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Roger A Smith

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Continental Divide

by Alex Myers (Goodreads Author)

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Roger A Smith said: " It’s the early 1990s. Ron Bancroft is 19 years old, an obsessive list maker, and transgender. In the previous few weeks, he has come out to his parents (who were unaware even of his lesbian stage), been kicked out of the house, broken up with his gir It’s the early 1990s. Ron Bancroft is 19 years old, an obsessive list maker, and transgender. In the previous few weeks, he has come out to his parents (who were unaware even of his lesbian stage), been kicked out of the house, broken up with his girlfriend, and had his familiar life at Harvard yanked away from him.

Like generations of young men before him, Ron decides to head out West to find himself. As his bus approaches Cody, Wyoming, his list is short. “Find a job. Settle down for a year. Prove to the world (myself?) that I can live as a guy.” He quickly lands a job working in the kitchen of a dude ranch, surrounded by people who are oblivious to his secret and frequently use the word “faggot” as an epithet.

Ron has a lot of advantages going into his test. He has a great work ethic. He’d been a tomboy all his life. He is blessedly tall, a runner, and not hard on the eyes. He played basketball into college until he announced he was transgender and quit the team.

Of course, there are the obvious disadvantages. He wears a tight compression top to flatten his chest. He has to plot out the timing of his shower so he isn’t interrupted by his homophobic roommates. And then there is the big one: what - and when - does he tell individuals who he becomes close to? Individuals who deserve to know who the real him is?

Eventually, working past missteps, misunderstandings, and downright maliciousness, Ron comes to terms with the real him. I felt privileged to accompany Ron as he progressed on his journey. I have observed Ron’s dilemmas as they were acted out by my own transgender son. I feel that this book has taught me truths that my son and I have never mined in our many conversations about trans issues.

There were parts of Continental Divide that were difficult for me to read. It is set seven years or so before Matthew Shepard was beaten to death near Laramie Wyoming for being gay. That event is never referenced in the book, but it added a layer of real-life peril that was hard for me to ignore. Author Alex Myers has constructed a few scenes of hateful malevolence. His bad guys are really bad, and the only way I knew that Ron was going to get out of his fix was because he is the book’s narrator. I thank author Myers for choosing this first-person method of storytelling, because otherwise I might have put the book down.

I encourage you, the reader, to take up this book. It’s a great read. It’s a coming-of-age story that transcends gender issues. It will likely help anyone, including those who have trans loved-ones, to gain a greater understanding and empathy for the trans experience. ...more "

Oct 16, 2020 05:52AM · see review