Just Ash

  • Interest Level: Grade 8 - Grade 12
  • Reading Level: Grade 8

Ashley “Ash” Bishop has always known who he is: a guy who loves soccer, has a crush on his friend Michelle, and is fascinated by the gruesome history of his hometown—Salem, Massachusetts. He’s also always known that he’s intersex, born with both male and female genitalia. But it’s never felt like a big deal until his junior year of high school, when Ash gets his first period in front of the entire boys’ soccer team. Now his friends and teachers see him differently, and his own mother thinks he should “try being a girl.”

As tensions mount with his parents and Ash feels more and more like an outcast, he can’t help feeling a deeper kinship with his ancestor Bridget Bishop, who was executed for witchcraft. She didn’t conform to her community’s expectations either; she was different, and her neighbors felt threatened by her. And she paid the ultimate price. Ash is haunted by her last recorded words: You will keep silent.

Ash realizes that he needs to find a way to stand up for who he really is, or the cost of his silence might destroy his life, too.

Praise for Just Ash:

“There are few books and even fewer authors who have endeavored to give readers a real glimpse into the life of an intersex teen, which is just one reason Santana’s debut is so unique. . . . Santana—who is intersex herself—has written a smart and deeply introspective main character with whom readers will easily sympathize.”—starred, Booklist

“A page-turning, harrowing, but ultimately empowering tour-de-force…a must read for all humans.”—I. W. Gregorio, author of None of the Above and This is My Brain in Love

“A tough, powerful, necessary read, especially as Intersex Awareness Day approaches.”—BuzzFeed

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978-1-5415-9924-6
$14.24
978-1-7284-9287-2
$9.99
978-1-7284-3224-3
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Interest Level Grade 8 - Grade 12
Reading Level Grade 8
Genre Young Adult
Category Diverse Books: LGBTQIA+, Diverse Books: Physical Disability & Illness, Diversity, SEL: A Self-Awareness, SEL: B Self-Management, SEL: C Social Awareness, SEL: D Relationship Skills, SEL: E Responsible Decision-Making, Social Emotional Learning
Copyright 2021
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Carolrhoda Lab ®
Language English
Number of Pages 224
Publication Date 2021-10-05
Text Type Fiction
BISACS YAF007000, YAF031000, YAF018060
Dewey [Fic]
Dimensions 5.5 x 8.25
Lexile 730
Features Author/Illustrator biography, Author/Illustrator note, Awards, Reviewed, Starred Reviews, Teaching Guides, and eSource

Author: Sol Santana

Intersex author Sol Santana became one of only a handful of women to make the rank of Eagle Scout before being shunned by President Trump in 2017. She later turned in her badge. Her writing has received commendations from President Obama and NYS Assemblyman William Colton. She is studying to be a preschool teacher.

Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!

Just Ash

Ashley “Ash” Bishop has always known who he is: a guy who loves soccer, has a crush on his friend Michelle, and is fascinated by the gruesome history of his hometown—Salem, Massachusetts. He’s also always known that he’s intersex, born with both male and… View available downloads →

Pride Month Picks: Books to Celebrate LGBTQIA+ History and Rights

June marks Pride month for the LGBTQIA+ community, and June 28 marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969 that is recognized as a pivotal moment in the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights in the United States. If you’re prepping book displays, looking for titles to support lessons… View →

Awards

  • ALA Rainbow Reading List, Winner, 2023

Reviews

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)

“[A]n excellent read for high school students who may be intersex themselves, or for those who want to learn more about intersex people.” —Children’s Literature

Booklist

“There are few books and even fewer authors who have endeavored to give readers a real glimpse into the life of an intersex teen, which is just one reason Santana’s debut is so unique. . . . Santana—who is intersex herself—has written a smart and deeply introspective main character with whom readers will easily sympathize.”—starred, Booklist

School Library Journal

“An empowering, recommended story about Ash’s fight to define himself on his own terms.”—School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

“[T]his title offers frank education about intersex people and representation for an underrepresented group. Harrowing but hopeful.”—Kirkus Reviews

I.W. Gregorio

“A page-turning, harrowing, but ultimately empowering tour-de-force…a must read for all humans.”—I. W. Gregorio, author of None of the Above and This is My Brain in Love