Review 3: "One In Every Crowd" by Ivan E. Coyote

When I first came across Ivan E. Coyote's work, it was last summer during the Vancouver Writers Fest.  One in Every Crowd was a new book she was promoting during the festival, and as soon as I read the description, I wanted to read it.  One in Every Crowd  is a collection of stories (essentially non-fiction) from the perspective of Coyote growing up in Northern Canada and later as she becomes a writer and anti-bullying advocate travelling across North American to high schools.

In all the collection touches on many themes, from family, to enduring love and loss, to addiction, gender, sexuality and the importance of community.  In the intro, Coyote addresses the book to the "Kid I Was," but really, the book is meant for all misfits.  Anyone who has been bullied because they were different, and especially if they were targeted because of their gender presentation.  The stories in this collections are offered as both a form of solace, and a rallying cry, calling for action and change.  Most importantly, they are there to say, "You're not the only one."

Growing up in small-town Northern Canada, Coyote talks about how she often felt that, in fact, she was 'the only one.'  Nearly every story touches on how her upbringing has shaped her as a person, but also how the ways she challenges notions of 'gender' have affected those around her too.  Whether it's being forced (kicking and screaming) into a dress for a wedding, learning to fix cars with her dad, or bringing home her girlfriend for the first time, Coyote's interactions with gender doesn't happen in isolation, although it is sometimes impossible for people around her to understand exactly what she is going through.

In many of the stories, Coyote talks about meeting young people who also challenge traditional notions of gender.  Some of the stories are encouraging, depicting kids who walk their own path and seem impervious to the slurs and hatred thrown their way (which makes Coyote, and the reader, tear up in joy).  And then there are the stories of the kids who, as they grow up, start to hide their true selves, fearing the repercussions their classmates may enact upon them.  In her talks at high schools, she never says the words "queer, gay, etc." (partly to appease skittish parents or faculty) but she hopes that her message will get to the kids that need it most anyway.  One of the most powerful stories in the collection, called "As Good as We Can Make It" encapsulates her frustration with our school system in particular and why hoping for a safe school environment where everyone is welcome is not just a crazy dream.  I particularly liked the anecdote about the school in Vancouver that held a birthday party for a student that was transitioning and ensured that everyone called them by their preferred pronoun.      

All in all, a moving collection, and one which I sincerely hope reaches the audience that Coyote addresses in the beginning.  I was never seriously bullied in school, still, I wish this book had been around back then.  

Genre: Stories, Young Adult Fiction/Non-Fiction
Recommended To: Youth 13-18; general audience
Rating: 8.0/10
Favourite Quote: "All day I had been searching for signs that things were different than they were when I was in school, that things were getting easier for queer kids, that we really had come a long way, baby.  I had overlooked the most obvious sign.  Of course things were changing.  I was here, wasn't I?"