Homebody

Gr 7 Up–In this uplifting graphic memoir, Parish recounts their journey to feel at home in their body and gender identity. Parish begins by examining the messages they heard about gender growing up, both from their parents and from the assumptions other people made about them. After their early attempts to conform to gender norms fail to make them feel authentically seen, Parish begins to experiment with different presentations by portraying characters at comic-cons and participating in role-playing games. When Parish discovers the term nonbinary and finds other people online who share similar experiences with gender, they gain a sense of clarity and relief. Drawn in muted reds, grays, and blues, the appealing, simple art style mirrors the encouraging tone of the memoir, with inspiring messages featuring people of all skin tones, body types, abilities, and gender presentations interspersed with Parish’s memories. A recurring image in the novel is Parish drawn with a home for a torso, reflecting the title and theme of feeling at home in one’s body.