Symptoms of Being Human

Jeff Garvin

Feb 2016 · HarperCollins

About this ebook

Starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist * YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers * ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults List * 2017 Rainbow

A sharply honest and moving debut perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Ask the Passengers.

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. But Riley isn't exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in über-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley's 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. And 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.

From debut author Jeff Garvin comes a powerful and uplifting portrait of a modern teen struggling with high school, relationships, and what it means to be a person.

Ratings and reviews

Symptoms of Being Human is a story about Riley, a gender fluid teen trying to navigate a new high school and deal with the pressures of being the child of a Congressman. Riley isn't out yet, and starts a blog as an outlet, hoping it will help with the anxiety and stress that is a daily occurrence. The blog becomes a huge success, and Riley seems to be doing well, until an anonymous reader online threatens to expose Riley's secret to the world. I cried so many times while I was reading this book. I cried because, even though I haven't had to deal with the same struggles as Riley, I found so much in Riley's story that I could sympathize with. I cried because of the horrible cruelty that unfortunately still exists in our world. I cried because of the amazing kindness that also exists, and works every day to fight against the cruelty. Riley's story felt so real and relatable. I felt like the characters were a part of my life and I found myself caring so much about their story and what was happening to them.

What a wonderful read. As a cisgendered woman, I struggle to really wrap my head around the struggles that gender non conforming people go through on a daily basis, and truly appreciate them, but this book opened my eyes in a whole new way. I felt like I was able to crawl inside Riley's head and feel things their perspective. All that being, this wouldn't have been a book I would have chosen on my own. I am part of a book club that focuses on LGBT+ literature, and so that is how I came across this book.

I wasnt super into the book for most of the first half but it ended up being really good. The ending wasn't my favorite but I'm just glad it wasn't a sad ending. Sucks I spent $10 in google play credits and i finished it in like half a day. (that's how it is with books you like, tho)

About the author

Before becoming a writer, Jeff Garvin acted in films and TV and was the front man of a nationally touring rock band. He is the author of Symptoms of Being Human, which was a Lambda Literary Award finalist and was also named one of the YALSA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, was an ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, and was on the 2017 Rainbow Book List, and The Lightness of Hands. Jeff lives in Southern California, surrounded by adorable, shedding beasts.