None of the Above(73)

I couldn’t have written None of the Above with a whit of authenticity without the incredible support of the AIS community. I can’t thank Jeanne Nollman (president of the AIS-DSD Support Group for Women and Families: www.aisdsd.org) and Margaret Simmonds (director of the UK Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group: www.aissg.org) enough for reading early drafts, and providing me with the kindest insight and encouragement. Dr. Arlene Baratz read a later iteration, and her suggestions added considerable nuance and accuracy to None of the Above. Any and all errors of representation are mine and mine alone.

Finally, my deepest admiration goes to Pigeon Pagonis and Sean Saifa Wall for their courageous work with Inter/Act (http://inter-actyouth.tumblr.com) and Advocates for Informed Choice. You are my heroes. In Saifa’s words, they speak “for the many who cannot speak, including those living with the shame, isolation, and secrecy that surround people with intersex conditions.” It’s my fervent hope that Kristin’s story resonates not only with readers who are intersex, but with any teenager who has ever felt that they were different, struggled with intimacy, or wished that they were “normal.”





RECOMMENDED READING


Works of fiction featuring intersex characters

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

Nonfiction

Fixing Sex: Intersex, Medical Authority, and Lived Experience by Katrina Karkazis

Hermaphrodites and the Medical Invention of Sex by Alice Domurat Dreger

Articles and websites of note

Accord Alliance. “Learn About DSD.” www.accordalliance.org/learn-about-dsd/faqs

Dreger, Alice Domurat. “Media Advisory on Sex Verification in Sports.” www.alicedreger.com/media_ advisory_01.html

Inter/Act: A Tumblr “for young people with intersex conditions or DSDs to come together, express themselves, and unite their individual stories to develop a voice for a new generation.” http://inter-actyouth.tumblr.com

Kinsman, Kat. “Intersex Dating: Finding Love across the Intersection.” April 15, 2014. www.cnn.com/2014/ 04/15/living/intersex-dating-relate

Organization Intersex International. “The Real Michael Phelps Girlfriend Story.” www.oiiinternational.com/3110/the-real-michael-phelps-girlfriend-story





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


There’s a special place in paradise for the agents and editors of debut authors. This book would not be in your hands were it not for Jessica Regel’s faith in the first sixty pages of this story—I couldn’t have asked for a better advocate and friend. More important, Jess matched me with an editorial dream team that at times understood my book better than I did. I’ll be forever indebted to Alessandra Balzer, Sara Sargent, and Kelsey Murphy for helping me to kill my darlings and inspiring me to write new ones; for knowing when to be merciless and when to be kind; but most of all, for believing that Kristin’s story was one worth telling. Thanks to the entire B+B editorial team—Donna Bray, Kristin Daly Rens, Jordan Brown, and Viana Siniscalchi—for making me feel so welcome.

Thank you to the crackerjack managing editorial team of Bethany Reis, Mark Rifkin, Josh Weiss, and copyeditor extraordinaire Kathryn Hinds, for catching countless embarrassing mistakes in my draft; any errors that are still in the book are mine and mine alone. A round of applause for Alison Donalty, Jenna Stempel, and Barb Fitzsimmons, who designed a cover that is both visually stunning and true to the story.

To Caroline Sun and Booki Vivat, the best publicity team a girl could hope for, I say “Bravo.” Mad love to Nellie Kurtzman, Jenna Lisanti, Stefanie Hoffman, Megan Barlog, and the whole Harper marketing team for their enthusiasm for this book. In particular, a shout-out to Patty Rosati and the School and Library team for making None of the Above a Common Core focus title, and for tangibly increasing intersex awareness in our schools. I heart you, Molly Motch, Preeti Chhibber, Stephanie Macy, and Robin Pinto! Thank you to the many people in the sales department who championed my book, including Bernie Moran, Kim Gombar, Ashton Quinn, and Ronnie Kutys.

Huge tackle-hugs to my talented critique partners Abigail Hing Wen and Sonya Mukherjee, who have been there from the very beginning, cheering me when I got things right and setting me straight when my efforts went awry. It’s not an overstatement to say that I may never have gotten published without them, and I can’t wait to see their own books on my shelf.

My undying gratitude to the beta readers whose fresh eyes kept me on the right path as None went through revision after revision: Libby Copeland, Eliza Jones, Stacey Lee, Karen Akins, Marieke Nijkamp, Anna-Marie McLemore, Katia Raina, Natasha Sinel, Dianne K. Salerni, K. M. Walton, Evelyn Ehrlich, Amy Garvey, and Kelly Lyman—you rock. Jazz Tigan, Christine Danek, Jeanne Schriel, Kevin P. Sheridan, and Joanne Fritz also offered valuable insight as I worked out Kristin’s voice. Super-special props to An-Lon Chen for both beta reading and designing my amazing SWAG, and to Elena Gregorio, Vince Grim, and David Aversa, who very kindly gave me incredible insight into the worlds of social work, counseling, and psychiatry.

Thanks to the numerous publishing peeps whose keen insight steered Kristin’s story in the right direction, particularly Jennifer Laughran, Brett Wright, Marie Lamba, and Amy Tipton.

Sometimes I joke that taking out someone’s bladder tumor is a walk in the park—it’s the writing life that’s stressful. I owe whatever sanity I have to the We Need Diverse Books team, the Fearless Fifteeners, the Class of 2k15, and the Diversity League for helping me navigate this sometimes tortuous journey. Shout-outs also to the Hopefuls, the Milestones critique group, and the members of the SCBWI (née Verla Kay) Blueboards.