The Passing Playbook passes all the tests... but kids annoy me...

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In a shock twist, The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons is part of that list I’ve mentioned in my last two posts where I said that June and July are stacked with things I want to read. And, Mary, let me tell you, everything that I’ve been reading recently has been over three hundred pages, with tiny-ass font, so when I saw that this book came in at just under three hundred pages, and had a normal, human-sized font, I was living. Also, my copy of the book had that good book smell, that I’m not sure how to describe. But it has that smell that books have sometimes.

Still, Mr. Blurb Ertlinger on the back of the book says that, “Fifteen-year-old Spencer is a proud nerd, an awesome big brother and a Messi-in-training. He’s also transgender.” I immediately thought, “Okay, wig”, because, if I’m not mistaken, this might be only the second book I’ve read with a transgender protagonist (the other being Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas), and we really love to see it that there is more representation coming forth – but there ought to be way more. And when I say that I mean books that just have trans protagonists. Like, give me some high fantasy adventure about saving the world where the main character is just trans. But of course, also more books that are about the trans experience as well. All I’m saying is more trans characters and more trans representation, especially for trans women of colour.

Now, the blurb also mentions that Spencer, as a trans person, is passing – hence the title of the book. And then a discriminatory law forces his coach to bench him, then Spencer has to make the choice to cheer from the side-line, or fight for his right to play – which would mean coming out to everyone, including the guy he’s falling for. Now, I don’t think I really need to be adding anything to that, you can see there’s a solid set-up when it comes to the conflict. She’s there, she’s present, and she will be a problem for Spencer and cause some good mess.

Also, this is unrelated, but I think this is the second queer book that has had a very heavy football focus, the other being Running with Lions by Julian Winters. And I don’t care how many queer people write about it or love the sport, it’s not for me – I’m just not a sports person. The only football I’m here for is that one video of Peach and Daisy facing off in Mario Strikers. I’ll still read queer books with heavy football focuses, though, I don’t care.

So, Spencer ends up getting involved with the football team when he kicks a dodgeball really hard and it slams into someone’s head. And at first, he thinks he’s in trouble, but the other people are kind of gagged by how impressive the kick was. Although, Justice, the love interest, tells Spencer that maybe he shouldn’t get his hopes up for making it through tryouts for the team, since he’s like “half the size” of the other people.

Also, we meet the love interest, Justice Cortes, when Spencer’s mum nearly runs him over in the very first chapter. And then, when Justice is talking to his teammates – about Spencer – he mentions that he thinks Spencer isn’t at the same level as the others – and this comes after Justice tells him he shouldn’t get his hopes up, and then this devolves into a sort of rivalry to dating kind of deal, but only sort of. Also, Spencer joins the football team without telling his parents after they told him they didn’t want him joining. So, in addition to the fact he’s chosen not to tell everyone he is trans – because why should he have to if he doesn’t want to? – he hasn’t told his parents he joined the football team. And, Linda, that is just the set-up for mess we need.

I will say, Justice, as a character, is a bit of an asshole at times, then again, Spencer isn’t exactly perfect. And at first, I was going to make this a criticism, but then I remembered that these characters are literally fifteen. So, of course they were going to be assholes – that’s literally just what fifteen-year-olds are like. Like, I’m sorry if you’re fifteen, you’re an asshole, and that’s just how life works. And as an addendum, in that frustrating teenage behaviour-sphere, Spencer and Justice kind of flip flop around a lot when it comes to their feelings.

This following point is going to be very vague and probably annoying to read, but I don’t want to spoil anything, but Justice gets really pissed at Spencer for one thing, but then Spencer does one thing to make up for it, and then the two of them are cool like everything is back to normal, as if nothing bad happened. So, I’ve come to the conclusion that I think kids just annoy me. That has nothing to do with the characters, I think that might just be a me thing.

Justice, however, is also part of a super conservative and religious family, and his dad makes him attend, and help out, at their church, it was explained in the book as a way to sort of undo what his school is doing to him. The book doesn’t say it in those exact words, that was just a paraphrasing. But the school Spencer and Justice go to is labelled as a progressive one. But I think it was like, progressive for the area that they live in – rural Ohio. (As a completely off topic point, any time any piece of media I consume mentions, or is set in, Ohio, I can’t think of anything but Glee, and I just hate that for myself.)

I will say, when the blurb mentioned the rule that basically discriminated Spencer from being able to play on the team, that happened later in the book than I expected it to. The whole football thing ended up being predominantly in the second half of the book. Also, in the second half of the book, there was a lot of football stuff. And even though I knew I was getting into a football themed book… I just wasn’t expecting so much technical terminology. Like, my football knowledge goes about as far as knowing what the offside rule is. Also, quick question, what the fuck is a free kick, and how do they work?

Now, before, when I mentioned about books that aren’t just about being trans and that just have trans characters, I’d say that this book sits at the intersection between those two points. Because on one hand, the book ended up revolving heavily about the football, but then the whole plot line of the discriminatory law preventing Spencer from playing took the book closer to the trans experience. Because these discriminatory laws are, unfortunately, something that still exist. And to quote Jasmine Masters: “No ma’am, no ma’am… No ma’am.” Trans men are men, and trans women are women. Simple as that. And they should have all the support they deserve.

As a final, separate, point: Spencer’s pizza toppings of choice are pineapple and jalapeno. If I am to criticise Spencer as a character, this is why. What in the actual royal fuck are those toppings? And Spencer’s friend, Aiden, rightfully calls him out for it.

    Okay, bye!