Book
SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN
AVAILABLE NOW
from Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?
Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is . . . Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.
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. 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. 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.
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PRAISE
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Lambda Literary Award Finalist
2018 Missouri Gateway Readers Award Nominee
American Library Association Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection
American Library Association Top 10 QuickPicks for Reluctant Young Readers
Goodreads Choice Awards Semi-Finalist
Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices Pick
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American Library Association
Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection
Rainbow List Selection
Top 10 QuickPicks for Reluctant Young ReadersAmazon
#1 New Release in Teen & Young Adult Fiction
#1 New Release in Teen & Young Adult Gay & Lesbian FictionAudible
Most Excited-About Books for FebruaryBank Street College of Education
A BSC Best Book of the Year
From Refugees to Voting Rights, Books to Inspire a Just, Inclusive SocietyBarnes & Noble
15 of Our Most Anticipated Debuts
15 of Our Most Anticipated LGBTQ YAs of 2016
16 YAs That Get It Right
10 Great YA Novels With Trans/Nonbinary CharactersBookish
The 15 Best LGBT YA Books of 2016 So FarBookbub
16 New Books That Aren’t on High School Reading Lists—But Should Be
27 Excellent LGBT Young Adult BooksBustle
16 of the Best YA Books of February 2016Buzzfeed
Ultimate YA Book Gift Guide 201614 of the Most Buzzed-About Books of 2016
26 Books Every LGBT Person Absolutely Has To Read
31 Young Adult Books With Diverse Characters Literally Everyone Should Read
19 Young Adult Books Everyone Should Read, No Matter Their Age25 LGBT YA Books You’ve Got To Get Your Hands On
18 Book Characters That Accurately Represent Mental Illness
Chicago Public Library
Best Teen FictionEpicreads
Book Shimmy Awards Semi-finalist – We Need Diverse Books AwardGoodreads
Best Books of the Month: February 2016YA Best Books of the Month: February 2016
Huffington Post
5 YA Novels You Need to Read in the First Half of 2016The Independent
15 Young Adult books for readers of all ages, from The Hate U Give to Symptoms of Being HumanKirkus
New YA to Check Out in FebruaryNerdy Book Club
10 YA Books Featuring Gender Non-Conforming CharactersPopCrush
Most Anticipated YA Books of February 2016ReadOn Wisconsin
ReadOn Wisconsin Badger ListTexas Library Association
TAYSHAS ListYA Books Central
Buzzworthy Books of Winter 2016 -
“Garvin’s novel is one of the first YA books to deal with the complex issue of gender fluidity…Riley’s emotional life and personal growth shed welcome light on a hitherto obscure subject.”
—★BOOKLIST (starred review)
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“…A smart, funny, sharp-eyed force. The knowledge [Garvin] imparts buoys this rewarding story.”
—★PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)
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“Vibrantly imagined…a welcome mirror for gender-fluid teens.”
—KIRKUS REVIEWS
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Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Children’s/Young Adult
“…One of the most important young adult releases of the year…a gorgeous debut and an engaging story about a teenage outsider.”
-Lambda Literary
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“Jeff Garvin has written a gorgeously crafted story with a complex, fascinating, and intensely real lead who I know will stay with me for a long time. Riley is a character who’s deeply needed in young adult fiction, and this book is a beautiful new addition to the queer YA canon.”
—ROBIN TALLEY, New York Times Bestselling author of Lies We Tell Ourselves and What We Left Behind
“A moving portrayal of what it means to be different, yet the same, all at once. Jeff Garvin has written a beautifully thoughtful book.”
—RENÉE AHDIEH, New York Times Bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn
“With a main character who truly deserves to be called unique, combined with heartbreak and triumphs that are universal, this unforgettable book made me laugh, and also cry. Garvin’s powerful new voice rocks!”
—LISSA PRICE, international bestselling author of Starters
“Riley Cavanaugh is a sharp, funny, powerful voice for those who haven’t quite found theirs yet. Both highly entertaining and highly necessary, Symptoms is the kind of book that makes you a better human for having read it. I loved it.”
—DAHLIA ADLER, author of Under the Lights and Just Visiting
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Sherree
Cannot wait