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Bi-Normal
Brett Miller is one of the kings of Elkhead High. Everyone knows the kings rule the school. Football stars. Pretty girls. The in-crowd. Brett and his buddies are the tormentors; nobody messes with them. His life seems perfect, Normal. His girlfriend Jillia is hot. He loves her. He imagines marrying her someday. Then Brett meets Zach...
191 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
February 7, 2017
Internalized homophobia is the worst tbh.
Here we have Brett, a mostly sweet guy who believes that if you’re gay it’s a sin and you shouldn’t be so obvious about your sexuality otherwise it’s like you’re asking to be bullied. That’s what he’s been told his whole life, and changing his point of view isn’t easy.
But then he meets this cute guy Zach, and suddenly he can’t stop thinking about him even though he has a girlfriend whom he’s in love with. And here comes the real struggle : society told him you could only be gay - BAD - or straight - GOOD. Nothing else.
“Let me give you the upside of being bi. We aren’t attracted to people based on their gender. We’re flexible. That’s pretty cool once you get used to it. On the downside, people will want to tell you you’re either gay or straight. Don’t let anyone pressure you to make that kind of choice. You are who you are.”
I can’t forgive him for being a bully, for doing nothing when his friends harassed someone just for being openly gay. I can admit it’s not entirely his fault, because he’s been raised like this, but he shares some responsibility.
The HUGE problem I had with Brett is his lack of empathy. Not only because he doesn’t care about gay kids being bullied - and even think it’s their fault - but he also pressured his girlfriend into having sex with him, and when she told him to leave her alone for a while, all he could think was « I don’t know if I can. And how long is for a while ? » He seriously needs to start paying attention to what other people say, need and want. Oh, and he also uses the « words » fag and faggot like it's fucking okay. Hell to the no. YOU CAN’T DO THAT BRETT.
I admit I cried maybe once or twice, but only because the story hit home sometimes, and also because I'm not considering it as a happy story. It was just freaking sad from page 1 to page 191.
“And it hits me. Like a fifty-pound halibut. Like a tackle to my midsection. I am bisexual. I am totally bisexual. I am the circle in the middle of that line that Nate drew.
And I don’t have a clue what to do about it.”
2.75
Here we have Brett, a mostly sweet guy who believes that if you’re gay it’s a sin and you shouldn’t be so obvious about your sexuality otherwise it’s like you’re asking to be bullied. That’s what he’s been told his whole life, and changing his point of view isn’t easy.
But then he meets this cute guy Zach, and suddenly he can’t stop thinking about him even though he has a girlfriend whom he’s in love with. And here comes the real struggle : society told him you could only be gay - BAD - or straight - GOOD. Nothing else.
“Let me give you the upside of being bi. We aren’t attracted to people based on their gender. We’re flexible. That’s pretty cool once you get used to it. On the downside, people will want to tell you you’re either gay or straight. Don’t let anyone pressure you to make that kind of choice. You are who you are.”
I can’t forgive him for being a bully, for doing nothing when his friends harassed someone just for being openly gay. I can admit it’s not entirely his fault, because he’s been raised like this, but he shares some responsibility.
The HUGE problem I had with Brett is his lack of empathy. Not only because he doesn’t care about gay kids being bullied - and even think it’s their fault - but he also pressured his girlfriend into having sex with him, and when she told him to leave her alone for a while, all he could think was « I don’t know if I can. And how long is for a while ? » He seriously needs to start paying attention to what other people say, need and want. Oh, and he also uses the « words » fag and faggot like it's fucking okay. Hell to the no. YOU CAN’T DO THAT BRETT.
I admit I cried maybe once or twice, but only because the story hit home sometimes, and also because I'm not considering it as a happy story. It was just freaking sad from page 1 to page 191.
“And it hits me. Like a fifty-pound halibut. Like a tackle to my midsection. I am bisexual. I am totally bisexual. I am the circle in the middle of that line that Nate drew.
And I don’t have a clue what to do about it.”
2.75
November 17, 2019
2019 Pride month read #8
So I just wasted almost an hour of my life on Giant Little Ones, watching a gay kid beat the living shit of his newly-awaken-bisexual childhood best friend after outing the said bi kid to the whole school and falsely accusing him of sexual assault. And I got inspired, as one does. I mean, how can you not be? That shit is just.... so beautiful and so very deep.
So somewhere between a scene of hate crime and the most anti-climatic message-less ending I've ever seen in my entire life, I thought of this book. And how there are so many books and movies that depict closeted and confused queer kids dealing with their sexuality so violently and more often than not, they end ambiguously, sometimes with a pinch of hopefulness, sometimes not. A lot of the times story is just cut short without any conclusion or wrap-up, and you're truly left wondering, "What the hell was this?"
Directors like to think of it as art, the writers probably think it's profound and incredibly intellectual.
(Remember If We Were Villains and how the author thinks that giving resolution to the gays—not a happy ending, but literally just wrapping up the story in whatever way she wants to—is somehow going to ruin the whole book that is so very flawless? Besides, why, just why do you even think that giving the gays a somewhat satisfying ending would ruin your book?
Imagine if J.R.R. Tolkien decided to end the story after the second LOTR book and say, "this is poetic cinema".
"So did Frodo manage to—"
"I think it's best if we leave it open for the interpretation."
"What about Gondor? Did Faramir and—"
"I think this sends a stronger message, don't you agree? Leaves you wandering..."
"But you didn't finish the novel! The book literally doesn't have an ending. Every book needs an ending."
"Alas, I disagree. I did this deliberately so you could ponder on the meaning of life and love and sacrifice."
"But—"
"Let it go, buddy. Jesus...")
It's true that in real life, conflicts often stay unresolved, villains rarely go down the redemption path and atone their sins, bullies and abusers don't have sudden epiphany and decide to be better people, and sometimes, for gay people, life doesn't get any easier. It's life. It's realistic. I can't argue with that. Things don't always get better. Some people are lucky. Some are not. But when you really look at this content, a lot of effort is put into depicting violence and hatred directed at gay people. It's like a porn for homophobic bullies. The ending? Often weak, ambiguous, and unsatisfying for gay people. Message? Stay strong. Some bullies are closeted gays, they're going through tough times. Romance blossoming out of abusive relationship, ftw. If you suffer enough, maybe some day you'll manage to drag their ass over onto the redemption path. It's rewarding.
No, but honestly. Queer stories shouldn't exist to teach straight people a lesson. Gay suffering shouldn't be the main focus of a story, for God's sake. Don't make a book about gays being bullied and then end it at the point when things start looking like they might get better. Gays don't want tragedy porn or torture porn. There's nothing cathartic about it, at least not for queer people.
original review:
So I just wasted almost an hour of my life on Giant Little Ones, watching a gay kid beat the living shit of his newly-awaken-bisexual childhood best friend after outing the said bi kid to the whole school and falsely accusing him of sexual assault. And I got inspired, as one does. I mean, how can you not be? That shit is just.... so beautiful and so very deep.
So somewhere between a scene of hate crime and the most anti-climatic message-less ending I've ever seen in my entire life, I thought of this book. And how there are so many books and movies that depict closeted and confused queer kids dealing with their sexuality so violently and more often than not, they end ambiguously, sometimes with a pinch of hopefulness, sometimes not. A lot of the times story is just cut short without any conclusion or wrap-up, and you're truly left wondering, "What the hell was this?"
Directors like to think of it as art, the writers probably think it's profound and incredibly intellectual.
(Remember If We Were Villains and how the author thinks that giving resolution to the gays—not a happy ending, but literally just wrapping up the story in whatever way she wants to—is somehow going to ruin the whole book that is so very flawless? Besides, why, just why do you even think that giving the gays a somewhat satisfying ending would ruin your book?
Imagine if J.R.R. Tolkien decided to end the story after the second LOTR book and say, "this is poetic cinema".
"So did Frodo manage to—"
"I think it's best if we leave it open for the interpretation."
"What about Gondor? Did Faramir and—"
"I think this sends a stronger message, don't you agree? Leaves you wandering..."
"But you didn't finish the novel! The book literally doesn't have an ending. Every book needs an ending."
"Alas, I disagree. I did this deliberately so you could ponder on the meaning of life and love and sacrifice."
"But—"
"Let it go, buddy. Jesus...")
It's true that in real life, conflicts often stay unresolved, villains rarely go down the redemption path and atone their sins, bullies and abusers don't have sudden epiphany and decide to be better people, and sometimes, for gay people, life doesn't get any easier. It's life. It's realistic. I can't argue with that. Things don't always get better. Some people are lucky. Some are not. But when you really look at this content, a lot of effort is put into depicting violence and hatred directed at gay people. It's like a porn for homophobic bullies. The ending? Often weak, ambiguous, and unsatisfying for gay people. Message? Stay strong. Some bullies are closeted gays, they're going through tough times. Romance blossoming out of abusive relationship, ftw. If you suffer enough, maybe some day you'll manage to drag their ass over onto the redemption path. It's rewarding.
No, but honestly. Queer stories shouldn't exist to teach straight people a lesson. Gay suffering shouldn't be the main focus of a story, for God's sake. Don't make a book about gays being bullied and then end it at the point when things start looking like they might get better. Gays don't want tragedy porn or torture porn. There's nothing cathartic about it, at least not for queer people.
original review:
The end came so abruptly and at the worst possible time, leaving the book as nothing more than a story about abuse and bullying with almost nonexistent atonement or redemption. Makes you wonder what the point of the book was...
August 9, 2021
Bi-Normal is one of those rare books that is all about bisexuality, which is often overlooked in literature. Even most LGBT+ books only talk about gay people, and sometimes bisexuals are often excluded and/or rejected in the LGBT+ community.
This book is about a sixteen-year old boy named Brett; star football player, one of the popular kids, dating the hottest girl in school. Overall, he’s a pretty average white kid stereotype, and for the subject of this book, I think that makes him a really good candidate for a main character. It shows that yeah, being the school’s golden boy doesn’t automatically make you straight, and yeah, anyone can have a different sexuality from the ‘norm’.
On top of having the pressure to be a normal popular jock, worrying about money troubles, and religious to boot, Brett’s in for a pretty tough ride.
At the start of the book, we meet Brett’s family and his troubles, and we meet his football team and his girlfriend, Jillia. Oh, and he also meets this kid named Zach, in his art class. From the very beginning of the book, he’s already aware of his attraction to Zach that’s begun to distract him from other things. Having been raised to be straight(as is so common in society) and with religious influence, there are times when he outright denies it to himself, even hoping that “a dose of religion might kick this ugly crap out of [him].”
Shudder.
More examples of denial:
“It’s a crush. I’m crushing on a friggin’ guy. That’s sick. […] I want these feelings to go away. At the same time, I don’t want them to go away.”
“Do I fantasize about him? Yeah. A lot, unfortunately. The thing is, I don’t act on it.”
And what’s more, Brett becomes so freaked out about his feelings for Zach that he tries to make up for it by engaging in as much physical affection with Jillia as he can, going as far as asking for sex on a couple occasions.
At one point he even calls himself Jekyll and Hyde, “a normal guy and a monster guy“, for liking both Jillia and Zach.
(Also, sidenote: for a book set in the present day and published in 2013, you’d think Zach would’ve left words like “groovy” in the seventies. Heh.)
Read the rest of the review here
This book is about a sixteen-year old boy named Brett; star football player, one of the popular kids, dating the hottest girl in school. Overall, he’s a pretty average white kid stereotype, and for the subject of this book, I think that makes him a really good candidate for a main character. It shows that yeah, being the school’s golden boy doesn’t automatically make you straight, and yeah, anyone can have a different sexuality from the ‘norm’.
On top of having the pressure to be a normal popular jock, worrying about money troubles, and religious to boot, Brett’s in for a pretty tough ride.
At the start of the book, we meet Brett’s family and his troubles, and we meet his football team and his girlfriend, Jillia. Oh, and he also meets this kid named Zach, in his art class. From the very beginning of the book, he’s already aware of his attraction to Zach that’s begun to distract him from other things. Having been raised to be straight(as is so common in society) and with religious influence, there are times when he outright denies it to himself, even hoping that “a dose of religion might kick this ugly crap out of [him].”
Shudder.
More examples of denial:
“It’s a crush. I’m crushing on a friggin’ guy. That’s sick. […] I want these feelings to go away. At the same time, I don’t want them to go away.”
“Do I fantasize about him? Yeah. A lot, unfortunately. The thing is, I don’t act on it.”
And what’s more, Brett becomes so freaked out about his feelings for Zach that he tries to make up for it by engaging in as much physical affection with Jillia as he can, going as far as asking for sex on a couple occasions.
At one point he even calls himself Jekyll and Hyde, “a normal guy and a monster guy“, for liking both Jillia and Zach.
(Also, sidenote: for a book set in the present day and published in 2013, you’d think Zach would’ve left words like “groovy” in the seventies. Heh.)
Read the rest of the review here
May 30, 2017
Bi-Normal tells the story of Brett Miller, your stereotypical high school jock who’s in love with his girlfriend…….until he meets Zach. This book follows Brett over several weeks as he starts to question his sexuality and realises he may not be that different from the gay kids at school that he bullies.
This is an important story exploring a marginalised perspective we so rarely hear from in society and fiction: the bisexual male. M.G. Higgins also pairs this with an exploration into toxic masculinity and internalised homophobia.
While it’s an incredibly important story, unfortunately it’s just not overly well fleshed out. The characters are barely given any descriptors, any development, and there’s no chemistry to be seen. The relationships are forced, the attraction is forced,and the dialogue is forced. The only chemistry felt between Brett and his girlfriend is him just being a typically hormonal horny teenager who wants to lose his virginity, and Brett’s attraction to Zach somehow gets put down to really liking the scent of the soap that he uses.
While I kinda liked that the book doesn’t get tied up in a neat little bow and it’s clear Brett has lots of work to do with accepting himself, it’s frustrating that his internalised homophobia and toxic masculinity aren’t anywhere close to resolved. It virtually ends mid-sentence with Brett accepting his sexuality, but at the same time thinking he should be suppressing it and scolding one of the openly gay students at school.
While it’s an important perspective to show in fiction, Higgins’ abrupt ending of of the story makes Brett’s perspective seem more problematic than anything. I wish we’d got to see more.
This is an important story exploring a marginalised perspective we so rarely hear from in society and fiction: the bisexual male. M.G. Higgins also pairs this with an exploration into toxic masculinity and internalised homophobia.
While it’s an incredibly important story, unfortunately it’s just not overly well fleshed out. The characters are barely given any descriptors, any development, and there’s no chemistry to be seen. The relationships are forced, the attraction is forced,and the dialogue is forced. The only chemistry felt between Brett and his girlfriend is him just being a typically hormonal horny teenager who wants to lose his virginity, and Brett’s attraction to Zach somehow gets put down to really liking the scent of the soap that he uses.
While I kinda liked that the book doesn’t get tied up in a neat little bow and it’s clear Brett has lots of work to do with accepting himself, it’s frustrating that his internalised homophobia and toxic masculinity aren’t anywhere close to resolved. It virtually ends mid-sentence with Brett accepting his sexuality, but at the same time thinking he should be suppressing it and scolding one of the openly gay students at school.
While it’s an important perspective to show in fiction, Higgins’ abrupt ending of of the story makes Brett’s perspective seem more problematic than anything. I wish we’d got to see more.
July 9, 2013
Brett Miller is at first the sort of butthead that would be the antagonist of any regular book. However, Brett is our main character and we happen to meet him at a very interesting time in his life. He’s on the football team, makes fun or nerds, has an amazing girlfriend that he loves, but he’s in a sticky sort of situation with his dad and money and now all of a sudden there’s this dude in his art class giving him butterflies in his stomach. What? Brett is confused and concerned about these feelings and it is this issue we see him struggle with. This is the first story I have ever read about a bisexual person, and I was pleased when I first saw it because of this. However, I was disappointed with how quickly the story runs.
At only 191 pages the story is rushed and no deep details emerge, no lingering and in depth thoughts are had. I wish that the author could have expanded this story and given us more character from everyone. As a queer person I appreciated the light this shines on bisexuality, but I wish it would have been a bigger one. The story was there, but I felt it need to be flashed out in about 150 (at least) more pages. I would have loved to see more about Zach and Brett’s dad. I would have loved to see more of a relationship between the president of the GSA and Brett, as well. Alas, none of this is up to me. However, I enjoyed reading it all the same (even if it did only take me 3 hours).
At only 191 pages the story is rushed and no deep details emerge, no lingering and in depth thoughts are had. I wish that the author could have expanded this story and given us more character from everyone. As a queer person I appreciated the light this shines on bisexuality, but I wish it would have been a bigger one. The story was there, but I felt it need to be flashed out in about 150 (at least) more pages. I would have loved to see more about Zach and Brett’s dad. I would have loved to see more of a relationship between the president of the GSA and Brett, as well. Alas, none of this is up to me. However, I enjoyed reading it all the same (even if it did only take me 3 hours).
August 1, 2014
Poorly written. Everyone is obnoxious. Reads more like a First Act than complete novel because it's all set up and nothing really happens. Fortunately, it's so short you'll only waste an hour of your life reading.
October 2, 2016
*warning* this book may contain triggering material including: homophobia, biphobia, the “f” slur, and implied non-consensual sex so if you decide to read it, please read with caution! <3
I was so excited when I saw this book on the shelves at work - and on Bi Visibility Day nonetheless! A book all about bisexuality; I felt like a kid on Christmas morning.
I immediately sat down to read it. I finished it all in one sitting; it was a fairly easy read, a short book with short chapters. It was good though; a nice book about a bisexual character, Brett, coming to terms with who he is and with his sexuality as well. He goes through a bit of a crisis throughout the book, battling his internalized biphobia as well as fears of what others will think about him. Throw in a crush on a boy in his art class and he’s just having an all around rough semester. Because he is so deep in the closet and so unable to accept himself, he acts out in some pretty shitty ways - typical “homophobic bully who is only homophobic and a bully becuase he’s in denal about being queer” trope.
There were a couple of things about the book that I wasn’t crazy about; there were a few plotholes, the fact that the author brought up the subject of sexual assault but did not really delve into it, a few flat characters… But overall, I did enjoy reading it. The fact that this was an LGBTQ+ book about bisexuality - which is, more often than not, ignored - made me very happy and I thought it dealt with explainning what it means to be bisexual very well.
I was so excited when I saw this book on the shelves at work - and on Bi Visibility Day nonetheless! A book all about bisexuality; I felt like a kid on Christmas morning.
I immediately sat down to read it. I finished it all in one sitting; it was a fairly easy read, a short book with short chapters. It was good though; a nice book about a bisexual character, Brett, coming to terms with who he is and with his sexuality as well. He goes through a bit of a crisis throughout the book, battling his internalized biphobia as well as fears of what others will think about him. Throw in a crush on a boy in his art class and he’s just having an all around rough semester. Because he is so deep in the closet and so unable to accept himself, he acts out in some pretty shitty ways - typical “homophobic bully who is only homophobic and a bully becuase he’s in denal about being queer” trope.
There were a couple of things about the book that I wasn’t crazy about; there were a few plotholes, the fact that the author brought up the subject of sexual assault but did not really delve into it, a few flat characters… But overall, I did enjoy reading it. The fact that this was an LGBTQ+ book about bisexuality - which is, more often than not, ignored - made me very happy and I thought it dealt with explainning what it means to be bisexual very well.
March 27, 2018
Bisexuality has SUCH little literary representation, ESPECIALLY young adult books centering around bisexuality with a MALE lead - so I was absolutely beyond myself with excitement to see this at the library. Unfortunately, it was a miss. I understand what the writer was trying to do, but boy oh boy, they got it all wrong. There was an extreme lack of finesse that could have been applied to this book that would have really rounded out some of the rougher edges and made it much, much more impactful.
Let's be real - at the writing of this review, I am a 31 year old woman. I have to read YA with certain "lowered" expectations, because the depth of these novels is not meant for a 31 year old woman, it's meant for younger readers. I try really hard to think about what someone who actually falls within the targeted age bracket could or would take away from it, and I think this would be a very confusing book for someone of that age that is struggling with their sexuality, which is exactly the route that the book should not have taken. I would be curious to hear what others thought about it, and what their take away was. Despite the fact that I personally believe that the content matter was irresponsibly handled at times, the book itself was just not particularly well written, even by YA standards. Kudos, though, to the author for attempting to give representation to an oft overlooked sect. That's a real positive and worthy stride.
Let's be real - at the writing of this review, I am a 31 year old woman. I have to read YA with certain "lowered" expectations, because the depth of these novels is not meant for a 31 year old woman, it's meant for younger readers. I try really hard to think about what someone who actually falls within the targeted age bracket could or would take away from it, and I think this would be a very confusing book for someone of that age that is struggling with their sexuality, which is exactly the route that the book should not have taken. I would be curious to hear what others thought about it, and what their take away was. Despite the fact that I personally believe that the content matter was irresponsibly handled at times, the book itself was just not particularly well written, even by YA standards. Kudos, though, to the author for attempting to give representation to an oft overlooked sect. That's a real positive and worthy stride.
January 29, 2017
3.5
"God is all-powerful. He/she knows what he/she is doing, right?"
"Yeah."
"So did god make a mistake with your friend? Why would god create homosexuality if it was wrong or a mistake?"
I think this is the first book I've read that focuses on a bissexual character so I was really excited to jump into it. I ended up really enjoying it, but it is so short and the story was so simple and average. It was just an ok read. ^^
"God is all-powerful. He/she knows what he/she is doing, right?"
"Yeah."
"So did god make a mistake with your friend? Why would god create homosexuality if it was wrong or a mistake?"
I think this is the first book I've read that focuses on a bissexual character so I was really excited to jump into it. I ended up really enjoying it, but it is so short and the story was so simple and average. It was just an ok read. ^^
March 3, 2017
3.5/5
this took me less than two hours to read and it was really sweet!! i love being bisexual
this took me less than two hours to read and it was really sweet!! i love being bisexual
April 5, 2018
Brett Miller the high school jock.
Everything you could ever imagine in a star football player in high school; he is athletic, good looking and of course the most popular kid. He is one of the few “kings” that rules the school and no one dares to mess with him. Of course, he is dating the prettiest girl in school, Jillia (surprisingly she is a softball player, not a cheerleader). Jillia and Brett have been together for 2 years and he can’t imagine being with any other girl and for sure not a boy... until he meets Zach. Bi-Normal by M. G. Higgins follows the life of Brett as he faces the hardest battle in his life; being attracted to both genders.
Brett already faces stress at home since his mom recently died leaving his father alone to support the family. Things get worse when Brett meets Zach in art class and from this point on Brett cannot stop thinking about him. Brett becomes disgusted with himself and keeps reminding himself, “I’m not gay. I like girls I love girls. I love Jillia (31). Day after day Brett secretly falls more in love with Zach but will never admit it to anyone even himself. His feelings for Zach get stronger and he realizes, “It’s a crush. I’m crushing on a friggin guy. That’s sick” (49). At the same time, Brett along with his football teammates are infamous for bullying members of the LGBTQ community. This just makes everything harder since Brett knows he can never tell his friends nor anyone at school about his crush. To keep his mind off of Zach and in order to prove to himself that he is not gay, he continues his relationship with Jillia. Jillia sensed something was wrong with Brett so she suggested they “take a break” (we all know that's never good). Brett was crushed when Jillia ended their relationship but it hurt more since he came to realize his true identity; “I am bisexual. I am totally bisexual... I don’t have a clue what to do about it” (131).
The book ends (as expected) by Brett finally understanding and accepting who he is; he gains the confidence to tell his father, who accepts him for who he is. Through it all, the reader is able to feel for Brett because he comes full circle by becoming one with the kids he once bullied.
M. G. Higgins tackled an interesting topic that is usually overlooked: bisexuality in young adults. Bi-Normal clearly shows the emotional roller coaster some teens face making it relatable to some readers. Despite the undeveloped characters and weak relationships, the story has an incredible message towards the younger intended audience. Bi-Normal was to the point without sugar coating the intense issue Brett was facing; however, I do wish Higgins took the time to elaborate on the ending to show how Brett overcame his dilemma. These flaws are easily looked past since Higgins properly undertook the deep topic of bisexuality.
Everything you could ever imagine in a star football player in high school; he is athletic, good looking and of course the most popular kid. He is one of the few “kings” that rules the school and no one dares to mess with him. Of course, he is dating the prettiest girl in school, Jillia (surprisingly she is a softball player, not a cheerleader). Jillia and Brett have been together for 2 years and he can’t imagine being with any other girl and for sure not a boy... until he meets Zach. Bi-Normal by M. G. Higgins follows the life of Brett as he faces the hardest battle in his life; being attracted to both genders.
Brett already faces stress at home since his mom recently died leaving his father alone to support the family. Things get worse when Brett meets Zach in art class and from this point on Brett cannot stop thinking about him. Brett becomes disgusted with himself and keeps reminding himself, “I’m not gay. I like girls I love girls. I love Jillia (31). Day after day Brett secretly falls more in love with Zach but will never admit it to anyone even himself. His feelings for Zach get stronger and he realizes, “It’s a crush. I’m crushing on a friggin guy. That’s sick” (49). At the same time, Brett along with his football teammates are infamous for bullying members of the LGBTQ community. This just makes everything harder since Brett knows he can never tell his friends nor anyone at school about his crush. To keep his mind off of Zach and in order to prove to himself that he is not gay, he continues his relationship with Jillia. Jillia sensed something was wrong with Brett so she suggested they “take a break” (we all know that's never good). Brett was crushed when Jillia ended their relationship but it hurt more since he came to realize his true identity; “I am bisexual. I am totally bisexual... I don’t have a clue what to do about it” (131).
The book ends (as expected) by Brett finally understanding and accepting who he is; he gains the confidence to tell his father, who accepts him for who he is. Through it all, the reader is able to feel for Brett because he comes full circle by becoming one with the kids he once bullied.
M. G. Higgins tackled an interesting topic that is usually overlooked: bisexuality in young adults. Bi-Normal clearly shows the emotional roller coaster some teens face making it relatable to some readers. Despite the undeveloped characters and weak relationships, the story has an incredible message towards the younger intended audience. Bi-Normal was to the point without sugar coating the intense issue Brett was facing; however, I do wish Higgins took the time to elaborate on the ending to show how Brett overcame his dilemma. These flaws are easily looked past since Higgins properly undertook the deep topic of bisexuality.
September 5, 2021
Hi/Lo Novel With Bisexuality as a Theme? Yes Please!
Recently, I've been on the hunt for good contemporary, lgbtq+ themed stories to teach at the High School level. And this is it. First, the MC is male and we all know that representation of bisexuality for those that identify as male is well, lacking. Second, it's an easy read, which means it's easy to focus on the themes and content of the novel.
Will definitely work on a unit for that novel!
Recently, I've been on the hunt for good contemporary, lgbtq+ themed stories to teach at the High School level. And this is it. First, the MC is male and we all know that representation of bisexuality for those that identify as male is well, lacking. Second, it's an easy read, which means it's easy to focus on the themes and content of the novel.
Will definitely work on a unit for that novel!
April 9, 2025
não me arrependo porque so levou 2 horas pra ler esse livro mas foi meio merda.. primeiramente que esse livro é muito “ah ele é um bully lixo homofóbico mas ele também tem problemas sabe:(“. por que o autor tá tentando fazer a gente sentir dó por esse bosta rala sabe? fodase se ele tem conflitos, ele ainda é um bosta e deve ser visto como tal. a escrita em si é horrível também, e a historia em geral bem mediocre.
June 4, 2019
I've never been more disappointed in a book. I was expecting a fun story of a guy coming to discover & learn about his bisexuality.
Yes, the main plot of his bisexuality happened, but it just wasn't greatly done.
The writing style was very simple. That is something manageable (though not the most enjoyable), however, the story was just... Not good.
-The main character is trash.
-The main character and his friends bully openly gay kids for "being so out" & "making it obvious"
-The main character actually attends a church service in attempts to pray the gay away
-everyone thinks it's okay to call the MC's girlfriend a gorilla?? Even the MC is chill with it??
There are just so many explatives i want to scream about this book. I've never felt more infuriated by a story. I was excited for a story with bisexual representation but this book was a waste of time
Yes, the main plot of his bisexuality happened, but it just wasn't greatly done.
The writing style was very simple. That is something manageable (though not the most enjoyable), however, the story was just... Not good.
-The main character is trash.
-The main character and his friends bully openly gay kids for "being so out" & "making it obvious"
-The main character actually attends a church service in attempts to pray the gay away
-everyone thinks it's okay to call the MC's girlfriend a gorilla?? Even the MC is chill with it??
There are just so many explatives i want to scream about this book. I've never felt more infuriated by a story. I was excited for a story with bisexual representation but this book was a waste of time
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2014
This is a unique book in that it focuses on bisexuality, a concept not covered as often in the still emerging teen LGBTQ genre. The main character is a male jock and begins to develop feelings for a young man in his art class. This is frightening for him, especially since he has a long time girlfriend that he's crazy about.
This is not a happily ever after romance, but it is a decent snapshot of the scary roller coaster ride that adolescent sexuality can be. One of the things I was really impressed by was that a character in the books discusses that sexuality, like most biological traits, falls on a spectrum. Almost no one is 100% "straight".
This is not a happily ever after romance, but it is a decent snapshot of the scary roller coaster ride that adolescent sexuality can be. One of the things I was really impressed by was that a character in the books discusses that sexuality, like most biological traits, falls on a spectrum. Almost no one is 100% "straight".
March 16, 2015
I loved this book! This book had so much conflict, and the ending made me happy. But it was sad that the main character liked a boy who he thought was gay but turned out to be straight. If there is a second book to this I would love to read it!! And if their is other books by this author that are similar to this book or as spectacular I would also love to read these as well! But over all I think it is a great book. And I think it really shows the struggles teens have trying to find or hide their identities. And I think the author really has a understanding for the LGBT community, and I just absolutely adore it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. I found it slightly basic and below my personal reading level but I found myself truly immersed in the story wanting to find out what will happen next. I related to the main character and his struggles. It isn't often a book depicts this particular struggle so accurately. The characters were a little bland and unlikable, but the storytelling ability Higgins demonstrated made up for that. The ending was unique and proved it was not just some cheesy romance novel, it had integrity and heart. This is a book I would read again.
September 25, 2019
Rep: bi mc
September 18, 2021
First, a trigger warning: This story has homophobic content, mentions of self-harm, and coercion of sex between the main character and his girlfriend.
Bi-Normal is a perfectly presentable and passable story. In simple terms it is a story about self-discovery, the main character is discovering his bisexuality, however there is also a persistent hum of problems and internalised homophobia. In a way it is relatable, I can see guys like the main character existing and relate to their struggled, but there is also a lot of negative content in the story.
The main character is a jock and he and his group of friends are the popular group, the footballers. They're also the bullies, and there are out gay characters in the story, Nate and Ryan. If you know the tropes and stereotypes you can see where this is going: the jocks bully the gays. I am going to be frank and not censor myself here: the word "fag" and certain variants are thrown around both in text and during internal monologue, but the word "shit" is censored by writing it as s--t. It is the most jarring inconsistency happening with in pages of each other and it's a total eyesore when it comes up.
The guy also, as a masculine sporty jock type, focuses on sex a little too much. In fact, fair warning, he coerces his girlfriend into having sex with him to prove he isn't gay. She doesn't know that this is his plan and later on breaks up with him over it. A justified move on her part, she kept saying she wasn't ready and then he pushed her into it. It wasn't done in a bad way it was done in an acceptable fashion, and is the only time the main character has faced a consequence for his actions.
That's one of the biggest downfalls of the story. There is no major conflict and there are no consequences. They go hand in hand really, because the character faces no external struggle then he doesn't make mistakes and then there is no conflict to push the story forward. When he does do something particularly crappy like, I don't know, beat the gay guy's car hood with a baseball bat because the gay guy sent someone to talk to him at a public softball match about being bisexual which the main character was sitting with his jock friends, the character owns up to it and doesn't face a consequence. He tells his dad, no punishment. He tells the guy who owns the car, no punishment. He seems to get away with it because he's a jock.
The second biggest issue with the story is the pace. Chapters are short, I was reading it as an eBook and they were 5 pages long on average but there was a lot of dialogue in some which extended them, I read the book in perhaps six hours overall. Goodreads says the book is 191 pages but it felt much shorter, because of the lack of conflict I felt that I was rushing along to find the moments of tension but they were chapters apart and then the book was over with no conclusion.
Unlike Boyfriends with Girlfriends, the book didn't offend me, and the homophobic content was expected because the story is about discovering yourself and your sexuality. The character's sexuality was not set before the story started so the slurs and the harmful comments can be forgiven because it's relatable for LGBT+ people to have mixed thoughts and feelings in a society where straight is the norm.
Aside from the triggering content that might turn some people away, the book is great for if you have an afternoon free and want to read something sweet and charming, where there is no real need to think about anything and just listen to someone talk. It's a decent story that ends with a hopeful anti-climax.
Bi-Normal is a perfectly presentable and passable story. In simple terms it is a story about self-discovery, the main character is discovering his bisexuality, however there is also a persistent hum of problems and internalised homophobia. In a way it is relatable, I can see guys like the main character existing and relate to their struggled, but there is also a lot of negative content in the story.
The main character is a jock and he and his group of friends are the popular group, the footballers. They're also the bullies, and there are out gay characters in the story, Nate and Ryan. If you know the tropes and stereotypes you can see where this is going: the jocks bully the gays. I am going to be frank and not censor myself here: the word "fag" and certain variants are thrown around both in text and during internal monologue, but the word "shit" is censored by writing it as s--t. It is the most jarring inconsistency happening with in pages of each other and it's a total eyesore when it comes up.
The guy also, as a masculine sporty jock type, focuses on sex a little too much. In fact, fair warning, he coerces his girlfriend into having sex with him to prove he isn't gay. She doesn't know that this is his plan and later on breaks up with him over it. A justified move on her part, she kept saying she wasn't ready and then he pushed her into it. It wasn't done in a bad way it was done in an acceptable fashion, and is the only time the main character has faced a consequence for his actions.
That's one of the biggest downfalls of the story. There is no major conflict and there are no consequences. They go hand in hand really, because the character faces no external struggle then he doesn't make mistakes and then there is no conflict to push the story forward. When he does do something particularly crappy like, I don't know, beat the gay guy's car hood with a baseball bat because the gay guy sent someone to talk to him at a public softball match about being bisexual which the main character was sitting with his jock friends, the character owns up to it and doesn't face a consequence. He tells his dad, no punishment. He tells the guy who owns the car, no punishment. He seems to get away with it because he's a jock.
The second biggest issue with the story is the pace. Chapters are short, I was reading it as an eBook and they were 5 pages long on average but there was a lot of dialogue in some which extended them, I read the book in perhaps six hours overall. Goodreads says the book is 191 pages but it felt much shorter, because of the lack of conflict I felt that I was rushing along to find the moments of tension but they were chapters apart and then the book was over with no conclusion.
Unlike Boyfriends with Girlfriends, the book didn't offend me, and the homophobic content was expected because the story is about discovering yourself and your sexuality. The character's sexuality was not set before the story started so the slurs and the harmful comments can be forgiven because it's relatable for LGBT+ people to have mixed thoughts and feelings in a society where straight is the norm.
Aside from the triggering content that might turn some people away, the book is great for if you have an afternoon free and want to read something sweet and charming, where there is no real need to think about anything and just listen to someone talk. It's a decent story that ends with a hopeful anti-climax.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2019
Bi-Normal is a quick and easy read that provides a realistic, eye opening look into the mind of a macho sophomore football player forced to confront his sexuality. Brett is the BMOC of an Oregon high school, a football player with a "hot" girlfriend and a posse who enjoy tormenting the school's gay couple. Enter Zach, an attractive classmate to whom Brett finds himself irresistibly attracted.
Struggling with his feelings, he take some nasty actions, pressuring his girlfriend into sex before she's ready, wimping out on standing up to his bullying pals and trashing a gay classmate's car. So I agree that he is not the poster boy for inclusivity.
What saved this book for me, and why I recommend it, is Brett's facing up to his sexuality and ultimately accepting responsibility for his actions, finally standing up to his posse and offering to repair his classmate's car. The damage is done with his girlfriend for sure, but I suspect this is a pretty realistic portrayal of a young man of this type in this situation. I found it much better than an able writer, Carrie Mesrobian's, "Cut Both Ways" in which the main character uses both his boy and girlfriend with no remorse whatsoever.
Struggling with his feelings, he take some nasty actions, pressuring his girlfriend into sex before she's ready, wimping out on standing up to his bullying pals and trashing a gay classmate's car. So I agree that he is not the poster boy for inclusivity.
What saved this book for me, and why I recommend it, is Brett's facing up to his sexuality and ultimately accepting responsibility for his actions, finally standing up to his posse and offering to repair his classmate's car. The damage is done with his girlfriend for sure, but I suspect this is a pretty realistic portrayal of a young man of this type in this situation. I found it much better than an able writer, Carrie Mesrobian's, "Cut Both Ways" in which the main character uses both his boy and girlfriend with no remorse whatsoever.
June 16, 2023
I read this book for the first time about 7 years ago and it's a lot more harmful than I remember.
The internalized homophobia here is insane. I don't wanna spoil anything, so I'm gonna keep this short.
I just feel like there wasn't much character development from Brett. The only difference in his participation in the bullying is that he gets mildly annoyed and walked away from it like once. At the end, it seems like he still believes that openly gay people are bringing bullying upon themselves.
Also, there's his relationship with Jillia. I don't think there was a single time I was reading about them where my jaw wasn't touching the ground. To an extent, so if the things he did to prove to himself that his feelings weren't feelings made sense. However, most of the time it was more than his internal struggle and really just made him out to be an ass.
Some of the outcomes in the end saved this book from being one star, but I really just hope that kids aren't still reading this today and having their first opinions of the LGBT community come from this. I'd hate for the new generation to think that you can either be homophobic or a part of the community, with nothing in-between.
The internalized homophobia here is insane. I don't wanna spoil anything, so I'm gonna keep this short.
I just feel like there wasn't much character development from Brett. The only difference in his participation in the bullying is that he gets mildly annoyed and walked away from it like once. At the end, it seems like he still believes that openly gay people are bringing bullying upon themselves.
Also, there's his relationship with Jillia. I don't think there was a single time I was reading about them where my jaw wasn't touching the ground. To an extent, so if the things he did to prove to himself that his feelings weren't feelings made sense. However, most of the time it was more than his internal struggle and really just made him out to be an ass.
Some of the outcomes in the end saved this book from being one star, but I really just hope that kids aren't still reading this today and having their first opinions of the LGBT community come from this. I'd hate for the new generation to think that you can either be homophobic or a part of the community, with nothing in-between.
March 10, 2022
Honestly, not my favorite read. I know 13 year olds who could write something better than this. Sure, it might take longer, but at least it would have more than just simple sentences forming a series of events. I read this hoping it would address biphobia (it didn’t), and I got something that has no real plot line. I mean, what even would be the climax? When the main character decides to wreck the car of the kid who was trying to help him? Yeah, figuring out who you are can be hard, but that doesn’t mean you take it out on innocent people. And the way ‘shit’ and ‘fuck’ are censored just seems strange.
It’s also just unrealistic. You expect me to believe that a 16 year old who goes to a public school with a GSA doesn’t know what the word ‘bi’ means? Sure.
Maybe it’s just me and the fact that I don’t like it when straight authors try to write about struggles they’ve never experienced, but ‘Bi Normal’ just isn’t a book I would recommend reading.
It’s also just unrealistic. You expect me to believe that a 16 year old who goes to a public school with a GSA doesn’t know what the word ‘bi’ means? Sure.
Maybe it’s just me and the fact that I don’t like it when straight authors try to write about struggles they’ve never experienced, but ‘Bi Normal’ just isn’t a book I would recommend reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2023
Getting into the head of a bully is a very different perspective than what is typically seen in YA literature, and I think Higgins did a good job of portraying Brett’s anger, confusion, and frustration with himself. Those emotions definitely came through as the story continued.
On the other hand, understanding Brett’s mindset doesn’t make it okay. There are quite a few things he does in this book that are pretty terrible. He’s just...not really a great guy. By the end of the book he’s shown to have potential, but as it stands, he’s still not that sympathetic, and it makes it hard to root for him or even care if he manages to turn things around.
On the other hand, understanding Brett’s mindset doesn’t make it okay. There are quite a few things he does in this book that are pretty terrible. He’s just...not really a great guy. By the end of the book he’s shown to have potential, but as it stands, he’s still not that sympathetic, and it makes it hard to root for him or even care if he manages to turn things around.
July 23, 2017
Higgins sets up the premise of this YA novel completely in short, snappy sentences in the first seven pages. Brett's family is troubled ever since his mother died; he's a good kid with a killer girlfriend and lots of friends; and he's acting out because he doesn't understand why he is attracted to both males and females.
This can be good, right? Hooks the reader, lays out the conflict. But it also determines exactly what this story is all about - a character development tale which must follow a certain path. The voice is strong which dominates the writing style. It a cleanly constructed book.
This can be good, right? Hooks the reader, lays out the conflict. But it also determines exactly what this story is all about - a character development tale which must follow a certain path. The voice is strong which dominates the writing style. It a cleanly constructed book.
November 8, 2017
I suppose this book has its merits, but it was focused on a habitually unthoughtful protagonist who was quite unappealing. It's good that there is a bite-sized book out there for teens who may wonder if they're bi, but the books simplicity (while perhaps making it more appealing to reluctant readers) left much to be desired. The fact that the protagonist was completely unaware that bisexuality was a thing, believing that all people must be either 100% gay or 100% straight, seemed a bit unbelievable. The book seemed more like it was designed to deliver superficial educational material than a compelling story.
January 17, 2025
I found this book in my school library literally hidden in the shelfs.When I first started reading it I was not aware of the downright homophobia that is in this book.Our male mc is saying the f slur like its a normal non derogatory word.He basically coerced his girlfriend into sex he kept pressuring her.He was so dramatic about everything.He claims he grew up around homophobia and bullying but from the way his father is written he never spews hate when it comes to anybody so I don't know where Brett got it from.There also is no conclusion where is the happy ending?Is there a sequel I have no clue bro I lost Brain cells reading this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2020
Would I recommend this book? Probably not.
Slight spoilers of general plot.
Good ideas, but falls short. I liked the interesting route the story took to present its queer protagonist, but no resolution to his flaws or any meaningful character development came from it. Instead, the plot dropped off suddenly as if the author forgot about a deadline and turned in what work he had.
Judging from what the author did have in the story, I thought the plot was at least intriguing, but kind of shallow and potentially harmful for queer youth who might stumble onto this book.
Slight spoilers of general plot.
Good ideas, but falls short. I liked the interesting route the story took to present its queer protagonist, but no resolution to his flaws or any meaningful character development came from it. Instead, the plot dropped off suddenly as if the author forgot about a deadline and turned in what work he had.
Judging from what the author did have in the story, I thought the plot was at least intriguing, but kind of shallow and potentially harmful for queer youth who might stumble onto this book.
June 28, 2022
I'm going to give this book 2 stars because I believe Higgins had good intentions here, however misguided they have been. And oh, were they misguided. It's actually kind of amazing how many stereotypes she managed to cram into this story given how incredibly fast-paced it was. Toxic masculinity, "obvious" homosexuality, religion...you name it, she put it in here. At least she made an attempt, though? Right? That's what I'm telling myself, at least.
July 20, 2021
This book was almost a complete waste of time. It lacked of good writing and character development, and I almost felt that there was no point of reading it. The characters are the literal definition of homophobic and gay. I believe that it does not capture the aspect of bisexuality at all, and the characters are hard to relate to.
September 4, 2023
I wanted to love this. It’s so hard to find books about bi people. The majority of this book was all homophobic teens being jerks. A crime is committed and it is just getting swept under a rug? BS! Yeah some of this stuff is relatable being confused and people get bullied but the way they “joke” about suicide was untactful. I was disappointed. I guess I read too many romance novels
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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