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I.W. gregorio

ABOUT THE BOOK

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant? Book
Club
When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another
piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She’s a champion hurdler with a full Pick!
scholarship to college and she’s madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she’s
decided that she’s ready to take things to the next level with him.
But Kristin’s first time isn’t the perfect moment she’s planned—something is
very wrong.  A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which
means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes,
not to mention boy “parts.”
Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked
to the whole school, Kristin’s entire identity is thrown into question.  As her
world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. E ven before Kristin’s diagnosis, she longs “for things to be normal
again” (p. 29). Why? Can you relate? What does it mean to be
“normal”? How is a desire for normalcy universally human? How is
“normal” just another word for “average,” and why is it a bad thing?
2. D r. Cheng tells Kristin that “chromosomal sex, gender identity, and
sexual orientation are all separate concepts” (p. 59). How so? Did you
understand the difference before reading None of the Above? How are
the three classifications confusing? How are they interconnected?
3. H ow is the term “hermaphrodite” inaccurate? What is the stigma
associated with it, and how is it a slur?
4. Why does Maggie Blankman’s use of the word “us” mean so much to
Kristin (p. 82)?
5. Why do you think Kristin tells Vee and Faith that she’s intersex? How
does each friend react to this confession? Why does Kristin assume
what she does about the betrayal of her confidence?
6. Why does Sam viciously turn on Kristin? Kristin believes that “it
shouldn’t be possible to stop loving someone so quickly” (p. 121). How
can it happen that quickly? Have you ever had a similar experience of
suddenly becoming “unloved”?
7. Why do many of Kristin’s classmates resort to bullying? Why doesn’t
Kristin initially view these actions as bullying? Why do other peers
respond with compassion or indifference?
8. H ow does Kristin try to protect her dad? Why does she do so?
9. W hy does Dr. Cheng have Kristin take some time to think about
getting a gonadectomy? Why do you think Kristin decides to do the
surgery? Why is the surgery controversial?
10. H ow does Kristin’s mom’s death affect her—both before and after
her diagnosis as intersex?
11. D r. LaForte asks Kristin, “Who are you?” (p. 221). How do you
think Kristin would answer that question at the end of the novel?
How would you answer it about yourself?
12. What does Kristin mean when she says that “people were still afraid
of the Other” (p. 227)?
13. Why does Gretchen warn Kristin to “be careful of letting other
people define who—and what—you are” (p. 238)? How can other
people’s definitions distract, confuse, or harm?
14. H ow are running and hurdling used as metaphors in the novel?
15. Vee tells Kristin to “get on with your life already” (p. 284). Why does
Kristin need to hear this advice? Why is Vee the one to give it?
16. H ow does Darren give Kristin the ability to “stand still” (p. 325)?
Why is Darren accepting of Kristin exactly as she is when others
are not?
17. I n I. W. Gregorio’s author’s note, she poses the questions: “What does
it mean to be a woman? What happens when you don’t fit perfectly
into the gender binary? And what role does your biology play not
only in who you love, but who loves you?” (p. 332). Discuss.

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