Name I Call Myself

Meet Ari, a young person who doesn't like to be called by their birth name Edward: "When I think of the name Edward, I imagine old kings who snore a lot." Throughout this beautiful and engaging picture book, we watch Ari grow up before our very eyes as they navigate the ins and outs of their gender identity; we see how, as a child, they prefer dolls and princess movies, and want to grow out their hair, though their father insists on cutting it short, "because that's what boys look like." At nine, they play hockey but wish they could try on their mother's dresses; at fifteen, they shave their face, hoping to have smooth skin like girls. At sixteen, they want to run away, especially from their father who insists, "You're a boy, so you have to act like one." Who will Ari become? Moving from age six to adolescence, The Name I Call Myself touchingly depicts Edward's tender, solitary gender journey to Ari: a new life distinguished and made meaningful by self-acceptance and unconditional love. Ages 5 to 12.

Faceti cunostinta cu Ari, un tanar caruia nu-i place sa fie numit cu numele sau de nastere Edward: „Cand ma gandesc la numele Edward, imi imaginez batrani regi care sforaie mult”. De-a lungul acestei frumoase si captivante carti ilustrate, il urmarim pe Ari crescand in fata ochilor nostri, in timp ce navigheaza in interiorul si in afara identitatii lor de gen; vedem cum, in copilarie, prefera papusile si filmele cu printese si vor sa-si creasca parul, desi tatal lor insista sa-l taie scurt, „pentru ca asa arata baietii”. La noua, joaca hochei, dar isi doresc sa poata incerca rochiile mamei lor; la cincisprezece ani, se barbieresc, sperand sa aiba pielea neteda ca fetele.