if so, it will be at the following libraries:
Central Library - Conroe
South Regional Library - The Woodlands
Tullis Library - New Caney
Mitchell Library - West Woodlands
Check out a digital copy on Hoopla, a library app. George (Melissa) is available in both ebook and audiobooks form on this app. With Hoopla, unlimited patrons can check out a book at one time, but the library has a limited number of checkouts per day. If our library system has reached the limit, you will need to wait until midnight to check out the book. I usually just set a reminder to check it out in the morning, and checkout works as long as I don’t wait until too late in the day.
Check out the digital audiobook copy on Libby, another library app. 1 copy is available, and if the copy is checked out, you can place a hold. Only the audiobook is available on this app.
With all these options to obtain a copy to read, I strongly encourage everyone to read this book. Even if you don’t plan to turn in a reconsideration form, reading these books for yourself will help you understand what our kids may face culturally.
If you didn’t see our previous posts about Reconsideration Forms, here is a recap:
You can go to any public library in Montgomery County and ask for a reconsideration form from any help desk. Fill it out and turn it in to the librarian there. If you would prefer to fill it out at home, you can download and print the form here.
We are not asking for the books to be completely removed from the library because literature reminds us of where we’ve been and where we never want to go again. For instance, Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler is in our libraries. You can see all of our suggestions (moving the book to the adult section, labeling the book, etc.) on the reconsideration form example below.
Each book can only be reviewed by the reconsideration board once a year. Therefore, we are asking everyone to reconsider books as a group, we are making recommendations, and see what the response is before moving forward. Hopefully, if we win, the libraries will begin to make changes on other books on their own.
In the coming weeks look out for future reconsideration reviews. So far, three books promoting gender confusion have been moved out of the children’s department. For more information about this, see last week’s substack post:
The Reconsideration Form Example:
Author: Alex Gino Title: George (renamed Melissa)
Type of Material: Children’s Chapter Book (for ages 9+)
Specific objection(s) to Material including specific page(s) or instances:
Cover: This book has bright, colorful letters on the cover, which is particularly enticing for younger precocious readers. Some children as young as 1st or 2nd grade are perusing this section for chapter books.
Chapter 3: (pg 46-47) The narrator discusses how George has already searched the internet for information about how to medically transition. The narrator discusses hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries for transition. Later in this same chapter, George is in the bath: “She immersed her body in the warm water and tried not to think about what was between her legs, but there it was, bobbing in front of her.”
Chapter 8: (pg 104-105) George’s best friend, Kelly, is accepting George as a girl and mentions that he can take hormones. “‘Yeah, I know.’ George had been reading websites about transitioning since Scott had taught her how to clear the web browser history on Mom’s computer. ‘But you need your parents’ permission.’” This is unacceptable to have a book in the children’s section that instructs children to hide their browsing history from their parents.
Chapter 10: (pg 161) After George switches places with his friend Kelly in the school play, his mother is concerned, but the principle is ecstatic and proud. When the adults exchange polite words, the principal makes it clear that George’s mom’s concern is unacceptable. Before George and his mom leave the principal whispers in George’s ear, “My door is always open.” This is further indoctrination that when parents aren’t fully on board with supporting transition, they aren’t to be trusted. Other adults will keep the secrets of these minors, their parents never need to know. How in the world is this in the children’s section?
Chapter 11: George and Kelli go to the zoo together with Kelli’s uncle who has never met George, and George is going as a girl. This is the part of the book where George fully transitions to “Melissa,” in secret. Again, this is a children’s book encouraging young kids to keep secrets from their parents, who are not trustworthy. Parent alienation is very dangerous, especially with children who may already struggle with mental health issues.
What was good about the material?
George does speak with his mother about his feelings.
Are you considering the material as a whole?
Yes, I have read the entire book. Unfortunately, this book is dangerous to minors.
Have you read any reviews on this material?
Yes, I read all the glowing reviews from questionable (at best) journals. I found the following quote from Publisher’s Weekly quite telling:
To Gino’s surprise, they eventually acquired an agent for the project and ultimately sold it to Scholastic, in 2014. The book, which Gino had lightheartedly dubbed “Girl George” as an allusion to the androgynous, gay 1980s musician Boy George, received its first name change at the hands of Scholastic’s marketing team. The word “Girl” was dropped, to Gino’s displeasure. “The way I remember it, my first response was ‘Excuse me, what are you doing with the word ‘girl’?” The critique, Gino recalled was that adult gatekeepers would prevent boys from reading the book if “girl” were included in the title.
Yikes! Do I need to explain to you what this looks like?
How did this material come to your attention?
Two Moms and Some Book’s Substack of course!
What would you like the library to do about this material?
1. Move it to the adult section (preferred) or young adult section at the very least. This material is not for kids and should not be picked up by kids. (Children as young as 7 are independently picking up books in this section!) Parents can pick it up from the adult section if they want it.
2. Move it to a high shelf out of reach of children with a “controversial material” label.
3. Move behind the librarian’s desk for request.
4. Label with a “controversial material” label so parents know what they are getting into.
Requester Represents: Individual: yes Organization: _____ Other: ______
Request initiated by (please print): Your name goes here.
Again, the rest is self-explanatory. If you don’t have a library card, get one the day you turn it in and write it on the form. You can turn the form into any library, and it covers every single copy of the book you are asking the committee to reconsider.
Providing Additional Information: It may be beneficial for you to provide additional evidence as to why encouraging minors to keep secrets and alienate from their parents could bring harm for a child. If you have a background in education or as a therapist, providing information about your educational background and how you have seen this kind of information harm a child could be helpful for the committee. Every unique viewpoint is beneficial as we each make our case.
Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart for helping us with this initiative. We have already made a lot of progress, but there is still so much more to be done.