Somebody Told Me

by Mia Siegert

Overview

"A compelling narrative layered with intersections of gender, sexuality, and spirituality."—Booklist

After an assault, bigender seventeen-year-old Aleks/Alexis is looking for a fresh start—so they voluntarily move in with their uncle, a Catholic priest. In their new bedroom, Aleks/Alexis discovers they can overhear parishioners in the church confessional. Moved by the struggles of these "sinners," Aleks/Alexis decides to anonymously help them, finding solace in their secret identity: a guardian angel instead of a victim.

But then Aleks/Alexis overhears a confession of another priest admitting to sexually abusing a parishioner. As they try to uncover the priest's identity before he hurts anyone again, Aleks/Alexis is also forced to confront their own abuser and come to terms with their past trauma.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541578197
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/07/2020
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	HL600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 14 Years

About the Author

Mia Siegert is an author and costume designer from New Jersey. Their costumes have appeared on Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and several stage productions of CATS. They are also the author of the YA novel Jerkbait.

Editorial Reviews

" . . . Siegert's blunt and honest prose brings together a compelling narrative layered with intersections of gender, sexuality, and spirituality, which will be sure to provide teen audiences with much food for thought."—Booklist

From the Publisher

02/01/2020

Gr 9 Up—When they start to feel unsafe after an assault, bigender teen Alexis/Aleks makes the difficult decision to go stay with their uncle, a Catholic priest, for the summer. Once there, Alexis/Aleks plans to cut off all ties to their former cosplay communities and to be as invisible as possible. The rectory's spare room shares a vent with the church confessional, and Alexis/Aleks keeps overhearing confessions. After listening to a particularly heartbreaking one, they decide to use their newfound invisibility to secretly help parishioners, growing in confidence along the way. But after hearing their uncle absolve another priest for a heinous criminal act, Alexis/Aleks cannot stay invisible any longer. Siegert's book maintains interest throughout with a fast-paced mystery, a relatable main character, and compassionate explorations of several tough topics. The deep, thorny issues of religion, sexual assault, and guilt are covered unflinchingly and with compassion. Relatably imperfect Alexis/Aleks must overcome their own assumptions and anxiety in order to help an innocent victim, and makes mistakes with tragic consequences along the way. Readers are also forced to face their own assumptions throughout the unexpected narrative. It seems especially unlikely at first that a queer teen would choose to stay with conservative family members, especially clergy, but Siegert writes Alexis/Aleks so well that their decision makes complete sense. A diverse and nuanced cast of secondary characters proves that friends and enemies can be found anywhere, and that those who help or hurt us are not always the ones we expect. VERDICT Highly recommended, especially where #OwnVoices books are in demand.—Heather Waddell, Abbot Public Library, Marblehead, MA

School Library Journal

2020-01-07
An agnostic, bigender teen moves in with their Catholic aunt and uncle after being sexually assaulted.

Chapter headers indicate if the protagonist currently identifies as Aleks (male, using he/him pronouns) or Alexis (female, using she/her pronouns). Aleks/Alexis cuts off all contact with their cosplay community after these former friends enabled their assault. When Aleks/Alexis discovers that their new room beside the church allows them to overhear confessions, they decide to secretly aid troubled parishioners. When they hear the confession of a priest who is molesting boys—and when their uncle, the priest receiving confessions, absolves him rather than stepping in—Aleks/Alexis determines that drastic action is needed. Aleks/Alexis narrates in a heavy first person that is colored by the shame, anger, and self-hatred they feel as a result of their trauma. The novel's strongest element is the authentic bigender representation: Aleks/Alexis' frequent ruminations on their relationship to gender and presentation ring resoundingly true. Though Aleks/Alexis' parents model an excellent support system, readers should prepare for intense transphobia and homophobia from other characters. Unfortunately, the story's pacing is off-kilter, with some elements rushed and others overly convenient. Though some character moments feel real, others lack nuance. Olive-skinned Aleks/Alexis has Russian Jewish heritage on their dad's side; their crush, Sister Bernadette, has brown skin; the ethnicity of most other characters is not specified.

Authentic bigender representation is tempered by an ill-flowing narrative. (author's note, topics for discussion) (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews