The author clearly had a solid grasp of the characters before he even started writing, as they were so well-formed. Riley had little interests and quirks thrown in that didn't affect the story, but added depth to the character, showing that they were more than what was presently happening to them. Hopefully I can get them all down coherently.Ī lot of Symptoms' strength lies in its characters. I identify as genderfluid and have considered using they/them pronouns, so I've understandably got a lot of feelings about this book. It's a good reminder that none of us are immune to the 'programming' we receive from society. It was an eye opening experience to see how establishing gender also establishes a huge list of expectations and assumptions, even when we don't realize we're applying them. I've never read a book before where the main character's gender was not outwardly stated. By doing so, the reader focuses on Riley as a person, with their sex and gender as a secondary focus. The author uses first person POV and avoids any gendered language, reducing the chance of a reader approaching Riley with their own assumptions on gender and roles. The book takes an interesting approach to non-binary characterization by purposefully not revealing the main character, Riley's, sex. From debut author Jeff Garvin comes a powerful and uplifting portrait of a modern teen struggling with high school, relationships, and what it means to be a person.Gender takes a front seat in Symptoms of Being Human, the story of a genderfluid teen coming to terms with their identity. And Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created-a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in-or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

But just as Riley's starting to settle in at school-even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast-the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley's real identity, threatening exposure.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it's really like to be a gender fluid teenager.

And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in über-conservative Orange County, the pressure-media and otherwise-is building up in Riley's life. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. A sharply honest and moving debut perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Ask the Passengers.

Riley cavanaugh symptoms of being human