I really liked getting this perspective on gender expectations. It is, essentially, a coming-of-age tale told through the eyes of someone who doesn't want to grow up in the way everyone thinks she should.

It looks at conformity and non-conformity, bullying and growing up. The book ultimately challenges the notion that there is only one way to be either and sees Liz going from a child who would rather be mistaken for a boy and claims to 'hate girls', to someone who recognises that she is a woman and doesn't have to behave or dress in a certain way to prove that. What is most interesting is the underlying discussion going on about what it means to be male or female.

As she grew older, she didn't want to dress in pretty skirts or conform to what was expected for her gender, she got crushes on boys but all of them wanted the 'normal' girls. She understood from an early age that she didn't like all of the things people consider 'girly' and much preferred boys' clothes and toys. Tomboy is the tale of Liz Prince's childhood and adolescence. Because, damn, in a world of pink glitter for girls and blue guns for boys, younger kids really do need a book like this. I have one slight complaint and it isn't really a complaint, more of a little suggestion as to how this could have been better - if a couple of the f-bombs had been removed and this became a book we could give to younger kids. This may be a graphic novel, but it is also one of the most honest, refreshing, detailed and touching memoirs I have ever read. When I started writing this book I was afraid that it wouldn't say the things I wanted to say, or that nobody would relate to it, or that it just wasn't worth writing, but I proved myself wrong, and that in and of itself deserves 5 stars. I've been able to communicate an idea that is really close to my heart, and I have had it be so well-recieved. I feel really inspired by all of the stories that readers have told me about the Tomboys they know in their lives, or the ways in which they've felt like outsiders, or the ways in which they've never personally dealt with bullying, but really appreciated the way that I spoke about it. Most importantly though, it was challenging and important to write a book that has such a personal message (one that so many people of many ages and genders and sexual orientation have written to me about since this book came out). It was a challenge to write a book that spans the first 18 years of my life in a way that is succinct, engaging, and entertaining, without being overly redundant or narcissistic (I reserved my narcissism for the glowing review I'm giving myself here).

I learned a lot from writing this memoir, which is my first full-length narrative graphic novel.

Hello! I'm an fairly biased reviewer, because I wrote this book, but I figured I'd throw my 2 cents in anyhow.

Tomboy graphic novel