You Know Me As Lad

Warning! Cursing, Mild Spoilers And General WTF-ery To Follow
This review is only for the first story, Rich Girls Cry Too

Shiree McCarver is an author whose work I have enjoyed in the past. When I read that she'd written a love story between a black heroine and a Japanese transgendered hero I *Squeed* with joy. Oh, this had to be good!! Good lawd please let it be good.

I'm going to start off with what I liked. Rich Girls Cry Too is the story of Lizzie and Yume who were childhood friends in boarding school. They lose touch (due to Yume disappearing) and Yume resurfaces years later as the man she was meant to be, Yashiro. This is the story of the soulmates reconnecting and falling in love as adults.

I liked that Yashiro was transgender and that all aspects of his transformation were explained and discussed by him and Lizzie. He talks about his surgeries, what he had to do to afford them, the pain he went through to become who he was always meant to be. The whole transgender subject was really delved into and handled so well. It was pretty damn awesome to tell the truth.

Also, there's discussion about how Lizzie loved Yashiro even when he was in his female body and that it's the person she loves not just the gender. I LOVED that aspect of the story. LOVED.

So, now that I've gone into what I liked, I'm going to go off on what I HATED.

When Lizzie and Yume (who would grow up to be Yashiro) are eleven they spend a holiday at Lizzie's parent's house. Lizzie knows that her parents have sex in the basement while pretending to do laundry, so she brings Yume down there and they watch her parents have sex and they both get turned on by it.

STOP. Stop right. Fucking. There.

First of all, these kids are ELEVEN. I don't want to read about small children getting turned on. I don't care what anyone says; that's not right. Second, those are Lizzie's parents for Christ's sake!! Not only am I reading about an eleven year old getting turned on but I'm reading about an eleven year old getting turned on by her own parents. WTFing...just...WTF!!!

I was SO DISTURBED. I'm not even kidding, I think I got a little nauseous and didn't quite believe what I was reading. I don't think the author meant for it to come across that way but, to me, it was just really inappropriate.

After I got past that bit of WTF-ery, I moved on...but then I reached the part of the story where Lizzie's best friend drugs her and Yashiro kidnaps her on her wedding day. He then ties her hands and feet to the bed and waits for her to wake up. When Lizzie wakes up all she wonders is whether or not she was too drugged up on valium and alcohol to remember her wedding and maybe she'd slept through some kinky sex.

I understand that this is fiction but...ummm...really?

Dear Lizzie,

Let me give you a tip. When you wake up naked and tied to a bed and you have no idea where you are...don't just assume kinky sex. Maybe your first thought should be that someone kidnapped your ass and may be planning to rape you. Why? Because YOU DON"T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE. YOU'RE NAKED! YOU'RE TIED UP, GODAMMIT!! DON'T YOU FUCKING WATCH LAW & ORDER????!!!!!!

Aggghhh @#$%^*&!
Laddie

Oh man, I got all annoyed just thinking about it.

So, What do I think of this story when all is said and done? To tell the truth I don't even know. I loved the transgender part of it so much and think that's what most people who read the story focused on. Those two parts that I hated though...oh, I hate them so hard.

I gave this three stars but I'm very conflicted about those three stars. Very conflicted. *sigh*