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Robinson, Lisa

Were I Not A Girl: The Inspiring and True Story of Dr. James Barry

40 pp. | Random/S&W | October, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-1-9848-4905-2 $17.99 | Library ISBN 978-1-9848-4906-9 $20.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-9848-4907-6 $10.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lauren Simkin Berke. A remarkable life is given a sensitive portrayal in this picture-book biography. Dr. James Barry, assigned female at birth in the late eighteenth century, lived after the age of nineteen as a man. He rose through the ranks as a British military doctor, becoming known for his advocacy for proper hygiene in hospitals as well as his care for disadvantaged patients. Robinson tells her subject's story from childhood straightforwardly, addressing the reader directly ("Let me tell you a little more about what we do and don't know..."). While the main text does not use the word transgender, the opening lines ask readers to "imagine living at a time when you couldn't be the person you felt you were inside." Illustrations place realistically drawn figures in rich colors against sketchy, washed-out backgrounds, drawing the eye to Barry and the elegant clothes he loved. Back matter includes an author's note that gives more detailed information about events only briefly touched on in the story, as well as a note about gender identity and how names and pronouns are treated in the text.
Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

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