Through circumstances beyond his control, a sensitive young boy is faced with a vital decision in A Different Kind of Life. "Michael or Michelle, someone step forward and take charge," the internal voice of our protagonist pleads for direction and help. Then, in what almost appears to be divine intervention, a powerful dream sequence, leading to absolute clarity, removes the scales from his eyes. This is a book, not about the plusses and minuses of being either gender, but about the idea of finally being who you are.Katie Leone has written a novel touching all the bases of gender dysphoria, from the actual realization of the forbidden fantasy of the transgender child, to the exploration of the philosophical conflict of our bigendered society, where personal freedoms are an illusion and societal expectations fostered by paternalism are the norm. This is a sensitive novel by an author who has the courage to gracefully and tastefully touch, not only upon a child's gender issues, but the sexuality of children, an important but oft neglected area ordinarily taboo to literature, but here outlined with unerring innocence and sweetness. Just another wonderful novel by a fine and passionate write
[Reviewed by Samuel]
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