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The Ship We Built
Tender and wise, The Ship We Built is about the bravery it takes to stand up for yourself--even to those you love--and the power of finding someone who treasures you for everything you are.
Sometimes I have trouble filling out tests when the name part feels like a test too. . . . When I write letters, I love that you have to read all of my thoughts and stories before I say any name at all. You have to make it to the very end to know.
Rowan has too many secrets to write down in the pages of a diary. And if he did, he wouldn't want anyone he knows to read them. He understands who he is and what he likes, but it's not safe for others to find out. Now the kids at school say Rowan's too different to spend time with. He's not the "right kind" of girl, and he's not the "right kind" of boy. His mom ignores him. And at night, his dad hurts him in ways he's not ready to talk about yet.
But Rowan discovers another way to share his letters. Letters he attaches to balloons and releases into the universe, hoping someone new will read them and understand. But when he befriends a classmate who knows what it's like to be lonely and scared, even at home, Rowan realizes that there might already be a person he can trust right by his side.
Sometimes I have trouble filling out tests when the name part feels like a test too. . . . When I write letters, I love that you have to read all of my thoughts and stories before I say any name at all. You have to make it to the very end to know.
Rowan has too many secrets to write down in the pages of a diary. And if he did, he wouldn't want anyone he knows to read them. He understands who he is and what he likes, but it's not safe for others to find out. Now the kids at school say Rowan's too different to spend time with. He's not the "right kind" of girl, and he's not the "right kind" of boy. His mom ignores him. And at night, his dad hurts him in ways he's not ready to talk about yet.
But Rowan discovers another way to share his letters. Letters he attaches to balloons and releases into the universe, hoping someone new will read them and understand. But when he befriends a classmate who knows what it's like to be lonely and scared, even at home, Rowan realizes that there might already be a person he can trust right by his side.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 26, 2020
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2547 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
February 29, 2020
*Thank you Netgalley, Lexie Bean, and to the publisher for an eARC of The Ship We Built! All thoughts and comments are my own.
Just.. wow. I finished the book about an hour ago and I'm still trying to process my thoughts on this. Rowan is in 5th grade during the late 90s, navigating their body and what it means to be a boy or girl. Lexie Bean does an amazing job with identifying issues that a young trans kid may experience growing up.
This book is SO IMPORTANT. A name is important. It is our main identifier. As someone who has personally struggled with this as well, sometimes we don't know when to use our birth name or a name we choose for ourselves. Throughout the story, Rowan switches between names based on his current mood. This personally really resonated with myself, because my father forced a name on me that was not mine. I periodically had to switch given the situation that I was in.
In a growing society where we learn acceptance of each and every human, this book is going to be a stand out. It is currently the only middle grade book that features a trans boy character, and written by a trans author. I hope that this representation finds its way to more audiences. I recommend this book to anyone working with people, kids, and those who may identify with any of the themes presented. I hope to see this book in my kids' library.
If you are that ONE person who shows kindness to someone who needs it most.. you could be saving their life. Thank you so much Lexie for writing this book. The world needs this now more than ever.
**Trigger warning for light disclosures on sexual abuse, substance abuse, homophobia, and bullying. The author does an excellent job with bringing these issues to light, while providing resources at the conclusion to the book.
Just.. wow. I finished the book about an hour ago and I'm still trying to process my thoughts on this. Rowan is in 5th grade during the late 90s, navigating their body and what it means to be a boy or girl. Lexie Bean does an amazing job with identifying issues that a young trans kid may experience growing up.
This book is SO IMPORTANT. A name is important. It is our main identifier. As someone who has personally struggled with this as well, sometimes we don't know when to use our birth name or a name we choose for ourselves. Throughout the story, Rowan switches between names based on his current mood. This personally really resonated with myself, because my father forced a name on me that was not mine. I periodically had to switch given the situation that I was in.
In a growing society where we learn acceptance of each and every human, this book is going to be a stand out. It is currently the only middle grade book that features a trans boy character, and written by a trans author. I hope that this representation finds its way to more audiences. I recommend this book to anyone working with people, kids, and those who may identify with any of the themes presented. I hope to see this book in my kids' library.
If you are that ONE person who shows kindness to someone who needs it most.. you could be saving their life. Thank you so much Lexie for writing this book. The world needs this now more than ever.
**Trigger warning for light disclosures on sexual abuse, substance abuse, homophobia, and bullying. The author does an excellent job with bringing these issues to light, while providing resources at the conclusion to the book.
June 12, 2020
This is an ownvoices review.
It's going to be hard for me to articulate exactly the experience of reading The Ship We Built. It was extremely painful, yet healing in ways I didn't expect. The experiences of young trans boy Rowan's are so similar to my own, it felt as though Lexie Bean had seen within me, and seen my still very open and very raw wounds of childhood - from the sexual abuse Rowan cannot yet put into words, to his surety of being a boy and the complications that come with trying to understand where his own boyhood fits into the perceptions he has of manhood due to the abuse from men in his life.
At times I needed to put this book down and take a breath and distance myself, as it got too much. The depictions of loneliness, of fear, of isolation were so heartbreaking and the gorgeous writing felt like a punch to the gut. There is something so heart wrenching about reading something that stares so directly into your soul, and your own experiences of abuse and young transness.
There were times even when I thought maybe I wouldn't have the strength to finish it, but I am so so glad I did. The Ship We Built is ultimately healing. It's about finding yourself, it's about finding the words to express yourself and what you've been through. It's about the tenderness of friendship and love and understanding, and this book is definitely that - tender. It felt to me like a hug from someone who really sees me.
Despite this being middle grade fiction, I absolutely encourage adults to pick this up too, especially trans readers - you will get so much out of it.
Trigger warnings: heavily implied child sexual abuse (not graphic, but a strong theme throughout the whole book), parental neglect and abuse, transphobia and homophobia, internalised transphobia and homophobia, suicidal thoughts and ideation
It's going to be hard for me to articulate exactly the experience of reading The Ship We Built. It was extremely painful, yet healing in ways I didn't expect. The experiences of young trans boy Rowan's are so similar to my own, it felt as though Lexie Bean had seen within me, and seen my still very open and very raw wounds of childhood - from the sexual abuse Rowan cannot yet put into words, to his surety of being a boy and the complications that come with trying to understand where his own boyhood fits into the perceptions he has of manhood due to the abuse from men in his life.
At times I needed to put this book down and take a breath and distance myself, as it got too much. The depictions of loneliness, of fear, of isolation were so heartbreaking and the gorgeous writing felt like a punch to the gut. There is something so heart wrenching about reading something that stares so directly into your soul, and your own experiences of abuse and young transness.
There were times even when I thought maybe I wouldn't have the strength to finish it, but I am so so glad I did. The Ship We Built is ultimately healing. It's about finding yourself, it's about finding the words to express yourself and what you've been through. It's about the tenderness of friendship and love and understanding, and this book is definitely that - tender. It felt to me like a hug from someone who really sees me.
Despite this being middle grade fiction, I absolutely encourage adults to pick this up too, especially trans readers - you will get so much out of it.
Trigger warnings: heavily implied child sexual abuse (not graphic, but a strong theme throughout the whole book), parental neglect and abuse, transphobia and homophobia, internalised transphobia and homophobia, suicidal thoughts and ideation
December 12, 2020
Baby's First The Perks of Being a Wallflower with a trans boy lead. This is a very important book and I feel like it will be very good for kids in its target demographic--especially kids who are questioning their gender or already out as trans--but the ending felt very anticlimactic for me.
June 17, 2022
This book was soo different, but so heartbreaking. It really made you think and the afterword at the end sent goosebumps! Such a cute story whilist still dealing with dark things x
June 12, 2021
(tw: transphobia, homophobia, abuse, implications of SA)
This was such a tough read.
The Ship We Built is about a trans boy named Rowan, as he is discovering his identity and dealing with his abusive father.
This is told similarly to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Rowan is sending letters to whoever finds them and reads them. He sends them up in balloons, which is so sweet.
I don’t even know what to say right now I feel like an empty shell.
Reading about Rowan’s constant struggles with his identity was very hard. He gets bullied at school by his old friends, nobody talks to him, his parents constantly deny who he is and punish him for wanting to be himself.
This book really dives into the guilt and isolation that comes with being a trans person and how wrong other people make you feel for existing.
He also has to deal with his father at home who, “comes in to kiss him goodnight”, and “sleeps with him”. Who is always yelling and punching holes in the wall.
But alongside all of this pain there is also so much love and hope.
Rowan has a friend named Sophie who is always by his side no matter what. She sticks by him even though she is going through her own hardships, her dad was put into jail and her mother is barely getting by so she is frequently staying home and taking care of her little sister as well.
There are so many cute little aspects of this book too, because, even though it is easy to forget through all these hardships, Rowan is still just a little kid.
He dreams of being a mailman when he’s older, he builds a ship out of a refrigerator box with Sophie, he brings rocks to her house when she isn’t around and leaves them at her door so she knows he’s thinking of her.
This is such an impactful story that is so important for so many kids out there, it is hard to get through but in the end it is worth it.
———————————————————————————
i feel so empty but so full at the same time
This was such a tough read.
The Ship We Built is about a trans boy named Rowan, as he is discovering his identity and dealing with his abusive father.
This is told similarly to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Rowan is sending letters to whoever finds them and reads them. He sends them up in balloons, which is so sweet.
I don’t even know what to say right now I feel like an empty shell.
Reading about Rowan’s constant struggles with his identity was very hard. He gets bullied at school by his old friends, nobody talks to him, his parents constantly deny who he is and punish him for wanting to be himself.
This book really dives into the guilt and isolation that comes with being a trans person and how wrong other people make you feel for existing.
He also has to deal with his father at home who, “comes in to kiss him goodnight”, and “sleeps with him”. Who is always yelling and punching holes in the wall.
But alongside all of this pain there is also so much love and hope.
Rowan has a friend named Sophie who is always by his side no matter what. She sticks by him even though she is going through her own hardships, her dad was put into jail and her mother is barely getting by so she is frequently staying home and taking care of her little sister as well.
There are so many cute little aspects of this book too, because, even though it is easy to forget through all these hardships, Rowan is still just a little kid.
He dreams of being a mailman when he’s older, he builds a ship out of a refrigerator box with Sophie, he brings rocks to her house when she isn’t around and leaves them at her door so she knows he’s thinking of her.
This is such an impactful story that is so important for so many kids out there, it is hard to get through but in the end it is worth it.
———————————————————————————
i feel so empty but so full at the same time
October 23, 2020
Really beautiful and heartbreaking in the ways it depicts Rowan's journey of gender discovery. There is so much personal truth brought from the authors own experiences, that you are completely transported into the text.
August 25, 2023
I’m not even totally sure what it means to be a boy, so don’t ask me. But haven’t you ever said something about yourself and it’s like you can feel your heart beating for the first time in your life? It’s like that.
This is so good. I feel like it's kind of flown under the radar, maybe because a lot of the queer book community doesn't like to recommend sad queer books, especially middle grade, which is understandable! But this is so so good, and the abuse is only vaguely alluded to, and other parts of the book are surprisingly fun, and it has a really hopeful ending. It also has anti-carceral themes: the main character's best friend's dad (who is Black) goes to jail, and the book not only shows how hard this is on the whole family, it also talks about him making 10 cents an hour at his prison job.
The portrayal of childhood, even just the regular fun parts of childhood, is lovely. The games Rowan plays feel so much like real games I might have played in elementary school - the secret club in the bathroom where they practice confident walks! It feels like it was written by someone who really deeply authentically remembers what being a kid was like. Plus there are a lot of fun nineties references, which made me nostalgic for my childhood. (I know, I know, millennials can't shut up about being nineties kids.)
Other things I loved: the illustrations of Rowan's drawings; Rowan and Sofie's friendship; the Ring of Keys moment; the sense of setting (late-nineties small-town Upper Peninsula Michigan); Rowan's fifth grade teacher, Mr. B, who probably isn't sure exactly what's going on with Rowan but can tell that he's going through something and is a consistently kind and supportive presence and made me cry. Also just the prose - I read a library hard copy, but I kept wishing I was reading it ebook form so it would be easy to highlight passages.
Rep: Main character is a white trans boy who seems likely to identify as bisexual someday (he has a crush on a boy, and probably also on a girl), and who might have selective mutism (I'm not sure of the exact criteria for this, but he "plays the no-talking game"). His best friend is a Black girl. Both of their families are working-class.
Content notes: Child sexual abuse (recurring, but very vague / not graphic). Child experiencing incarceration of a parent. Vague portrayal of conversion therapy on a minor. Internalized transphobia (but not super intense, compared to a lot of portrayals of internalized transphobia and homophobia). Anti-gay bullying, but no slurs on-page. Brief fatphobia, not endorsed by the narrative (main character's father comments negatively on main character's mother's weight).
This is so good. I feel like it's kind of flown under the radar, maybe because a lot of the queer book community doesn't like to recommend sad queer books, especially middle grade, which is understandable! But this is so so good, and the abuse is only vaguely alluded to, and other parts of the book are surprisingly fun, and it has a really hopeful ending. It also has anti-carceral themes: the main character's best friend's dad (who is Black) goes to jail, and the book not only shows how hard this is on the whole family, it also talks about him making 10 cents an hour at his prison job.
The portrayal of childhood, even just the regular fun parts of childhood, is lovely. The games Rowan plays feel so much like real games I might have played in elementary school - the secret club in the bathroom where they practice confident walks! It feels like it was written by someone who really deeply authentically remembers what being a kid was like. Plus there are a lot of fun nineties references, which made me nostalgic for my childhood. (I know, I know, millennials can't shut up about being nineties kids.)
Other things I loved: the illustrations of Rowan's drawings; Rowan and Sofie's friendship; the Ring of Keys moment; the sense of setting (late-nineties small-town Upper Peninsula Michigan); Rowan's fifth grade teacher, Mr. B, who probably isn't sure exactly what's going on with Rowan but can tell that he's going through something and is a consistently kind and supportive presence and made me cry. Also just the prose - I read a library hard copy, but I kept wishing I was reading it ebook form so it would be easy to highlight passages.
Rep: Main character is a white trans boy who seems likely to identify as bisexual someday (he has a crush on a boy, and probably also on a girl), and who might have selective mutism (I'm not sure of the exact criteria for this, but he "plays the no-talking game"). His best friend is a Black girl. Both of their families are working-class.
Content notes: Child sexual abuse (recurring, but very vague / not graphic). Child experiencing incarceration of a parent. Vague portrayal of conversion therapy on a minor. Internalized transphobia (but not super intense, compared to a lot of portrayals of internalized transphobia and homophobia). Anti-gay bullying, but no slurs on-page. Brief fatphobia, not endorsed by the narrative (main character's father comments negatively on main character's mother's weight).
April 7, 2020
This moved too slow to be anything but painful. Yet the pain is all part and parcel for a story about becoming who you were meant to be. Rowan wants to become that person but being Ellie gets in the way and he finds ways to share his message with the world by sending up letters in balloons as salve for his frustration and pain. Pain in particular because his father is sexually abusing him.
It's an emotional story but I'm not sure the intended audience will find the comfort in the deep "tenderness" that the story is attempting to set the tone for. It's one of those that an adult reading for middle grade will get behind before I think the actual students will. Yet it's a story about being seen and Bean is that person that needed to be seen and wrote a book to "see" other kids who were like them when they didn't have a story like this. So I get it, it just wasn't for me and took took long to unfurl and connect in part because Bean spent too much energy trying to really place you in the 90s.
It's an emotional story but I'm not sure the intended audience will find the comfort in the deep "tenderness" that the story is attempting to set the tone for. It's one of those that an adult reading for middle grade will get behind before I think the actual students will. Yet it's a story about being seen and Bean is that person that needed to be seen and wrote a book to "see" other kids who were like them when they didn't have a story like this. So I get it, it just wasn't for me and took took long to unfurl and connect in part because Bean spent too much energy trying to really place you in the 90s.
July 2, 2021
Gosh, this was a heavy read, but I absolutely adored it. Rowan is such a great protagonist and I loved following him through 5th grade via his letters. Middle grade novels with LGBTQ+ protagonists have my whole heart. All I wanted to do was hug Rowan and his friend Sofie and protect them from all the things they have to endure. The portayal of young transness was incredible, Rowan’s questions about masculinity and how to be in this world were so poignant and real. What a book! Some of the 90s references felt a bit overly direct and some parts were too descriptive, but I 100% forgive that in the face of how emotionally touching and lyrically stunning this work is. You can feel the tender heart behind the story and I can’t imagine how it must be like to read this as a younger person affected by some of the issues portrayed here. What a gift to the world.
May 29, 2024
Of all the genres I’ve read and places I’ve looked, never once did I think that one of my favorite books of all time would end up being a children’s (middle grade) book. I remember seeing something about this in a random corner of Bookstagram last year, and I’ve postponed this on my pile because the subject matter made me nervous. While I understand if some people have to take breaks from the often graphic recollections Rowan writes, or if they might never get around to reading this at all, I don’t regret reading “the ship we built” at all.
The mind and thoughts of a child is so expertly captured in Rowan as a character. I’m sure part of this has to do with the author basing him somewhat off of themself at his age, but it’s still a skill I think is worth acknowledging. Putting you directly in Rowan’s shoes also makes the 90’s Midwest setting feel seamless. I heavily empathized with him…his loneliness, his preservation of his moments of joy, his sadness. Especially when he would directly address the reader. I cannot count how many times I wished to respond to his letters, fight his parents, or hug him.
Because of how young the POV is (ten years old), and how the writing style has to be simple to accommodate that, there was a quiet profoundness throughout. Rowan might not know how to put himself, the love he has for his friend, and all of the emotions that come with living in the Beck household into words sometimes. It can definitely show. But the largeness of those feelings is still felt in all the pages. The love he had for his friend Sofie, and the way she cared for him just as much, brought a bit of light to an otherwise heartbreaking narrative. To see that kind of innocent queer love, too, was beautiful.
Another thing I loved was how Rowan’s gender identity was written. For the first part of the book, he is still trying to figure out how he wants to refer to himself, something made harder by both his age and the hostility of his environment. He cycles through many names, as shown in the variations of sign-offs in his letters. Sometimes, particularly in the middle, his sign-off signatures can even be a signifier of his current mental state or emotions.
And the drawings, too!! I loved them so much. Not only were they precious, but they added a little more life to Rowan’s narrative because it meant you could more easily envision the different people, objects and places he was talking about. Rowan also evolves through his art, which goes on to show how he sees himself or wishes to be, which was a nice touch.
Anyways. I can’t recommend reading this in one sitting—not just because of just how upsetting the story can be, but also because this is very slow-paced. It feels like a recollection of several normal days, with the letters dated and spaced out in a way to feel like you’re watching the story unfold in real time. If you’re looking for something with a high-stakes final act, or a climactic ending, you’re not going to find one. But I would still give this book all the stars I possibly could, because if it touched my heart and soul on this level, I can’t imagine what it can do for people who know, or perhaps are themselves, a Rowan.
Pre Review:
destroyed me
The mind and thoughts of a child is so expertly captured in Rowan as a character. I’m sure part of this has to do with the author basing him somewhat off of themself at his age, but it’s still a skill I think is worth acknowledging. Putting you directly in Rowan’s shoes also makes the 90’s Midwest setting feel seamless. I heavily empathized with him…his loneliness, his preservation of his moments of joy, his sadness. Especially when he would directly address the reader. I cannot count how many times I wished to respond to his letters, fight his parents, or hug him.
Because of how young the POV is (ten years old), and how the writing style has to be simple to accommodate that, there was a quiet profoundness throughout. Rowan might not know how to put himself, the love he has for his friend, and all of the emotions that come with living in the Beck household into words sometimes. It can definitely show. But the largeness of those feelings is still felt in all the pages. The love he had for his friend Sofie, and the way she cared for him just as much, brought a bit of light to an otherwise heartbreaking narrative. To see that kind of innocent queer love, too, was beautiful.
Another thing I loved was how Rowan’s gender identity was written. For the first part of the book, he is still trying to figure out how he wants to refer to himself, something made harder by both his age and the hostility of his environment. He cycles through many names, as shown in the variations of sign-offs in his letters. Sometimes, particularly in the middle, his sign-off signatures can even be a signifier of his current mental state or emotions.
And the drawings, too!! I loved them so much. Not only were they precious, but they added a little more life to Rowan’s narrative because it meant you could more easily envision the different people, objects and places he was talking about. Rowan also evolves through his art, which goes on to show how he sees himself or wishes to be, which was a nice touch.
Anyways. I can’t recommend reading this in one sitting—not just because of just how upsetting the story can be, but also because this is very slow-paced. It feels like a recollection of several normal days, with the letters dated and spaced out in a way to feel like you’re watching the story unfold in real time. If you’re looking for something with a high-stakes final act, or a climactic ending, you’re not going to find one. But I would still give this book all the stars I possibly could, because if it touched my heart and soul on this level, I can’t imagine what it can do for people who know, or perhaps are themselves, a Rowan.
Pre Review:
destroyed me
March 14, 2022
This was highly recommended by a person I respect but I wished I liked it better: it is an extremely slow-moving, introspective tale "written" in letters by a 5th grader named Ellie Beck who wishes to be a boy. It is not clear to the reader why the writer identifies as a male, but very clear that the writer's life is lonely, isolated, and very troubled, both by the fact of a conservative religious mother who refuses to hear what her child wants to say, and by a father who "visits" the child's room at night. There is zero clarity about what these visits entail (will being oblique get this past parental censors?), but the father is a depressed man who drinks too much now that the mine where he used to work has closed. The story feels immensely sad, even though the writer has one true friend, plus a supportive teacher as well. By book's end Ellie feels brave enough to take the name "Rowan" at school, if not at home. The story feels tentative and halting and not a whole lot happens. Perhaps that is the nature of finding one's (very unexpected) way in the world but I'm not sure it would have engaged me at all as a young person.
June 26, 2022
This was very lovely and very painful and very hopeful and I hope very much that it finds exactly the readers who need it.
October 20, 2020
This book broke my heart.
March 15, 2020
I love this book. It’s one of those books you can’t put down, and when you do finish it, you sit there wishing for more and wanting to know what happens with the characters and what they’re up to now. The first couple of pages completely pulled me into the story and I ended up reading it in one sitting.
I’m a sucker for a book told in letter or journal form, and so of course I’m a fan of the format of The Ship We Built. The author’s twist on the letter format was creative and (literally) uplifting. When I was in elementary school and starting out reading middle grade books, I was always drawn to books in this format—I think it helped me get to know the characters on such a deep, intimate level.
Rowan is such a real and wonderful character—I was so struck by his process throughout the book of learning to believe himself—believe what he knew to be his gender, his name, and the realities of the hard things he was experiencing. The character Sophie has great wisdom not only in how to show up for transgender children and/or children who are experiencing abuse—but in how to show up for people of all ages who are trans and/or have experienced abuse.
While I was reading The Ship We Built, I kept thinking that it reminded me of a middle-grade Perks of Being a Wallflower. It’s hard to describe, but this is how I can put it best: both books left me with a kind of feeling that helped me feel less alone in the things that make me feel lonely. I think this is a great book for people of all ages—but especially for kids that are experiencing abuse or have friends that are, and for kids that are trans or have friends that are.
Lexie Bean wrote with such talent and empathy—this is a book that is unique not just for its content (there are not enough published books for kids by transgender authors) but also for the skill, research (I was catapulted into 90’s nostalgia), and life experience put into writing it.
I’m so grateful to have read this book. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Lexie Bean for sending me a copy of the galley!
I’m a sucker for a book told in letter or journal form, and so of course I’m a fan of the format of The Ship We Built. The author’s twist on the letter format was creative and (literally) uplifting. When I was in elementary school and starting out reading middle grade books, I was always drawn to books in this format—I think it helped me get to know the characters on such a deep, intimate level.
Rowan is such a real and wonderful character—I was so struck by his process throughout the book of learning to believe himself—believe what he knew to be his gender, his name, and the realities of the hard things he was experiencing. The character Sophie has great wisdom not only in how to show up for transgender children and/or children who are experiencing abuse—but in how to show up for people of all ages who are trans and/or have experienced abuse.
While I was reading The Ship We Built, I kept thinking that it reminded me of a middle-grade Perks of Being a Wallflower. It’s hard to describe, but this is how I can put it best: both books left me with a kind of feeling that helped me feel less alone in the things that make me feel lonely. I think this is a great book for people of all ages—but especially for kids that are experiencing abuse or have friends that are, and for kids that are trans or have friends that are.
Lexie Bean wrote with such talent and empathy—this is a book that is unique not just for its content (there are not enough published books for kids by transgender authors) but also for the skill, research (I was catapulted into 90’s nostalgia), and life experience put into writing it.
I’m so grateful to have read this book. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Lexie Bean for sending me a copy of the galley!
never-finished
March 31, 2021There was a lot I liked about this book. I liked the epistolary nature, and how it was set up that Rowan was sending the letters off by balloon to whomever might find them. I liked that Rowan was possibly nonbinary, genderqueer, trans, or something unique in that spectrum, and just coming to understand that. I thought the setup was sad but believable. Why I didn't finish it was the glacial pace. The world building was great and I could see that relationships were being built and so forth, but for me it was taking way too long. I also struggled with the narrator, who took breaths in strange places, seemed to be recording it somewhere that was a little echo-y, and reading so slowly that even sped up to 2x, I had no trouble understanding it (and the plot still moved too slowly). I might get this as a print book and try again, because I do want to know what happened.
October 2, 2021
This was really fucking depressing. Content warning for just about everything you would expect about a 10 year old trans boy navigating his world. And also content warning for incest/abuse.
It definitely does feel like it was written by a 5th grader in a lot of ways, which is both good and bad. The author reads the book and their voice is really heartbreaking in the narration.
It does end on a hopeful note, but Christ, you know things aren't going to get better for Rowan for a long, long, long, long time.
It definitely does feel like it was written by a 5th grader in a lot of ways, which is both good and bad. The author reads the book and their voice is really heartbreaking in the narration.
It does end on a hopeful note, but Christ, you know things aren't going to get better for Rowan for a long, long, long, long time.
March 7, 2022
so many things i could say but i think the most important one is that this book is going to save kids' lives
rowan and sofie's friendship, more than friendship, everything-ship makes me cry again just thinking about it and how meaningful it was for me to see that written somewhere, to feel seen like that
just so good, letters are underrated, thank you luisa for many things but for making sure i read this
rowan and sofie's friendship, more than friendship, everything-ship makes me cry again just thinking about it and how meaningful it was for me to see that written somewhere, to feel seen like that
just so good, letters are underrated, thank you luisa for many things but for making sure i read this
July 1, 2020
(4.0)
This book was very sad and it raised a lot of awareness to things that people might not think about too much. I wish I could read more so I could find out what happened to Rowan after this ending because one thing about this book was that at the end, not all of Rowan's problems were solved. I hope that at one point in his life he gets a happy ending.
This book was very sad and it raised a lot of awareness to things that people might not think about too much. I wish I could read more so I could find out what happened to Rowan after this ending because one thing about this book was that at the end, not all of Rowan's problems were solved. I hope that at one point in his life he gets a happy ending.
January 26, 2021
Wow! I hate books that make me cry, and I bawled through this one! Poignant, tender, and brutally honest. The book addresses big issues with authentic characters.
March 17, 2021
Where to start? I loved the audio, but the artwork in the print copy was so perfect. I ended up listening, but going back to look at the artwork. This book brought back all the feelings of that being a kid on the “outside”. The author’s ability to capture their history and convey it in such an impactful way, I am still smiling and crying. Rowan’s story will be with me and by extension, Lexie’s will be with me for a long time. I will be recommending this book and sharing it with everyone. Thank you Lexie for sharing your story through Rowan!
March 17, 2022
Do you ever read a book and think "If I were a teacher, I'd make my students read this"? The Ship We Built is such a book.
The story is heartbreaking, painful, raw. The author calls it "a book about the ache of constantly being out of place to the point where you believe only the sky will understand" and I think this is spot-on. Even though it is told from the perspective of a child, The Ship We Built is anything but simple. It's a tough read, but it's so so important.
I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come.
The story is heartbreaking, painful, raw. The author calls it "a book about the ache of constantly being out of place to the point where you believe only the sky will understand" and I think this is spot-on. Even though it is told from the perspective of a child, The Ship We Built is anything but simple. It's a tough read, but it's so so important.
I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come.
July 21, 2020
This book is heavy. Upon seeing this come out I knew in me I had to read this. A book set in the upper peninsula of Michigan, about a child exploring their gender identity, and a child who is experiencing familial sexual abuse. The main character, Roan, is in elementary school and has a really good friend. The setting is the 90s and the author does a really good job of making the setting and hence calling up nostalgia for me. While this book tackles heavy issues some people might not feel suitable for YA lit, I beg to differ. I think stories that are harsh are a relief to those of us who experience harsh realities. We can feel less alone. I am constantly advocating for more diversity in YA/children's lit. I'm a part of a book club for this as well. Also, the cover is amazingly beautiful.
September 21, 2020
A book written in letters from the MC to anyone who finds them about one year of their life. I loved the exploration of identity and the profound thoughts in the letters that sounded like genuine questions kids have when they don’t even realize they’re touching on something so big. I have to take a star off for the complete lack of trigger warning for implied sexual abuse and incest. It starts pretty early in the book, and although Rowan doesn’t have the words to explain what’s happening, and there are a number of resources in the back of the book, I felt there should be some sort of warning. Otherwise, really really beautiful. I hope it finds the right hands.
February 3, 2023
okay so i'm crying. this book is hard to read. it's an almost suffocatingly close look at a kid going facing abuse, transphobia, and isolation. it's not fast-paced or heart-poundingly exciting - it's often slow and mundane and repetitive and agonizing to experience as rowan gets caught in the same spirals over and over again. it's so honest and sincere you almost want to look away, and i think it's going to stick with me for a while.
April 26, 2024
What a sweet, poignant love letter to the author's younger self, who was struggling to accept themselves for who they were at that age. Having been in middle school around the same time, sorting through similar feelings about gender and sexuality (but without the abuse), I really connected with this book. I hope you will too, but I did wonder if "kids these days" would be as drawn to the dated references (Spice Girls, phone books, etc).
January 31, 2023
So very good, so very gutwrenching. I'm fairly involved in non-binary and transgender circles, but as a child person I really felt anew some of the challenges the main character faced. There are some very sad parts, but I think queer kids will see themselves in this book.
August 6, 2025
“You still like me, right? I hope so, because I like me right now too… I’m not meant to be miserable either.”
So many good tidbits in this book. I love trans books with trans characters who are trans!
So many good tidbits in this book. I love trans books with trans characters who are trans!
February 19, 2021
This book was absolutely beautiful. I love the perspective the story was told from and everything about it.
May 12, 2022
Was this written by a young me? Holy fuck.
May 30, 2020
This book is important, powerful, and profound while being tender and intimate and real. I wish this was written so long ago, and am so glad it exists now. Read this for you, and give it to everyone you can. I'm going to miss our protagonist, now that I've read it.
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