A review by atticusbinch
Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith

medium-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I was initially draw to Stay Gold bc of its title and the main character Pony’s name, which drew obvious inspiration from the Outsiders, a book I loved when I read it for school. I didn’t really know what this book was about bc I was wanted to be surprised when I read it. But, boy was I surprised. 

Pony is a white trans boy who has decided to go stealth at his new school. There, he begins to fall in love with a cheerleader named Georgia, who has her own set of issues to work out. Pony has decided to go stealth for not only his own safety and peace of mind, but to be generally viewed as just another insignificant ‘normal’ guy. However, in wanting this, Pony falls into the trap of accidentally compromising some of his morals and falling prey moments of toxic masculinity, such as allowing homophobic and transphobic jokes to be said unchecked in his new friend group. One begins to wonders if Pony’s desire to omit his gender identity from the conversation is rooted in shame or the fact that he is one degree away from privilege, Pony is white and straight. Assimilating to this typical behavior from cishet white men appears to be easier for Pony, but others in his position, maybe not so much. There are several interesting conversations to be had about this book, but I find the most interesting one is the argument between Pony and his best friend, Max: should Pony disclose that he is trans to his love interest and school, or should he remain stealth and try to further assimilate? To me, this conversation was frustrating bc I could clearly see both side. Pony should not have to disclose any information about himself at the expense of his safety and peace of mind. This is his life and if that’s how he wants to live it for his last year in high-school, then so be it, it’s his choice and no one can take it away from him. On the other hand, in Pony not disclosing his identity to the ‘public’ and wanting to blend in, he has opted to not share petitions for local trans causes and is not making an effort to connect with his community like he has prior. I find myself down the middle with these two perspectives. Pony shouldn’t have to tell everyone he’s trans if he doesn’t want to, bc again it’s his choice, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be an ally when his friends and community need him most? 

This book appears to have a broader discussion on what allyship looks, educating those who are ignorant to LGBT+ issues, and having pride in who you are. I believe Stay Gold is a decent baseline for someone who wants to read not only from a trans boy’s perspective, but his love interest’s and her approach to the idea of falling in love with a trans person. Did this book have everything I wanted? No, but it’s a stepping stone to something greater and sometimes that’s all you can ask from literature.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings