Just Ash

An insightful, educational book with a bit of history sprinkled throughout? Count me in.

This book is well-written and very obviously done so by someone who knows what they’re talking about—who has not just learned these hardships but lived them. I found myself feeling actual anger on Ash’s behalf repeatedly throughout. Why can’t we just allow people to be who they are? Why can we not just trust that people know themselves best?

As someone who will never truly understand what it’s like to have your existence or identity denied, I relish reading works written by those who’ve been in the trenches—and those who still are.

It can be frustrating reading about the way some people treat their fellow humans, but the only way to expand your horizons is to open your eyes and ears. On that note, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Tw: child abuse, sexual and physical harrassment, homophobia, racism, conversion camp

Just Ash by Sol Santana was an incredible find for me. The writing style was beautiful yet also heartbreaking, and I could truly feel Ash’s frustration with the entire world. I myself may not be intersex, but the anger inside Ash was relatable to my own fury at people who do not accept and love me for who I am.

In this novel, Ash tries to become something he is not, and in doing so, begins to slowly, but steadily, destroy himself. One element I loved in this book was the connection to his ancestor who was similarly silenced. The added historical reference of the Salem Witch Trials made this book all the more impactful, showing how, despite all the progress that has been made, we can still find traces of the horrible past in our present and future.

Sol Santana has brilliantly displayed the struggles of intersex people, a group that I did not have much knowledge about prior to this novel. “You will keep silent,” said his ancestor Bridget, and for a period of time, Ash did, but I was proud when he started to speak out against the injustices toward himself. This is a book I believe all people should read, to learn about the fight that intersex people go through and become excellent allies along the way.

This book broke me into tiny pieces, it was so good and so tragic at the same time! Perfect for young adult audiences, I can't wait for it to be released into the wild so I can add it to my classroom shelves!

As Ash struggles with his body changing, his parents react in the exact way I would hope to NEVER react to ANYTHING my children go through. They shame him, berate him, make decisions for him, and generally act from a place of fear. Which honestly makes no sense to me, because they'd known Ash was intersex from birth. When I say it doesn't make sense to me, I don't mean I don't think they would do that; it just means I had hoped they wouldn't.

I rooted for Ash from page one of the novel, which starts off with quite the bang! And while I know this is a work of fiction, I also know there are thousands of intersex individuals who go through these types of experiences, which breaks my heart.